California Business Entity Search
By Edmond Hui · Last updated October 5, 2026
The short answer. The California Secretary of State (Business Programs Division) keeps California's register of business entities. The official search is the state's “Business Search” page, on bizfileonline.sos.ca.gov. Searching is free.
California Business Entity Search at a Glance
| Register kept by | The California Secretary of State (Business Programs Division) |
| Official search | Business Search |
| Cost to search | Free |
| Search by | Not confirmed |
| Filed documents online | Yes, free |
| Copy fee | Free (see Documents) |
| Certifying a copy | Adds $5.00 per document (see Documents) |
| Name reservation | Not confirmed |
| Name reservation fee | $10.00 |
Read from the government sources listed at the foot of this page, last checked October 5, 2026. See the sources.
How to Search California's Register
The official search is the state's “Business Search” page, on bizfileonline.sos.ca.gov. Searching is free. Open the official search.
We have not confirmed which fields California's main search page lets you search by; check the search page.
What a Search Result Shows
A California result includes the items below, according to the state's own pages or a result page we read. It may show more.
- Formation or registration date
- Status
- A standing indicator shown apart from the status
- Registered agent or registered office
- Principal office address
- Mailing address
- When the next report is due
- Officers or managers
- Images of filed documents
What Each California Status Means
The status is the label the register puts on each entity. Where the state defines a label, the meaning below restates that definition, with a link to the state page it comes from. Where it does not, we do not guess from the word, because the same word can mean different things in different states.
| Status label | What it means | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| “Active” Named on sos.ca.gov | For a California entity, it has filed its formation document in California and is authorized to carry out its business activities, subject to any other requirements imposed by law. For an out-of-state entity, it has registered and is authorized to transact intrastate business in California, subject to any other requirements imposed by law. Based on the definition at sos.ca.gov | All entities |
| “SOS Canceled” Named on sos.ca.gov | The Secretary of State canceled the formation or registration filing because the payment for the filing fee was not honored by the financial institution. Based on the definition at sos.ca.gov | LLCs |
| “Canceled” Named on sos.ca.gov | The LLC filed a Certificate of Cancellation. A California LLC's powers, rights and privileges have ceased in California, and an out-of-state LLC is no longer authorized to transact intrastate business in California. Based on the definition at sos.ca.gov | LLCs |
| “SOS Suspended” Named on sos.ca.gov | The Secretary of State suspended the entity's powers, rights and privileges in California, including the right to use its name there, for failure to file the required Statement of Information. Based on the definition at sos.ca.gov | Entities formed in California |
| “SOS Forfeited” Named on sos.ca.gov | The Secretary of State forfeited the out-of-state entity's powers, rights and privileges in California, including the right to use its name there, for failure to file the required Statement of Information. Based on the definition at sos.ca.gov | Entities formed in another state |
| “FTB Suspended” Named on sos.ca.gov | The Franchise Tax Board suspended the entity's powers, rights and privileges in California, including the right to use its name there, for failure to meet tax requirements such as filing a return or paying taxes, penalties or interest. Based on the definition at sos.ca.gov | Entities formed in California |
| “FTB Forfeited” Named on sos.ca.gov | The Franchise Tax Board forfeited the out-of-state entity's powers, rights and privileges in California, including the right to use its name there, for failure to meet tax requirements such as filing a return or paying taxes, penalties or interest. Based on the definition at sos.ca.gov | Entities formed in another state |
| “SOS/FTB Suspended” Named on sos.ca.gov | Both the Secretary of State and the Franchise Tax Board suspended the entity's powers, rights and privileges in California. Based on the definition at sos.ca.gov | Entities formed in California |
| “SOS/FTB Forfeited” Named on sos.ca.gov | Both the Secretary of State and the Franchise Tax Board forfeited the out-of-state entity's powers, rights and privileges in California. Based on the definition at sos.ca.gov | Entities formed in another state |
| “Dissolved” Named on sos.ca.gov | The California LLC has voluntarily elected to wind up its business operations. Based on the definition at sos.ca.gov | LLCs |
