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Whether you're managing compliance obligations, coordinating with business partners, or onboarding to a new platform, you'll often need four specific pieces of information from state business registries: your entity name, entity type, entity number, and formation date.
The short answer is that you can find all these details on the Secretary of State's site for each state. While every state maintains its own business entity database, search systems, terminology, and access methods vary significantly across jurisdictions.
This article connects you to detailed, state-specific instructions for locating your entity information in all 51 U.S. jurisdictions. Each guide explains where to search, what to look for, and how to interpret the specific formats and terminology used in that state's system.
What entity information you'll need to find
Before searching for entity details, you'll need to know your state of formation: the state where your entity was originally created. This determines which state's database to search and which guide below applies to your situation.
Once you've identified the correct state, you'll need to locate these four data points from that state's business entity database:
Entity name: Your business's complete legal name as registered with the state, including designators like "LLC" or "Inc."
Entity type: The legal structure of your business (LLC, Corporation, LLP, Professional Corporation, etc.)
Entity number: The unique identifier assigned by the state when your entity was formed. This is the most variable element across states, with different terminology in nearly every jurisdiction.
Formation date: The date your entity was officially registered with the state (sometimes called "file date" or "incorporation date")
Already know what you're looking for? Jump to the state-by-state directory below to access step-by-step instructions for finding these details in your specific state's database.
State-by-state entity information guides
Each state's business entity search system has unique characteristics, from the terminology used for entity numbers to the layout of search results.
The guides below provide step-by-step instructions tailored to each jurisdiction's specific database, explaining exactly where to find your entity name, type, number, and formation date.
Alaska – View the complete Alaska guide
Arkansas – Access the Arkansas entity lookup guide
California – Learn how to search California's business database
Colorado – Read our Colorado entity information guide
Connecticut – View the complete Connecticut guide
Delaware – See how to find entity details in Delaware
Florida – Access the Florida entity lookup guide
Idaho – View the complete Idaho guide
Illinois – See how to find entity details in Illinois
Indiana – Access the Indiana entity lookup guide
Kentucky – View the complete Kentucky guide
Louisiana – See how to find entity details in Louisiana
Massachusetts – Read our Massachusetts entity information guide
Michigan – View the complete Michigan guide
Minnesota – See how to find entity details in Minnesota
Mississippi – Access the Mississippi entity lookup guide
Nebraska – View the complete Nebraska guide
New Hampshire – Access the New Hampshire entity lookup guide
New Jersey – Learn how to search New Jersey's business database
New Mexico – Read our New Mexico entity information guide
New York – View the complete New York guide
North Carolina – See how to find entity details in North Carolina
North Dakota – Access the North Dakota entity lookup guide
Oklahoma – Read our Oklahoma entity information guide
Oregon – View the complete Oregon guide
Pennsylvania – See how to find entity details in Pennsylvania
Rhode Island – Access the Rhode Island entity lookup guide
South Carolina – Learn how to search South Carolina's business database
South Dakota – Read our South Dakota entity information guide
Tennessee – View the complete Tennessee guide
Virginia – Read our Virginia entity information guide
Washington – View the complete Washington guide
Washington, DC – See how to find entity details in Washington, DC
West Virginia – Access the West Virginia entity lookup guide
Wisconsin – Learn how to search Wisconsin's business database
What do I do if I can't find my entity information?
If you're having trouble locating your entity in a state's database, try these approaches:
Check for name variations: Some state systems are sensitive to punctuation and formatting. Try searching with and without periods in "LLC" or "L.L.C.," test variations with "The" as a prefix, and experiment with ampersands versus "and."
Search by entity number if you have it: If you know your entity number from formation documents or correspondence, searching by that identifier often produces more reliable results than name searches, especially for businesses with common names.
Look for the entity in related databases: Some states maintain separate databases for different entity types or time periods. If the main business entity search doesn't show results, check for historical records sections or alternative portals mentioned in your state's specific guide.
Contact the state agency directly: When online searches don't work, the Secretary of State's office (or equivalent state agency) can verify entity information over the phone or via email. Each state guide includes the relevant agency contact information.
If you need assistance gathering entity information during the onboarding process, Discern's team can help you navigate state-specific challenges and ensure you have accurate details for compliance tracking.
Streamline multi-state entity management with Discern
Locating entity information is just the first step in managing business compliance across multiple jurisdictions. Once your entities are onboarded, Discern automates compliance tracking, deadline management, and filing requirements across all 51 jurisdictions, eliminating the need to manually monitor dozens of state systems.
Ready to simplify entity management and compliance tracking? Book a demo with Discern today to see how we handle ongoing compliance requirements across every state.
Published on
Updated on
2025-11-14
