State-by-state guide to finding your business entity information

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.

1. Alabama – Read our Alabama entity information guide
2. Alaska – View the complete Alaska guide
3. Arizona – See how to find entity details in Arizona
4. Arkansas – Access the Arkansas entity lookup guide
5. California – Learn how to search California's business database
6. Colorado – Read our Colorado entity information guide
7. Connecticut – View the complete Connecticut guide
8. Delaware – See how to find entity details in Delaware
9. Florida – Access the Florida entity lookup guide
10. Georgia – Learn how to search Georgia's business database
11. Hawaii – Read our Hawaii entity information guide
12. Idaho – View the complete Idaho guide
13. Illinois – See how to find entity details in Illinois
14. Indiana – Access the Indiana entity lookup guide
15. Iowa – Learn how to search Iowa's business database
16. Kansas – Read our Kansas entity information guide
17. Kentucky – View the complete Kentucky guide
18. Louisiana – See how to find entity details in Louisiana
19. Maine – Access the Maine entity lookup guide
20. Maryland – Learn how to search Maryland's business database
21. Massachusetts – Read our Massachusetts entity information guide
22. Michigan – View the complete Michigan guide
23. Minnesota – See how to find entity details in Minnesota
24. Mississippi – Access the Mississippi entity lookup guide
25. Missouri – Learn how to search Missouri's business database
26. Montana – Read our Montana entity information guide
27. Nebraska – View the complete Nebraska guide
28. Nevada – See how to find entity details in Nevada
29. New Hampshire – Access the New Hampshire entity lookup guide
30. New Jersey – Learn how to search New Jersey's business database
31. New Mexico – Read our New Mexico entity information guide
32. New York – View the complete New York guide
33. North Carolina – See how to find entity details in North Carolina
34. North Dakota – Access the North Dakota entity lookup guide
35. Ohio – Learn how to search Ohio's business database
36. Oklahoma – Read our Oklahoma entity information guide
37. Oregon – View the complete Oregon guide
38. Pennsylvania – See how to find entity details in Pennsylvania
39. Rhode Island – Access the Rhode Island entity lookup guide
40. South Carolina – Learn how to search South Carolina's business database
41. South Dakota – Read our South Dakota entity information guide
42. Tennessee – View the complete Tennessee guide
43. Texas – See how to find entity details in Texas
44. Utah – Access the Utah entity lookup guide
45. Vermont – Learn how to search Vermont's business database
46. Virginia – Read our Virginia entity information guide
47. Washington – View the complete Washington guide
48. Washington, DC – See how to find entity details in Washington, DC
49. West Virginia – Access the West Virginia entity lookup guide
50. Wisconsin – Learn how to search Wisconsin's business database
51. Wyoming – Read our Wyoming entity information guide

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.