Can you look up who owns a business?
Updated . General information, not legal or tax advice.
Most states don’t publish who owns an LLC. Formation documents usually name an organizer, which is often a lawyer or formation service, and a registered agent, which is often a commercial service. Some states list managers, members or officers on annual reports; many don’t.
What state records may show
- Organizer or incorporator: whoever filed the paperwork. Not necessarily an owner.
- Registered agent: whoever accepts legal papers. Usually not an owner. Why.
- Managers, members, officers or directors: listed in some states, depending on entity type.
- Filed documents: some states let you view or buy images of the filings themselves.
How we handle people’s information
Our results show the registry fields needed to identify a record: name, number, status, type, dates, the registered agent’s name and the principal office address the business filed. We don’t pull officer or member lists into our results, we don’t add personal details from other sources, and we don’t guess at ownership from agents or addresses. The official record is always one click away if you need more. Privacy.
Better ways to find out who you’re dealing with
- Ask the business. A legitimate company will tell you who you’re contracting with and can provide a certificate of good standing.
- Check licensing boards for regulated trades, and court records for disputes.
- For public companies, SEC filings list officers and directors.
Federal beneficial ownership (BOI) reports filed with FinCEN were never public, and U.S. companies have been exempt from filing them since 2025 (FinCEN).