California Secretary of State – CA SOS Business Search

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California Secretary of State Business Programs Division
Address: 1500 11th Street Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: (916) 657–5448
Website: www.sos.ca.gov/business/be/
Email: http://www.sos.ca.gov/contacts.htm
Hours: 8:00 – 5:00 Monday thru Friday (Excluding State Holidays)

Lookup a Business Entity

Step 1 – Start

Search for a business entity in California by looking up in the ‘Kepler’ database on the Secretary of State’s Website.

You can choose to either look up a corporation, limited liability company, or limited partnership by Name or Entity Number.

There are many entities in California so when performing an inquiry by name you will want to be as detailed as possible as the database will pull every matching corporation on the results page (Seen Below).

Step 2 – Choose Your Entity

When viewing your results you will be given a preview of all the matching entities to your search including the business’s Number, Date Filed, Status, Name, and Registered Agent. You will be able to view 10 results per page and you will want to click on the black bold link (Entity Name) to see the details page (As Seen Below).

Step 3 – Retrieve Information

You have reached the end of your search and may be able to view all the details of the corporation including but not limited to its; Name, Number, Date of Filing, Status, State of Formation, Principal Office Address, and Registered Agent (including address).

Step 4 – Steps to form your new Business in California

• Business name availability search (above)
• Internet domain availability search for website and email.
• Choose your entity type (LLC, S-Corp, C-Corp, Partnership, or Non-Profit Org)
• Obtain IRS EIN Number (employer identification number).  Create New IRS EIN Number
• Create Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws that include describing the business purpose of the entity, naming the registered agent, directors, registered address, operating guidelines, dissolution provisions, and other information.
• Determine if the new entity requires any federal, state, or local business licenses.
• Determine payroll tax requirements.
• Determine federal, state, and local tax filing requirements.
• Establish the business physical and/or mailing address, phone number, voicemail, website, email address, and business cards.