California Business Search

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

California Business Search

DBA Search

Quick answer. A DBA search looks for a fictitious, assumed, or trade name. The legal entity that owns it may be in a different index. 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.

Official office

California Secretary of State, Business Programs Division

Open the official search

Phone: (916) 653-6814

1500 11th Street, Sacramento, CA 95814

Public search is online. Phone support is offered on business days.

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 trade name and the legal entity

In California, fictitious business names are a county clerk filing, not the Secretary of State entity search. Other states file assumed names centrally. Use the office named for that state.

Match the DBA back to the person or entity printed as the registrant before you treat the brand as a corporation.

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