How to find a business owner's name
The name search on this site shows business name, entity type, status, filing date and record number, and never officers, agents or addresses. Owner names sit in other public filings, and which ones depends on the state and the kind of filing.
What the name search here returns
The business name search lists a business name, entity type, status, filing date and record number. It does not list officers, registered agents or addresses, so it cannot tell you who owns a business. It can confirm that a business appears on a published list. The record number gives you something to look up on the state's own site.
What state registers list
Each state decides what its own register shows. Delaware's Division of Corporations says its free entity search returns the entity name, file number and formation date. It also returns the registered agent's name, address and phone number, plus the entity kind, type and residency. Delaware law requires every entity to keep a registered agent in the state. Owners and members are not among the items Delaware lists. Anyone checking a name in that state can use the Delaware business entity search.
California's Secretary of State says an entity's agent for service of process is a public record, open to all. That covers the agent's name and physical street address. California LLCs report their address, agent, managers and members on a Statement of Information, filed online at bizfileOnline. LLCs file it every two years, in the month of registration, and again when information changes.
Texas treats everything filed with the Secretary of State as a public record. Its Form 424 instructions suggest a business or post office box address for directors or governing persons. A residence address is the other choice, and privacy is the reason to avoid it.
County records for trade names
A business that operates under a name other than its legal name may have a county filing that lists the people behind it. California has no statewide fictitious name registry, so these filings sit in the county where the business operates.
San Diego County says an FBN Records Search, in person or online, can show the owners of a particular business. Los Angeles County says a fictitious business name statement must list all owners with their business mailing addresses. Its online data portal searches statements by business name, city, zip code and other fields.
Florida section 865.09 requires the name and address of each registrant, so the registrant is on public file with the Division of Corporations. A trade name filing is a different record from the entity register, and what a fictitious name filing is explains its terms.
Reading a result with owners in mind
A state register entry may name an agent instead of an owner. The Delaware list names a registered agent, and California's public record names an agent for service of process. A California LLC's Statement of Information is where managers and members are reported to the state.
County fictitious name statements are the other source. Los Angeles County requires every owner to be listed with a business mailing address. San Diego County describes its records search as a way to find owners. If a business trades under a name other than its legal name, that county record is the place to look next.
Federal ownership reports
FinCEN's beneficial ownership page says U.S. companies are exempt from reporting beneficial ownership information and no longer file reports. Only certain foreign companies registered to do business in the U.S. must report. The page says FinCEN issued a final rule on August 11, 2026, and that the rule became effective on August 14, 2026.
Information that was reported to FinCEN is not open to the public. FinCEN's FAQ says it is exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act. The FAQ lists regulators that supervise financial institutions among those with access.
Where a trace can stop
Some records give a registered agent and nothing more. A beneficial ownership report filed with FinCEN is closed to public requests. A county statement can name owners. It sits only in the county where the business is located, so the search has to start there.
Steps to trace a name
- Search the Secretary of State register in the state where the business was formed. Delaware, for one, lets you search the web register by name or file number.
- Read the result for what that state lists, such as a registered agent or a Statement of Information.
- If the business trades under a different name, search the county fictitious name records where it operates for the registrant's name.
How to find a business owner's name: more questions
Can anyone read the beneficial ownership reports filed with FinCEN?
No. FinCEN's FAQ says beneficial ownership information reported to FinCEN is exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act.
Next: what a fictitious name filing is, Delaware's business entity search and California business name rules.
9 official sources
- California Secretary of State, Business Entities FAQs, retrieved November 12, 2026.
- Delaware Division of Corporations, Frequently Asked Questions, retrieved November 12, 2026.
- Texas Secretary of State, Form 424 Instructions, retrieved November 12, 2026.
- Florida Statutes section 865.09, Fictitious name registration, retrieved November 12, 2026.
- San Diego County Assessor/Recorder/County Clerk, Fictitious Business Name, retrieved November 12, 2026.
- Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, Fictitious Business Names, FAQ, retrieved November 12, 2026.
- Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, Fictitious Business Names, Search, retrieved November 12, 2026.
- FinCEN, Beneficial Ownership Information, retrieved November 12, 2026.
- FinCEN, Beneficial Ownership Information FAQs, retrieved November 12, 2026.