California Business Search

A field guide to the public business registry, written beside the official search.

California Business Search

California business search in Orange County, California

Quick answer. A California business search usually starts at bizfile for the entity, then moves to a county clerk for a fictitious business name and to a city for a business license. A seller’s permit is CDTFA. None of those searches replaces the others. This page applies that reading to Orange County, California.

Official office

Orange County clerk-recorder

Open the official search

Steps

  1. Open bizfile for the legal entity

    Search the exact LLC or corporate name. Copy the entity number. Note whether the number uses a letter prefix.

  2. Search the county FBN if you have a DBA

    Use the county clerk, not bizfile. Read the registrant and the expiration.

  3. Check the city license separately

    A city business license lookup uses that city’s portal and the address where the business operates.

  4. Seller’s permit goes to CDTFA

    Verify the permit number with the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. An entity number is not a seller’s permit.

  5. Report four answers if you checked four offices

    Entity status, FBN, city license, and seller’s permit can each be present or absent. Do not merge them.

The official record in Orange County, California

The california business search for Orange County, California is the public index at California Secretary of State, Business Programs Division. The published phone is (916) 653-6814. The published address is 1500 11th Street, Sacramento, CA 95814. Public search is online. Phone support is offered on business days. Search the legal name on the formation document before a shortened trade name. Open the detail page and read status, file date, and the registered agent.

The free search is not a certificate of existence and it does not reserve a name. Certified copies and good-standing certificates, where that office issues them, are a separate order. Read the current fee on the office’s own schedule before you pay.

California splits the file across agencies

The Secretary of State business search is bizfile Online at bizfileonline.sos.ca.gov/search/business. It is free and does not require an account. It shows corporations, LLCs, and limited partnerships. It does not show a Los Angeles fictitious business name.

Fictitious business names are filed with the county clerk where the business is located. The county pages here link the clerk we have on file. A city business license is often a finance or tax department record. CDTFA issues seller’s permits for sales tax.

People say “california sos business search” for bizfile and “business license california” for the local or state license. Keep those phrases tied to the office that actually answers them.

Common mistakes

  • Expecting bizfile to list fictitious business names.
  • Using a seller’s permit number in the entity search.
  • Treating a city license as statewide.
  • Ignoring an FTB suspension note on the entity because a city license is current.

Questions

Where is the California SOS business search?

On bizfile Online, business search. It is free and does not require an account to view entity details.

Who issues a California business license?

Often the city or county where you operate. Professional and contractor licenses come from state boards. The Secretary of State files the entity, not the local license.

What is a California fictitious business name search?

A search of county clerk FBN filings. It is not the bizfile entity search.

Sources reviewed