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Is an LLC public record?

Last updated .

The registration is public. The ownership frequently is not. Every state maintains a public register of entities that anyone can search without an account or a fee.

Public in every state

  • The entity’s name and its file or entity number
  • Entity type and current status
  • Formation date and state of formation
  • The registered agent and their address
  • The fact and date of any dissolution

Public in some states only

  • Officers, directors, governors or managers
  • The principal office address
  • Annual report contents
  • Name history and amendments
  • The organiser who filed the formation document

Rarely public anywhere

  • Ownership percentages and membership interests
  • The operating agreement
  • Financial information of any kind
  • Contact details for individual members
  • Capital contributions

What that composition tells you

Look at what a register actually holds and the purpose becomes obvious. It records who can be served with legal documents, whether the entity is current on its obligations, and when it came into existence. It is a service-of-process and compliance system, not a transparency system.

Across the 4,274,571 New York records we hold, the type breakdown looks like this:

  • Domestic LLC — 2,044,340
  • Domestic business corporation — 1,452,165
  • Domestic not-for-profit — 287,153
  • Foreign LLC — 172,465
  • Foreign business corporation — 134,547

Domestic LLCs outnumber every other form, and it is precisely that form which discloses the least about ownership. That is not a coincidence: it is much of the appeal.

Who to ask when the record does not say

If the register does not show what you need, the filing office is the place to ask what that state does and does not publish.

Secretary of State business filing office contacts
Jurisdiction Business filings phone Office hours Official search
Alabama (334) 242-5324 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. arc-sos.state.al.us
Alaska (907) 269-8160 8:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m. commerce.alaska.gov
Arizona (602) 542-3026 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. ecorp.azcc.gov
Arkansas (501) 682-3409 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. sos.arkansas.gov
California (916) 657-5448 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. bizfileonline.sos.ca.gov
Colorado (303) 894-2200 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. coloradosos.gov
Connecticut (860) 509-6002 8:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m. service.ct.gov
Delaware (302) 739-3073 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. icis.corp.delaware.gov
District of Columbia corponline.dcra.dc.gov
Florida (850) 245-6052 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. search.sunbiz.org
Georgia (404) 656-2817 8:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. ecorp.sos.ga.gov
Hawaii (844) 808-3222 7:45 a.m.-4:30 p.m. hbe.ehawaii.gov
Idaho (208) 334-2301 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. sosbiz.idaho.gov
Illinois (800) 252-8980 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. apps.ilsos.gov
Indiana (317) 234-9768 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. bsd.sos.in.gov
Iowa (515) 281-5204 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. sos.iowa.gov
Kansas (785) 296-4564 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. kansas.gov
Kentucky (502) 564-3490 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. sos.ky.gov
Louisiana (225) 925-4704 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. coraweb.sos.la.gov
Maine (207) 624-7752 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. apps1.web.maine.gov
Maryland (410) 767-1330 8:30 A.M to 4:30 P.M. egov.maryland.gov
Massachusetts (617) 727-9640 8:45 a.m.-4:00 p.m. corp.sec.state.ma.us
Michigan (517) 241-6470 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. mibusinessregistry.lara.state.mi.us
Minnesota (651) 296-2803 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. mblsportal.sos.state.mn.us
Mississippi (601) 359-1633 8:30 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. corp.sos.ms.gov
Missouri (573) 751-4153 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. bsd.sos.mo.gov
Montana (406) 444-3665 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. biz.sosmt.gov
Nebraska (402) 471-4079 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. nebraska.gov
Nevada (775) 684-5708 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. esos.nv.gov
New Hampshire (603) 271-3246 8:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m. quickstart.sos.nh.gov
New Jersey (609) 292-9292 8:30 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. njportal.com
New Mexico (505) 827-3600 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. enterprise.sos.nm.gov
New York (518) 473-2492 8:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. apps.dos.ny.gov
North Carolina (919) 814-5400 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. sosnc.gov
North Dakota (701) 328-2900 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. firststop.sos.nd.gov
Ohio (614) 466-3910 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. businesssearch.ohiosos.gov
Oklahoma (405) 522-2520 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. sos.ok.gov
Oregon (503) 986-2200 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. sos.oregon.gov
Pennsylvania (717) 787-1057 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. file.dos.pa.gov
Rhode Island (401) 222-3040 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. business.sos.ri.gov
South Carolina (803) 734-2158 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m. businessfilings.sc.gov
South Dakota (605) 773-4845 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. sosenterprise.sd.gov
Tennessee (615) 741-2286 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. tncab.tnsos.gov
Texas (512) 463-5555 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. comptroller.texas.gov
Utah (801) 530-4849 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. businessregistration.utah.gov
Vermont (802) 828-2386 7:45 a.m.-4:30 p.m. bizfilings.vermont.gov
Virginia (804) 371-9733 8:15 a.m.-5:00 p.m. cis.scc.virginia.gov
Washington (360) 725-0377 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. ccfs.sos.wa.gov
West Virginia (304) 558-8000 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m. apps.sos.wv.gov
Wisconsin (608) 261-7577 7:45 a.m.-4:30 p.m. apps.dfi.wi.gov
Wyoming (307) 777-7311 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. wyobiz.wyo.gov

Common questions

What LLC information is public?

The name, the entity number, the formation date, the status, and the registered agent and address, in every state. Beyond that it varies widely, and some states publish members while others do not.

Can I keep my home address off the register?

Largely, by appointing a registered agent with a different address. Some states still require a principal office address separately, so it is not a complete answer in every jurisdiction.

Who can see LLC filings?

Anyone. State business registers are public by design and free to search in most states, which is what makes a search like this one possible at all.

You can check a name against all 50 states and the District of Columbia from the search on our home page. Every result links back to the state office that holds the record.

Sources reviewed

The sources below were retrieved and confirmed in August 2026. Filing requirements and fees change with legislative sessions and agency rulemaking; check the state’s own page before acting on anything here. This page is general information, not legal or tax advice.

  • EntityFinder’s own copies of the state business registers, refreshed nightly from each state’s published open data.
  • Official business entity search portals for all 51 jurisdictions, each retrieved and confirmed to resolve. The full list appears in the table above.

Related

More on finding and reading the record, and the registers behind it:

Check a business name against all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Free, no account, and the official register is always linked.

Check a Business Name
Data sources: official state Secretary of State registers, U.S. Census Bureau via FRED, USPTO trademark records, and state bulk data where published.  Independent reference. Not a government agency.