If you’re forming a new business in California, be it an LLC, corporation, or limited partnership, it’s important to carry out an entity search. A California business entity search reveals important information, such as whether a business name is available or if an entity is in good standing. The latter is extremely important if you’re looking to acquire a new business.
Understanding how to carry out a California business lookup is an essential as you prepare to launch a new company or acquire another. Here’s what you need to know.
What is a California business entity search?
A California business entity search is a specific search carried out via the Secretary of State. This search yields documentation verifying the authenticity of a business and confirms its registration with the appropriate governing bodies. A California company lookup provides you with all publicly available information about the business so you can confirm its legitimacy.
Why should you run a California business entity search?
An individual may want to carry out a California business lookup for various reasons, including the following:
- Oftentimes, business owners will do a company search to browse name availability or garner inspiration.
- In an acquisition or merger, a quick entity look up will provide key information such as whether or not the business is in good standing.
- If you’re partnering with a company, or taking it on as a client, you can verify its existence and ensure its reputable.
What information is provided in a California business lookup?
General details you can find about a business in an entity search include the following:
- Name
- Entity ID Number
- Initial Filing Date
- State Formed in
- Entity type
- Standing Status
- Good: This means the entity is in good standing and all fee and filing obligations have been met.
- Cancelled: The entity will be cancelled if payments for filing fees are not received.
- Suspended: If the business has not filed its California Statement of Information (SOI) form, it will be suspended.
- FTB (Franchise Tax Board) Suspended: If the entity has not paid its annual franchise tax payments to the FTB, it will be suspended.
- Dissolved or Inactive: An entity that has not filed the SOI or has dissolved will have this status.
- Principle/Mailing Address
- Registered Agent information
How to look up a business in California
There are several ways in which you can do an entity search in California. Various factors such as capacity, urgency, and ease will affect which option you choose.
Secretary of State California business entity search
Through the California Secretary of State website, you can carry out a ‘Basic Search’ which will look through active entities only, and can help you find Corporations, Limited Liability Companies, Limited Partnerships, Cooperatives, Name Reservations, Foreign Name Reservations, Unincorporated Common Interest Developments, and Out of State Associations.
There is also the option to carry out an ‘Advanced Search’, which is required if searching for publicly traded disclosure information or inactive entities. You can also search by business type, or for businesses starting with specific words.
SEC EDGAR company search
With the Security and Exchange Commission’s Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval (SEC EDGAR) system, you can find information about businesses using the company name, Ticker Symbol or File Number. However, company records only go back as far as 1994; moreover, only companies raising more than $1 million are expected to register with the SEC. Therefore, this may not be the best way to do an entity search of a smaller California business.
Third-party company lookup
Many business owners and entrepreneurs opt for a third party to carry out a company lookup in California. This is for many reasons; firstly, third parties such as Corporate Creations are well-versed in entity searches, and can find the information you need quickly, saving you time for other, more important, business matters. Moreover, with an expert at your side, you can ensure the entity lookup is carried out properly the first time, eliminating the chance of errors.
Is a California entity lookup and name reservation the same thing?
A business name search and reservation is slightly different than an entity search in California. While it is possible to carry a business search to look for name availability, the Secretary of State doesn’t intend the service to be used for this; instead, there is a separate reservation process to go through.
Corporate Creations can assist you with all areas of company searches, from finding information about a certain entity to helping you lock down your desired business name. Contact our team today to find out more.
FAQs California Business Entity Search
If you run a California business search and discover that your company is not in good standing, don’t panic. If your entity has been suspended or dissolved, Corporate Creations can assist with our reinstatement services.
There may be many reasons why you can’t find your entity in the California database. You may not have applied all search criteria correctly, or you could be searching using your company’s DBA name, and not its registered name.
If you have misspelled your company name or incorrect entered the entity number, results may not match your company name. Make sure you have accurate information before carrying out a business search.
It’s important not to assume that, because an entity is dissolved, the business name is available for use. By selecting an unavailable business name, your California LLC formation or incorporation filing could be rejected, which will cost you more money and take up more time. If you’re unsure whether a name is available or not, contact Corporate Creations who can help.
Disclaimer: Information provided on this page is not legal or financial advice. Consult an attorney and/or financial professional for legal or financial matters.