| “Pending Cancel” Named on sos.ca.gov | The LLC filed a Certificate of Cancellation without a valid Tax Clearance Certificate before September 29, 2006, when the requirement for a Tax Clearance Certificate was eliminated from statute. Based on the definition at sos.ca.gov | LLCs |
| “Surrender” Named on sos.ca.gov | The out-of-state corporation surrendered its right to transact business in California. Based on the definition at sos.ca.gov | Corporations |
| “Merged Out” Named on sos.ca.gov | The entity merged out of existence in California into another business entity. Based on the definition at sos.ca.gov | All entities |
| “Converted-Out” Named on sos.ca.gov | The entity converted to another type of business entity, or to the same type under a different jurisdiction, as provided by statute. Based on the definition at sos.ca.gov | All entities |
| “Term Expired” Named on sos.ca.gov | The California corporation's term of existence, as set by its Articles of Incorporation, has expired. Based on the definition at sos.ca.gov | Corporations |
| “Inactive” Named on sos.ca.gov | There is more than one reason for this status. In most cases, the entity converted to a federal entity or consolidated with another entity. Based on the definition at sos.ca.gov | All entities |
This list is not complete. It holds the labels we found on the state's status definitions page, and the register may show others. Where the same label also has its own row for corporations, only the row that covers LLCs is shown.
If the search shows that your own LLC was dissolved, see how to reinstate an LLC in California.
A search result is not a certificate of good standing. If a bank or another state asks for one, see how to get a California certificate of good standing.
Viewing and Ordering Documents
Filed documents can be viewed online. Viewing them online is free.
Uncertified PDF copies are free, and certified copies cost $5.00 per document. Order copies from the state.
Is the Name Available?
The state tells you to use this same search to check whether a name is already in use. The state says this search is only a preliminary check, not a formal decision that the name is available.
The state's naming standard, in its own words: “distinguishable in the records from other limited liability companies of record or reserved with the California Secretary of State, and not likely to mislead the public.”
We have not confirmed whether California requires a name reservation before you file. A name reservation costs $10.00.
Our free LLC name checker looks up domain and social media handle availability for a name. It does not search California's register, so check the state's search as well.
Ready to form? See what goes on the California articles of organization.
Frequently Asked Questions
This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. It reports what each state's business entity filing office publishes about searching its register, with the sources this page cites. It cannot tell you whether a particular business is active, authorized or reliable: read the state's own record for that, and search tools, status labels and fees change between our reviews. Confirm anything you rely on with the filing office named on this page before you act on it.
Sources
Each entry below is a document recorded in our verified California sources, and each entry says what the document is. Some statutory text is read from an accurate mirror rather than from the state's own host, and those say so. Where we hold the citation but no stable public link, the citation is printed on its own rather than pointed at a guessed address.
- sos.ca.gov/business-programs/business-entitiesBusiness Entities
- sos.ca.gov/business-programs/business-entities/information-requestsBusiness Entities Records Request
- sos.ca.gov/business-programs/business-entities/cbs-field-status-definitionsBusiness Search: Frequently Asked Questions (Status Definitions)
- bpd.cdn.sos.ca.gov/pdf/be-records-requests.pdfBusiness Entities Records: Order Form and Instructions (REV 03/2026)
- sos.ca.gov/business-programs/business-entities/name-reservationsName Reservations
- sos.ca.gov/business-programs/business-entities/forms/limited-liability-companies-california-domesticForms, Samples and Fees: Limited Liability Companies (Domestic)
- Name standard: Chapter 361, Statutes of 2020 (SB 522), effective January 1, 2021
Edmond Hui · Founder, MyStateLLC
Edmond Hui is a software engineer and serial entrepreneur based in New York who has founded multiple online businesses across e-commerce, media, and information publishing. Before transitioning into tech, he spent years as a commercial real estate professional closing deals totaling over 100,000 square feet, giving him firsthand experience with business formation and entity structuring. He built MyStateLLC to provide the free, state-specific LLC guidance he wished existed when forming his own companies.