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A business owner lookup is not one search. US states record who forms and runs a company, not who owns it, so you piece the answer together from several public records. Start with the state register, then widen out.
Step 1: the state business record
Find the company on the register of the state where it was formed. Our LLC lookup guide and Secretary of State business search guide show how. The record can show:
- Managers, members, officers or directors, depending on the state and entity type. Corporations usually list officers or directors. LLCs may list managers, managing members or nobody.
- The organizer or incorporator, the person who signed the formation papers. This is often a lawyer or a filing service, not an owner.
- The registered agent. A paid agent service tells you nothing about the owner. An individual agent at a home address often is the owner or close to them. See the registered agent lookup guide.
Some states let you search by a person's name. Florida's Sunbiz, for example, has an officer and registered agent search, which can show every company a person is linked to there.
Step 2: annual reports
Many states require an annual or periodic report that updates the managers, officers and address. These are often free to view in the filing history. Read several years. A name that appears and disappears tells you when control changed. See the annual report lookup guide.
Step 3: UCC filings
When a business borrows against its assets, the lender usually files a UCC financing statement with the state, often the same office that keeps the company register. The filing names the debtor and the secured party. It does not name owners, but it shows lenders and sometimes a personal guarantor's business, and it confirms the company's exact legal name and address.
Step 4: county DBA and assumed name filings
A trade name used by a sole trader or partnership is filed as a DBA, fictitious name or assumed name, with the county clerk or the state depending on where you are. Unlike most company records, these filings normally name the person behind the trade name. Our DBA search guide explains where each kind is filed.
Step 5: court and property records
- Court records. Lawsuits, judgments and bankruptcies often name the people who signed for a company. Federal court filings are in PACER, and state courts run their own searches.
- Property records. County recorders show who signed deeds and mortgages for a company.
- Licenses. State licensing boards for trades such as contractors, real estate and health care often list a qualifying person or owner.
What public records do not show
- Ownership shares. Who owns what percentage of an LLC sits in the operating agreement, which is private.
- Beneficial ownership reports. FinCEN states on its BOI FAQ page that this information is stored in a secure, non-public database and is exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act. FinCEN's BOI page also says companies created in the United States are now exempt from reporting. Check fincen.gov for the current rules.
- Tax records. The IRS does not publish who owns a company or its EIN. See the EIN lookup guide.
Matching people to the right company
Common names mislead. Before you decide a person owns a company, match at least two things: the same address on the state record and the annual report, the same agent, or the same signature across filings. Check the entity number every time, because look-alike company names in the same state are often unrelated.
When the owner stays hidden
Some states, such as Wyoming and Delaware, ask for very little about managers in public filings, so the trail can stop at an agent. If you need the owner for a legal claim, an attorney can ask a court to order disclosure. For a business deal, ask the company directly to show who signs for it. Compare our New York and Florida guides to see how much states differ.