California (CA) Secretary of State (SOS) LLC & Business Search

The California Secretary of State provides a business search facility for corporations, limited liability companies and limited partnerships. These searches can provide key information about businesses and their entity documents. The California Secretary of State offers basic and advanced search options which include searching by:

• Name
• File number

Search by business name

California Secretary of State’s website offers the facility to search for a business by its name with the option of narrowing the search results by selecting contains or starts with as well as other perimeters including entity type and status.

The list produced will include all businesses with names that meet the criteria that you have selected. The results will include information such as business name, filing date, status, entity type, formation location and agent to help you identify the business you are looking for.

If you want to view more details about the business you can click on the business name and the publicly available information will be displayed which includes:

• Business name
• File number
• Filing date
• Status
• Standing status
• Formation location
• Entity type
• Principal address
• Mailing address
• Statement of information due date
• Agent details
• History

Search by file number

You can also search their database for Californian registered businesses by their file number if you know it.

The search results should produce one record which can be clicked into to view the full publicly available information which includes the business name, address, status, history and more as outlined above in the search by business name.

Contact details

Website: https://bizfileonline.sos.ca.gov/search/business

Phone: (916) 657-5448

Address: 1500 11^th Street, 2^nd and 3^rd Floors, Sacramento, CA 95814

Hours: Monday-Friday 8.00am-5.00pm

How to register a business in California

If you want to register a business in California then you should follow the below steps:

1. Choose your business name and check whether it is currently in use on the California Secretary of State business search facility.
2. Choose which entity type you want to set your business as such as LLC, corporation, LP, LLP or sole proprietorship.
3. You can then register your business with the Secretary of State.
4. You should then check what licensing and permits you need to operate.

How much does a California business entity search cost?

A business entity search on the California Secretary of State website is free to do and you can download free PDF copies of business entity documents.

How can I get a business license in California?

Most businesses will be required to obtain licenses or permits before they can operate, and these can vary depending on where your business is formed within California and the type of business.

One of the most commonly required permits is the Business License which is needed to do business within the area. The cost for a Business License varies by city or county but can start as low as $15 for smaller businesses up to hundreds for larger businesses.

A website has been developed to assist businesses in finding the right permits and licenses based on their location and business type, which is called CalGOLD.