Business Records California

Searching for Business Records in California - A variety of public information on corporations, limited liability companies (LLC), limited partnerships (LP) and other types of businesses is available.

The Business Programs Division of the Secretary of State is responsible for maintaining records on all organizations allowed to do business in the state of California.

It is possible to search online for basic information on a registered business by carrying out an online business name search. Additional information on publicly traded corporations can be obtained by performing an online corporate disclosure search.

Other business information, including status reports, statements of information, certificates, and copies of other business documents, can be requested in writing either by mail or in person.

Online Business Name Search

The purpose of this search is to verify whether or not an organization is a legitimate, registered business in California. If you would like to determine whether or not a proposed business name is available for registration, refer to the information on this webpage: http://www.ss.ca.gov/business/corp/corp_naav2.htm#avail

Anyone can carry out an online business name search free of charge by following this procedure:

1. Go to: http://kepler.ss.ca.gov/list.html
2. Type the full or partial name of the corporation, LP or LLC into the appropriate box
3. Click on the relevant �search� button
4. The search results will then appear with the following information on each organization:
a. Corporation, LP or LLC number
b. Date of incorporation or conversion
c. Status - whether the business is active, suspended, dissolved, etc
d. Name of corporation, LP or LLC
e. Name and address of the agent for service of process
5. Once you have found the organization you are looking for, you may click on its name to access the full record, which includes its mailing address and the jurisdiction or place of domicile of the business.

Requesting a Status Report

In addition to the information contained in the full online business record, a status report contains the following details on a business:

� Name and address of the Chief Executive Officer
� Other corporate addresses in addition to the mailing address
� Type of business, although this information is not obtainable for non-profit organizations

In order to request a status report on a business in California, follow these steps:

1. Go to http://www.ss.ca.gov/business/pdf/be_ircform.pdf and download the Business Entities Records Order Form
2. Print out the form and fill it in
3. If you wish to mail the form, attach a self-addressed envelope and a check payable to the Secretary of State for the total fee charged (the current fee is $4 per status report) and send it to:

Secretary of State
Certification and Records
P.O. Box 944260
Sacramento, CA 94244-2600

4. If you wish to request the information in person, take the completed form and the relevant fees along with you to:

Secretary of State
1500 11th Street, 3rd Floor
Sacramento, CA 95814
Tel: (916) 657-5448

You may also request a status report in person at one of the four regional offices in San Francisco, Fresno, Los Angeles and San Diego. The contact details of each office are provided at: http://www.ss.ca.gov/business/corp/corp_contacts.htm

Requesting Statements of Information, Certificates and Copies of Other Business Documents

Copies of many different types of documentation on businesses may be obtained by submitting a written request on an official form.

First of all, you need to determine which documentation you require.

A statement of information provides the following details on a corporation or LLC:

� Name(s) and address(es) of the director(s)
� Names and addresses of the principal corporate officers, such as the Chief Executive Officer, the Chief Financial Officer and the Secretary
� Other corporate addresses
� Type of business - this information is only obtainable on for-profit organizations

It is possible to request the following types of certificates:

o Certificates of Status � an official certificate stating that the business is in good standing, suspended, or dissolved, etc
o Certificate of Filing or Non-filing of a particular corporate document
o Certificate of Name Change or Merger
o Certificate of Listing

The current fee for certificates is $5 per certificate issued.

Both certified and uncertified copies of other business documents are also available, including:

o Initial registration documents, including Articles of Incorporation
o Amendment documents
o Dissolution documents
o Other corporate documents and statements

Fees are charged depending on whether or not the copies are certified and the number of copies ordered.

The procedure for requesting statements of information, certificates and copies of other business documentation is as follows:

o Go to http://www.ss.ca.gov/business/pdf/be_ircform.pdf and download the Business Entities Records Order Form
o Print out the form and fill it in
o If you wish to mail the form, attach a self-addressed envelope and a check for the total applicable fee, and send it to:

Secretary of State
Certification and Records
P.O. Box 944260
Sacramento, CA 94244-2600

o If you wish to request the information in person, take the completed form and the relevant fees along with you to:

Secretary of State
1500 11th Street, 3rd Floor
Sacramento, CA 95814
Tel: (916) 657-5448

You will need to pay an additional special handling fee of $10 per business entity searched. It will then take approximately five business days for your request to be handled.

Online Corporate Disclosure Search for Publicly Traded Corporations

If you wish to obtain more information on a publicly traded corporation, you may search online for a summary of the information contained in its corporate disclosure statement. Anyone can search online for this information that is provided free of charge.

To carry out a corporate disclosure search, follow these steps:

� Go to: http://www.ptsearch.ss.ca.gov/app/basic_search.html
� Fill in the online form.
� Click on �search� at the bottom of the form.
� A list of search result will appear with the following information on each corporation:
o Corporation Number
o Corporation Name
o Disclosure filing date.
� Once you have found the corporation you are researching, click on its corporation number to access the full summary of the disclosure statement, which includes the following details:
o Bankruptcy information
o Legal proceedings
o Name of independent auditor(s)
o Directors and executive officers, together with details of their compensation, shares and options. An indication of whether or not they have been the subject of bankruptcy and fraud proceedings is also given.
o Loans to members of the board of directors

You may request a certified or uncertified copy of the actual disclosure statement filed by the corporation. Previous disclosure statements can also be requested. In order to do this, follow these steps:
o Go to http://www.ss.ca.gov/business/pdf/be_ircform.pdf
o Download, print and fill in the Business Entities Records order form.
o You may then either mail the form, together with a self-addressed envelope and a check for the appropriate fee, or hand it over in person, in which case an extra special handling charge of $10 is made. The mailing address is:

Secretary of State
Certification and Records
P.O. Box 944260
Sacramento, CA 94244-2600

The visiting address is:

Secretary of State
1500 11th Street, 3rd Floor
Sacramento, CA 95814
Tel: (916) 657-5448

All of these online and offline resources should help you in your search for information on businesses operating in California.