How we search each state
We only call a search “live” when our server actually queried a source at the moment you searched. Every result shows the source, the time it was checked and any limits. Here is how each jurisdiction is handled today:
- 5 live official registries. Our server sends your search to the state’s own business search and reads the result.
- 7 official open-data sources. The agency publishes its registry as open data with an API, which we query when you search. These update daily or weekly, so the newest filings may be missing.
- 1 cached official bulk data. We search our dated copy of the agency’s published bulk files.
- 38 official-site handoffs. The state blocks automated searches, asks tools not to use its search, charges for access, or publishes no usable data. We don’t search these; we open the official search for you and say so.
Automated checks run every 30 minutes against each searchable source with a known record, and the status column below updates from those checks. If a source fails three checks in a row, we pause searches to it and send people to the official site until it recovers.
| Jurisdiction | How we search | Source and freshness | Limits | Latest check |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Official site only (we hand you off) | Government Records Inquiry System | Alabama's search website tells automated tools not to access any of its pages, and we respect that. You can search it yourself in your browser. | Not searched by us |
| Alaska | Official site only (we hand you off) | Corporations Search (Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing) | Alaska's whole business-records website sits behind a bot-protection check that blocks automated requests, and we don't try to get around it. Use the official search in your browser. | Not searched by us |
| Arizona | Official site only (we hand you off) | Arizona Business Center (ABC, formerly eCorp) | The Arizona Business Center asks all automated tools to stay off the entire site, so we don't search it for you. Use the official search directly. | Not searched by us |
| Arkansas | Official site only (we hand you off) | Business Entity Search | Arkansas's search site asks automated tools not to load its results pages, so we don't search it for you. We send you to the official search instead. | Not searched by us |
| California | Official site only (we hand you off) | bizfile Online | California's bizfile terms of use prohibit robots and other automated searching, and the site runs a bot-protection check, so we don't search it for you. Use bizfile Online directly. | Not searched by us |
| Colorado | Official open data, searched live Name search and number lookup | Colorado Secretary of State business entity data (data.colorado.gov) Daily dataset refresh by the Colorado Secretary of State | Published by the Colorado Secretary of State as open data and updated daily; filings from the last day may not appear yet. Covers entities of every status, plus trade names and trademarks filed with the Secretary of State. | Working in our latest automated check (Oct 30, 2026, 4:00 PM ET). |
| Connecticut | Official open data, searched live Name search and number lookup | Connecticut Business Registry data (data.ct.gov) Nightly dataset refresh by the Connecticut Secretary of the State | Published by the Connecticut Secretary of the State as open data and refreshed nightly; same-day filings may not appear yet. Includes reserved names and expired reservations, which can also block a name while active. | Working in our latest automated check (Oct 30, 2026, 4:00 PM ET). |
| Delaware | Official site only (we hand you off) | General Information Name Search (ICIS) | Delaware's search asks for a CAPTCHA on every search, and the Division of Corporations says it prohibits data mining and the use of automated tools, so we send you to the official search instead. | Not searched by us |
| District of Columbia | Official open data, searched live Name search and number lookup | DC corporate registrations (DC GIS open data, from DLCP) Daily refresh by DC GIS | Published by the District as open data and refreshed daily; the newest filings may not appear yet. Trade names are a separate DC register and are not included in this search. | Working in our latest automated check (Oct 30, 2026, 4:00 PM ET). |
| Florida | Our copy of official bulk data Name search and number lookup | Florida Division of Corporations bulk data (our dated copy) Quarterly full file plus daily filings, imported each morning | We search our copy of the Division of Corporations’ free data files: the quarterly full file plus each day’s new filings. Filings from the last business day or two may not be included yet. Status changes and name changes that aren’t in the daily filing files are picked up at the next quarterly file, so a status can lag behind Sunbiz. Covers corporations, LLCs and limited partnerships. Fictitious names (DBAs) are a separate Florida register and are not included. | Working in our latest automated check (Oct 30, 2026, 4:00 PM ET). |
