Official records how-to
LLC Lookup: Find Any LLC in Official State Records
An LLC lookup answers two practical questions: does a company you are dealing with really exist in good standing, and is the LLC name you want already taken? Both answers live in official state registries, and every one of them is free to search.
How to look up an LLC
- Pick the right state. An LLC is created under one state's law, and its master record lives in that state's registry. A company doing business in several states also appears in each state where it registered as a foreign entity, but the home-state record is the authoritative one.
- Open the official search portal. Use the table below — every link goes to the state government database, not a paid lookup service.
- Search the core name, not the suffix. Type Blue Pine rather than Blue Pine LLC. Some registries treat the designator as part of the name and will miss records that use "L.L.C.", "Limited Liability Company", or no suffix in the index.
- Open the record and read the details. Status, formation date, registered agent, and filed documents tell you whether the company is active and who receives legal notices for it.
Free LLC lookup by state
Each portal below is the official government search for that jurisdiction, and each state guide explains that registry's quirks — search filters, status wording, and what the record shows. The filing fee column is what the state charges to form a new LLC, useful when your lookup is really a name check before filing.
LLC name search: check whether a name is taken
When the goal is a new company rather than an existing one, the same registries double as an LLC name search. Two rules shape what you find:
- Names are claimed per state. "Blue Pine LLC" being taken in Texas says nothing about Wyoming. If the name matters to you in several states, search each one.
- States require names to be distinguishable, not merely different. Most registries ignore the designator, punctuation, and often words like "the" when comparing names, so Blue Pine LLC and The Blue Pine Company can conflict. A clean search result is a strong signal, but only the state's filing review makes it official.
If your search comes back clear, the name is not yet yours — it generally goes to whoever files first. Our guide on how to claim a business name covers the steps from an available-looking name to a registered company.
What an LLC record shows
Most state records display some combination of the following fields:
- Status — Active or good standing means the company exists and is current on its obligations; Dissolved, Revoked, or Delinquent are warning signs worth understanding before you sign anything.
- Entity ID — the state's file number, the most reliable way to reference the company in follow-up filings or records requests.
- Registered agent — the person or company that accepts legal papers; useful when you need to serve or formally contact an LLC.
- Formation date and documents — many states let you open the articles of organization and later amendments directly from the record, free or for a small copy fee.
- Owner names — sometimes. Disclosure varies widely: some states list members or managers on the public record, others show only the agent and organizer. If the owner is not listed, the record still gives you the agent as the official contact path.
LLC lookup vs. business entity search
An LLC lookup is a business entity search narrowed to one entity type. The same state portals index corporations, nonprofits, and partnerships, and a few offer an entity-type filter worth using when a name is common. For the broader picture — which agency runs each registry and how the systems differ — see the Secretary of State business search directory, and for why the U.S. has no single national registry, see how nationwide business entity search works.
Jump to a state guide
Already know the state? Open its guide for the official link plus a walkthrough of that registry's search flow.
LLC lookup FAQ
Is an LLC lookup free?
Yes. Every official state registry search in the table above is free to use. Some states charge small fees for certified copies or full document downloads, but searching records and reading the company's status page costs nothing. Paid "LLC lookup" websites resell the same public data.
Can I look up an LLC in every state at once?
Not through any official system — each state runs its own registry. Commercial aggregators cover multiple states but lag behind official records. For anything that matters, verify in the formation state's own database.
How do I find out who owns an LLC?
Check the state record first: some states list members or managers publicly. If not, the articles of organization or annual reports sometimes name them, and the registered agent is always listed as the official contact. Federal beneficial-ownership filings are not public, so for non-disclosure states the practical paths are the agent, court records, or asking the company directly.
Why can't I find an LLC I know exists?
The most common causes: searching with the suffix ("LLC") when the index stores the name without it, searching the wrong state, a trade name (DBA) that differs from the legal name, or a recent filing that has not been indexed yet. Try the core name only, then the state where the company was actually formed rather than where it operates.
Sources reviewed
- Official state registry links, agency data, and LLC filing fees from the synced EntitySearch.us state dataset; per-state verification dates appear on each state guide.
- State naming and distinguishability rules as summarized in each state guide's filing notes, each backed by that state's official statute or agency guidance.
EntitySearch.us is an independent reference site. It is not a government agency, is not affiliated with any Secretary of State office, and does not operate an official business registry.