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The California Secretary of State keeps the register of corporations, LLCs and limited partnerships, and the public tool for it is bizfile Online. A lookup is free. You can search by entity name or by entity number, and the Advanced button adds officer and director details. The search inside it is called Business Search.
Running a California LLC and corporation search on bizfile
Start at bizfile Online. The Secretary of State's search tips page is worth a look. The search box takes a name or a number, and the way it reads a name is worth knowing before you type:
- Three name modes. Keyword finds the words anywhere in the name, and with several keywords a company must contain all of them. Begins with matches the first words. Exact needs the full name, spaces and punctuation included.
- Punctuation is stripped. Periods, commas, quotes, slashes and parentheses are removed, so D.A.R.E. and DARE return the same match.
- Some words are skipped. The search ignores &, hyphens and the words AND, CALIFORNIA, CORP, CORPORATION, INC, INCORPORATED, LIMITED, LLC, LTD, OF, PARTNERSHIP and THE. Leave them out and pick a distinctive word instead.
- Spacing counts. A B C ESCROW CO finds A. B. C. ESCROW CO., but ABC ESCROW CO finds nothing.
- Long words get cut. A keyword longer than 12 characters is cut off after 12.
- Number formats. A corporation number is the letter C plus 7 digits. LLC and limited partnership numbers are 12 digits.
Corporations show in one group and LLCs and limited partnerships in another, and every match comes back whatever its status. To find who runs a company, open the record or use the Advanced button. Our business owner lookup guide explains what California does and does not show about owners.
When the company does not show up
Try fewer keywords, or a Begins with search on the first word you are sure of. Check that you are not searching for a general partnership or an LLP, because those are not in this database. A trading name will not show either: fictitious business names are filed with the county. If you still find nothing, the Secretary of State suggests ordering a status report for a fuller search.
What a California record tells you
A record shows the entity name and number, its status, the agent for service of process and copies of filed Statements of Information. Some older statements read "Image not available online" and can be ordered as copies.
The status words are specific to California, and two agencies can change them:
- Active: formed or registered and allowed to do business.
- SOS Suspended / SOS Forfeited: the Secretary of State acted because the Statement of Information was not filed.
- FTB Suspended / FTB Forfeited: the Franchise Tax Board acted over returns, tax, penalties or interest.
- SOS/FTB Suspended: both agencies acted.
- Dissolved, Surrender, Merged Out, Converted-Out, Term Expired: the company has ended or left California in that way.
- Canceled: the filing fee payment was not honored by the bank.
A suspended or forfeited company loses its powers, rights and privileges in the state, including the right to use its name. See business entity status for how to act on each one. The Secretary of State notes the data is provided "as is" and is not a certification of status.
California name rules and reservations
Under Corporations Code section 17701.08, an LLC name must contain "limited liability company", "LLC" or "L.L.C.", and "Ltd." and "Co." are allowed as short forms. The name must not be likely to mislead the public and must be distinguishable in the records from every other LLC, every foreign LLC registered in California and every reserved name.
California compares a name only against the same entity type, so a corporation name is checked against corporations. Names are not checked against trademarks or county fictitious business names. You can reserve a name online for 60 days for $10. It can be reserved again for the same party, but not back to back: at least one day must pass between periods. Our name availability guide covers the wider checks.
Keeping a California company in good standing
The yearly or two-yearly filing is the Statement of Information. LLCs file every two years in their registration month for $20. Stock corporations file every year for $25, which is a $20 filing fee plus a $5 disclosure fee. The state sends a reminder about three months before the due date. If the statement is late, a notice of delinquency follows, and after 60 days the Franchise Tax Board assesses the penalty.
Tax is separate. The Franchise Tax Board charges every LLC doing business or organized in California an annual tax of $800, due by the 15th day of the 4th month of the tax year. Tax failures, not missed Secretary of State filings, are what lead to FTB Suspended.
To prove standing, order a Certificate of Status for $5 through bizfile Online. Our certificate of good standing guide explains when banks and other states ask for one.
Bulk data
California sells a full Business Entity Master Unload for $100 per unload through a logged-in bizfile account, and the weekly data file of changes is free. You accept the terms of use before each order.
Starting a company here? Read our guide on how to start an LLC in California, the California registered agent rules, a California operating agreement guide and the California LLC cost breakdown.
Also see our guides to the California DBA and California business license.