| Georgia | Official site only (we hand you off) | eCorp | Georgia's official search, and the Secretary of State's site around it, sits behind a bot-protection check that blocks automated requests, and we don't try to get around it. The only machine-readable copy the state offers is a paid bulk file. | Not searched by us |
| Hawaii | Official site only (we hand you off) | Hawaii Business Express | Hawaii's new business portal asks automated tools not to access any part of it, and we respect that. The old search address no longer returns results; it just redirects to the new portal. | Not searched by us |
| Idaho | Live search of the official registry Name search and number lookup | Idaho Secretary of State SOSBiz search Live: queried at the time of your search | The official search returns at most 500 records; very common words can exceed that. | Working in our latest automated check (Oct 30, 2026, 4:00 PM ET). |
| Illinois | Official site only (we hand you off) | Business Entity Search | Illinois's business search sits behind a bot-protection check that blocks automated requests, and we don't try to get around it. Search it yourself in your browser. | Not searched by us |
| Indiana | Official site only (we hand you off) | INBiz | Indiana's business search blocks automated requests at a security filter before they reach the search, and we don't try to get around it. Search it yourself in your browser. | Not searched by us |
| Iowa | Official site only (we hand you off) | Iowa Business Entities Search | Iowa's official search sits behind a bot-protection check that blocks automated requests, and we don't try to get around it. The state's free open dataset lists only active businesses and comes only as one large monthly file, so we don't search it live either. | Not searched by us |
| Kansas | Official site only (we hand you off) | Kansas Business Entity Search | Kansas's business search asks automated tools not to use it and shows a human-verification puzzle before you can search, so we don't search it for you. Use it in your browser. | Not searched by us |
| Kentucky | Live search of the official registry Name search and number lookup | Kentucky Secretary of State business search Live: queried at the time of your search | We read the first page of up to 50 results; the official site lists closest matches first. | Working in our latest automated check (Oct 30, 2026, 4:00 PM ET). |
| Louisiana | Official site only (we hand you off) | Louisiana Business Filings search (Commercial Database / CORA) | Louisiana's search site asks automated tools not to use its search pages, and we respect that. The state's data service for outside systems is a paid subscription, so for now we link you to the official search instead. | Not searched by us |
| Maine | Official site only (we hand you off) | Corporate Name Search (ICRS, operated by InforME) | Maine's search page prohibits data mining and the use of automated tools, and it also runs a bot-protection check, so we link you to the official search instead of searching it for you. | Not searched by us |
| Maryland | Official site only (we hand you off) | Maryland Business Express - Business Entity Search | Maryland Business Express asks every searcher to pass a bot-protection check, which we don't try to get around, so we link you to the official search. | Not searched by us |
| Massachusetts | Official site only (we hand you off) | Corporations Division Business Entity Search (CorpWeb) | The Massachusetts search site runs a bot-protection check that blocks automated requests, and we don't try to get around it, so we link you to the official search. | Not searched by us |
| Michigan | Official site only (we hand you off) | MiBusiness Registry Portal (MiBRP) | Michigan's registry site uses its robots.txt file to ask AI agents not to access it. We respect that, so we link you to the official portal instead of searching it for you. | Not searched by us |
| Minnesota | Official site only (we hand you off) | Minnesota Business & Lien System (MBLS) Business Search | Minnesota's business search portal asks all automated tools not to access any of its pages, and we respect that, so we link you to the official search. | Not searched by us |
| Mississippi | Official site only (we hand you off) | MS Corp Business Reporting / Business ID Search | Mississippi's business search runs a bot-protection check that blocks automated requests, and we don't try to get around it, so we link you to the official search. | Not searched by us |
