The table below is up to date as of 2025.
Links to all 50 States: Secretary of State (SOS) Website, Business/Corporate Services Division, and Business Entity Searches
Name of State Department (1st column)
This is the main governing body of a state, usually called the Secretary of State, but may have a different name (ex: Department of State, Commonwealth, or simply, The State of…”).
Corporation/Business Division (2nd column)
This is usually a sub-department under the Secretary of State, Department of State, Commonwealth, etc. These business services divisions are responsible for the formations, amendments, dissolutions, and record keeping of all business entities registered and authorized to do business in the state.
Tip: It’s best to form an LLC in the state where you doing business. For most people this is your home state. Please see best state to form an LLC for more information.
Business Entity and Corporate Record Search (3rd column)
If you’re looking to search business entities, such as LLCs, Corporations, LPs, LLPs, etc., then all the links you need are in the 3rd column below. These links go directly to the official business entity search page within each state department.
Below are all 50 states’ business entity search & corporate record search pages, as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
All Secretary of States’ Websites & Business Entity Search:
References
Wikipedia: State government
US Department of State: The Secretary of State
Wikipedia: Secretary of State (State government)
Matt holds a Bachelor's Degree in business from Drexel University with a concentration in business law. He performs extensive research and analysis to convert state laws into simple instructions anyone can follow to form their LLC - all for free! Read more about Matt Horwitz and LLC University.
Hi. I am hoping someone can help.
My home landline phone number somehow became associated with a particular business in Florida (I am in NY), and I keep getting phone calls from telemarketers and others. They are telling me it’s on a secretary of state list of businesses. How can I remove my number from there?
Hi Evelyn, that has to be annoying. Sorry to hear about that. You can try calling the Florida Department of State (850-245-6052) and see if they can help. If not, you can try listing your number on the National Do Not Call list. Hope that helps.
Hi Matt
This is amazing information and I have bookmarked this page as I work a lot on these State websites. Just wanted to check are there any APIs available from where we can access this data. I am looking for direct access to States APIs and not some 3rd party providing it. It would be great if you can include that column as well.
Hey Varun, awesome to hear! You’re very welcome. At this time, I’m not sure about APIs. Hope that helps, and thank you for your understanding. Also, curious to see what people use this page for. Can I ask what industry do you work in, and/or what type of work you do?
Hello,
I frequently use your website for business searches, and I’m thankful that a website like yours exists. It appears that the link to the North Carolina business search needs to be updated.
Kind regards,
Sandor
Hi Sandor, thank you very much. The North Carolina Secretary of State recently updated their website, and our links have since been updated to reflect those changes. Thank you.
I belong to a LLC company with four other guys and one guy acts like he is the only owner and he will not let us look at any documents or records of money coming in or out. We are going on 4 months of operation and only had one short meeting. I ask every day for a meeting and yesterday he said I am fired because of my mouth asking to many questions that I don’t need to stick my nose in. I also have more complaints about him with breaking laws and I don’t know who to turn to for help. I want to save the company before he takes it down. Any referrals for me on your end?
Hi Kimberly, sorry to hear that. It certainly sounds like this guy is in the wrong. And if you’re a Member, you technically can’t get fired (there’s actually no such thing in this context. I recommend reaching out to a business attorney in your state for assistance. Hope that helps.
New link for NM: https://enterprise.sos.nm.gov/search/business
Thanks for this resource … you saved me HEAPS of time on a research project.
Hey L, thanks! We’ve since updated this table, as well as our New Mexico LLC course. And you’re very welcome :) If you’re open to sharing, I’m curious what type of research project you were working on? It’s always helpful to know why readers are using this page. If you’d rather not, of course, that’s also totally cool. Thank you.
Hello Matt, It looks like the New Mexico SOS recently updated their sites/system and the link for “New Mexico Business Search” on this site may need to be updated to https://enterprise.sos.nm.gov/search/business
Hi Mike, thanks for your comment! We’ve since updated the table. We also updated our New Mexico LLC course too. Thank you.
Matt – do you have any guidance for setting up an LLC in Puerto Rico (guidance similar to many of the step-by-step guides you provide for various states)?
Hi Mark, we don’t have a Puerto Rico LLC guide at this time. It’s on our list though, so in the near future.
Hi Matt,
It looks as if the DC link should be the following:
https://corponline.dcra.dc.gov/Home.aspx/index
The one on here takes you to another site that makes you register.
Thank you!
Hi Irina, thank you for your comment and the link. The link we have in the table though for the Business Filings Search is still correct (we added a note about a login being required). The link you shared is to validate a Basic Business License (BBL). However, an entity may exist, but may have not applied for their BBL yet. The reason being is that the BBL requires either a Home Occupation Permit or a Certificate of Occupancy first. And it takes some entities a few weeks (or longer) before they get around to the BBL and its prerequisites. So the Business Filings Search link (that requires a login) is still the best link to check whether or not an entity is formed/registered in DC. Thanks!
Hi Is there any way you can do all state search in one go?
Hi Irfan, not that I know of.
Hello. my name is Thomas and I’m from Sweden. I was told in Sweden to contact “secretary of state Illinois” if I want to get information about company in the US. I am interested in company called “Global Capital Recovery LLC” 330 S Wells St – Suite 822 Chicago, IL 60606-7100. But their website doesn’t work. I tried https://www.ilsos.gov/, can you help me? Do you have their email or phone number?
Kind Regards,
Thomas
Hi Thomas, for some reason the Illinois Secretary of State blocks web traffic from most countries. Here are two phone numbers for them: 217-782-6961 and 217-782-6875. You can also use a proxy site like Hide me in order to access their website. Hope that helps.