California Business Search — 9,345,739 Companies

Statsnet indexes 9,345,739 business entities registered in California — limited liability companies, corporations, nonprofits, partnerships and other entity types from the state business registry. Look up any company by name or entity number, check its entity status and formation date, and see its registered agent, address and officers on one company page. Every figure on this page is a live count from our database, not an estimate.

The most common entity type in California is the Corporation: 4,430,534 entities, or 47% of the registry. By business address, the largest concentrations of companies are in Los Angeles (770,662), San Diego (311,617) and San Francisco (269,837).

9,345,739
Companies in California
6
By legal form
50
Top cities

By legal form

  • Corporation4,430,534 · 47%
  • Limited liability company (LLC)3,876,096 · 41%
  • Nonprofit corporation659,685 · 7%
  • Limited partnership (LP)260,020 · 3%
  • Professional corporation (PC)113,257 · 1%
  • Other entity types6,057

Top cities

Browse California companies by industry

Industries are classified with NAICS codes (North American Industry Classification System). The codes below are the ones most often reported by California entities in our data, grouped under their NAICS sector; each link opens the companies filed under that code. NAICS codes are still being added to our US records, so this breakdown covers only part of the registry.

Browse California companies by city

The 50 cities with the most registered entities, by business address. Open a city to see the companies located there.

Companies registered in California

Business entity types in California

Every entity in the California registry is filed under a legal form. The counts below come straight from our data; the notes explain what each form means when you research a company.

Corporation 4,430,534 · 47%
A separate legal entity owned by shareholders and managed by a board of directors and officers. Formed by filing articles of incorporation; most annual reports list the current officers.
Limited liability company (LLC) 3,876,096 · 41%
Combines the liability protection of a corporation with flexible, pass-through taxation. Owners are called members; an LLC is formed by filing articles of organization with the Secretary of State.
Nonprofit corporation 659,685 · 7%
A corporation organized for charitable, educational, religious or mutual-benefit purposes. State registration is separate from federal tax-exempt status, which the IRS grants.
Limited partnership (LP) 260,020 · 3%
A partnership with at least one general partner, who manages the business and carries unlimited liability, and one or more limited partners, whose liability is capped at their investment.
Professional corporation (PC) 113,257 · 1%
A corporation formed by licensed professionals such as doctors, lawyers or accountants. Shareholders usually must hold the relevant professional license.
Other entity types 6,057 · 0.1%
Cooperatives, business trusts, statutory trusts and other less common forms recorded by the registry.

How to do a California business search

You can find any company in the California business registry in a few seconds. Use the search box at the top of this page, or browse the registry by city, industry or entity type.

Basic search: by business name

  1. Type the business name, or the distinctive part of it, into the California business entity search box. You don’t need the suffix (LLC, Inc., Corp.).
  2. Review the results: each row shows the entity name, entity status and the city of its business address, so similar names are easy to tell apart.
  3. Open the company page to see the full record from the registry.

Advanced search: by entity number, city or industry

  1. If you know the entity number (also called the file number or SOS number) from a filing, an invoice or a contract, search by it to get an exact match.
  2. To survey a market, browse the companies registered in a specific city or under a specific NAICS industry code using the links on this page.
  3. To check a business across state lines — for example a Delaware corporation operating in another state — repeat the search in the other state’s registry from the list at the bottom of this page.

What a company page shows

A Statsnet company page brings the registry record together in one place: the legal name, entity number, entity type, entity status, formation (initial filing) date, the principal and mailing address, the registered agent and the officers or managers listed in the latest filings.

Statsnet is an independent business information service, not the California Secretary of State. To file formation documents, make a name reservation, register a fictitious business name (DBA) or order certified copies and a certificate of good standing, use the official Secretary of State website.

Understanding entity status

Entity status tells you whether a company is legally allowed to do business. Registries use slightly different wording, but most statuses fall into these groups:

Active
The entity exists and is not dissolved. An active company can enter contracts, sue and be sued in its own name.
Good standing
The entity is active and up to date with its state obligations — annual reports filed, fees paid and a registered agent on record. Banks and counterparties often ask for a certificate of good standing.
Suspended, forfeited or delinquent
The entity has lost its rights because it missed an annual report, did not pay franchise taxes or fees, or has no registered agent. Depending on the state, the Secretary of State or the state tax agency can suspend it. Most suspensions can be cured by filing what is missing.
Dissolved, cancelled or withdrawn
The entity has been wound up voluntarily or administratively dissolved by the state, or a foreign entity has withdrawn its registration. It can no longer do business, although its record stays in the registry.
Merged or converted
The entity was absorbed into another company or converted to a different legal form; the record usually points to the surviving entity.

California business search: frequently asked questions

How do I look up if someone has my business name in California?

Search the name on this page: the results show every California entity whose name matches or contains your search. Check close variations and spellings too. Final name availability is decided by the California Secretary of State, which can also hold a name for you through a name reservation.

How do I check a business’s status in California?

Find the company with the search box and open its company page. The entity status is shown as it appears in the California registry, next to the formation date and the entity number.

Is the California entity number the same as an EIN?

No. The entity number (file number) is assigned by the California Secretary of State when the entity is formed. The EIN, or Employer Identification Number, is a federal tax ID issued by the IRS. A company usually has both, and they are unrelated.

How do I get a California entity number?

The entity number is assigned automatically when formation documents are filed with the California Secretary of State. To find the number of an existing company, search for it by name and open its company page.

How do I check if a business is registered in California?

Search for it by name or entity number. If it is not listed, it may be registered in another state — search that state from the list at the bottom of this page. Professional and trade licenses are issued by separate licensing boards and are not part of the business entity registry.

Is the California business entity search free?

Yes. Searching the California registry and opening company pages on Statsnet is free. Some extended features, such as bulk export of company lists, require a paid plan.

How current is the data?

The statistics on this page are recalculated from our database every few hours. New filings appear once the latest California registry update has been loaded, so a company formed in the last few days may not be listed yet; the Secretary of State remains the authoritative source for same-day filings.

Business search in other US states

Companies often register in one state and operate in others. Search the business registry of any other state:

Browse all US states