| Missouri | Official site only (we hand you off) | Missouri Business Filings (Business Entity Search) | Missouri's business search site runs a bot-protection check that blocks automated requests, and we don't try to get around it, so we link you to the official search. | Not searched by us |
| Montana | Official site only (we hand you off) | Montana SOS Business Search (biz.sosmt.gov) | Montana's business search site uses its robots.txt file to ask AI agents not to access it. We respect that, so we link you to the official search instead of searching it for you. | Not searched by us |
| Nebraska | Official site only (we hand you off) | Corporate and Business Search | Nebraska's current search doesn't respond to automated requests, and the state is replacing it with a new system on December 7, 2026, so for now we link you to the official search. | Not searched by us |
| Nevada | Official site only (we hand you off) | ORION Business Portal | Nevada's ORION business portal runs a bot-protection check that blocks automated requests, and we don't try to get around it, so we link you to the official portal. | Not searched by us |
| New Hampshire | Official site only (we hand you off) | NH QuickStart | New Hampshire's QuickStart site runs a bot-protection check that blocks automated requests, and we don't try to get around it, so we link you to the official search. | Not searched by us |
| New Jersey | Live search of the official registry Name search and number lookup | New Jersey DORES free business name search Live: queried at the time of your search | New Jersey's free search does not show status. A listed business may be active, revoked or dissolved; status reports are a paid state service. The search matches names that begin with your words and returns at most 500 records. | Working in our latest automated check (Oct 30, 2026, 4:00 PM ET). |
| New Mexico | Live search of the official registry Name search and number lookup | New Mexico Secretary of State business search Live: queried at the time of your search | The official search returns at most 100 records. | Working in our latest automated check (Oct 30, 2026, 4:00 PM ET). |
| New York | Official open data, searched live Name search and number lookup | New York Department of State corporation data (data.ny.gov) Active entities: about daily. Inactive entities: weekly. | Active entities come from the Department of State's daily open-data file. Inactive entities come from a separate weekly file and show less detail. Assumed names (DBAs) are not included. | Working in our latest automated check (Oct 30, 2026, 4:00 PM ET). |
| North Carolina | Official site only (we hand you off) | NC SOS Business Registration Search | North Carolina's search site runs a bot-protection check that blocks automated requests, and the Secretary of State says automated or scripted searches aren't permitted, so we link you to the official search. | Not searched by us |
| North Dakota | Live search of the official registry Name search and number lookup | North Dakota Secretary of State FirstStop search Live: queried at the time of your search | The official search returns at most 500 records. | Working in our latest automated check (Oct 30, 2026, 4:00 PM ET). |
| Ohio | Official site only (we hand you off) | Ohio Business Search | Ohio's official search, like the rest of the Secretary of State's website, puts automated requests through a bot-protection check, so we don't search it on your behalf. Use the link to search Ohio's site directly. | Not searched by us |
| Oklahoma | Official site only (we hand you off) | Business Entity Search (OK SOS) | The Oklahoma Secretary of State's website asks automated tools not to access any of its pages, so we don't search it on your behalf. Use the link to search it directly. | Not searched by us |
| Oregon | Official open data, searched live Name search and number lookup | Oregon Secretary of State active business data (data.oregon.gov) Weekly dataset refresh by the Oregon Secretary of State | Only active Oregon registrations are published in this dataset. Inactive names are not included, so an inactive record with your name would not appear here. Published weekly by the Secretary of State; filings from the past week may be missing. Includes assumed business names, which in Oregon can block an entity name. | Working in our latest automated check (Oct 30, 2026, 4:00 PM ET). |
| Pennsylvania | Official open data, searched live Name search and number lookup | Pennsylvania Department of State registered-business data (data.pa.gov) About monthly (Pennsylvania Department of State) | Only active Pennsylvania registrations are in this dataset; inactive names are not included. The Department of State updates it about once a month, so businesses registered in the last few weeks may be missing. The search matches names that begin with your words. | Working in our latest automated check (Oct 30, 2026, 4:00 PM ET). |
| Rhode Island | Official site only (we hand you off) | Corporate Database (CorpWeb) | Rhode Island's Corporate Database only returns results after a bot-protection check, so we can't search it for you. We send you to the official search instead. | Not searched by us |
| South Carolina | Official site only (we hand you off) | Business Entities Online | Every search on South Carolina's Business Entities Online requires passing an 'I'm not a robot' check, so we can't search it for you. We send you to the official search instead. | Not searched by us |
| South Dakota | Official site only (we hand you off) | SOS Enterprise / Business Services Online | South Dakota’s search requires a reCAPTCHA check, which turned on during our testing. We don’t try to get around it, so you’ll need to search there yourself. | Not searched by us |
| Tennessee | Official site only (we hand you off) | TNCaB (Tennessee Charity and Business filing system) | Tennessee's search asks every visitor to pass a bot-protection check before it shows results, so we can't search it for you. We send you to the official TNCaB search instead. | Not searched by us |
| Texas | Official open data, searched live Name search and number lookup | Texas Comptroller active franchise taxpayer data (data.texas.gov) About weekly (Texas Comptroller) | This is the Texas Comptroller’s list of active franchise-tax accounts, not the Secretary of State’s business registry. Inactive, forfeited and dissolved entities, reserved names and entities without a franchise-tax account (many nonprofits, for example) are not included. Updated roughly weekly by the Comptroller. The registry-number field is the SOS file number reported to the Comptroller; it can be blank for some accounts. | Working in our latest automated check (Oct 30, 2026, 4:00 PM ET). |
| Utah | Official site only (we hand you off) | Business Entity Records Search (businessregistration.utah.gov) | Utah's official search makes every visitor pass a bot-protection check before it loads, so we can't search it for you. We send you to the official search instead. | Not searched by us |
| Vermont | Official site only (we hand you off) | Vermont Business Services Online (bizfilings.vermont.gov) | Vermont's official search requires a CAPTCHA check on every search, so we send you to the official site instead of searching it for you. | Not searched by us |
| Virginia | Official site only (we hand you off) | Clerk's Information System (CIS) | Virginia's CIS search didn't respond to our servers when we tested it, and the SCC's main website asks automated tools not to access any of its pages. We send you to the official search instead. | Not searched by us |
| Washington | Official site only (we hand you off) | CCFS (Corporations and Charities Filing System) | Washington's official search requires a bot-protection check before each search, so we send you to the official site instead of searching it for you. | Not searched by us |
| West Virginia | Official site only (we hand you off) | Business Organization Search | West Virginia's official search runs a bot-protection check on every search and returns no results without it, so we send you to the official site instead of searching it for you. | Not searched by us |
| Wisconsin | Official site only (we hand you off) | Corporate Registration Information System (CRIS) / CorpSearch | Wisconsin's search results sit behind a bot-protection check, and the site asks AI crawlers not to access it, so we send you to the official search instead of searching it for you. | Not searched by us |
| Wyoming | Official site only (we hand you off) | WyoBiz | Wyoming's official search shows a bot-protection check before every page loads, so we send you to the official site instead of searching it for you. | Not searched by us |
What we don’t do
- We don’t get around CAPTCHAs, bot checks, logins or robots.txt rules, and we don’t scrape states whose terms forbid automated access.
- We don’t present a handoff as a search, or a partial search as a complete one. Multistate checks list every state that wasn’t searched.
- We don’t store a nationwide copy of business records. Searches go to the source each time, with identical searches reused for up to 15 minutes to limit load on state systems.
How coverage could grow
Several handoff states sell bulk data or paid API access (for example Louisiana’s commercial API and Minnesota’s monthly file), and Florida and Vermont publish free bulk files we may add as dated cached copies. Nebraska moves to a new system on December 7, 2026, and we’ll re-check it then. Methods and sources are explained on our methodology page.