VerifySOS is a 50-state business-verification tool for credit and underwriting in trucking and commercial finance. One search merges Secretary of State registration, FMCSA/USDOT authority, OFAC sanctions, ownership, and county DBA filings into a single PDF packet.

How do I look up a business across all 50 states?

Enter the company name and its 2-letter state code (or a USDOT number) on verifysos.com. It searches the Secretary of State and FMCSA SAFER side by side, screens OFAC, and generates a verification packet PDF.

How much does VerifySOS cost?

There is a free tier and a Pro plan at $14.99/month with unlimited searches.

Does VerifySOS show business ownership and officers?

Yes. Where a state publishes officers, members, or managers in its free public records, VerifySOS pulls them into the packet, separate from the registered agent, which is not the owner.

← All posts August 21, 2026

San Juan County DBA search — how to look up a fictitious business name (NM)

A DBA in San Juan County, New Mexico is a legal notice that a person or company is doing business under a name other than their registered legal entity. It does not create a new business entity, does not offer liability protection, and does not replace an LLC or corporation filing with the New Mexico Secretary of State. Yet it shows up in credit files, financing applications, and underwriting workflows constantly. Understanding what a San Juan County DBA actually tells you · and what it doesn’t · is essential before you extend credit to a business operating under an assumed name.

What a fictitious business name filing actually is

A DBA (doing business as), also called an assumed name or fictitious business name, is a registration with the San Juan County Clerk’s office that says “this person or entity is using this other name to operate.” If a sole proprietor named Maria Garcia wants to run a landscaping company called “Green Valley Grounds,” she files a DBA in San Juan County to put that name on the public record. The filing does not create a separate legal entity. Maria is still personally liable for all debts, contracts, and lawsuits. The DBA is purely informational · it tells the public who is behind the trade name.

Many small business owners in Farmington and the surrounding county confuse a DBA with an LLC or corporation. They think filing a DBA protects their personal assets. It does not. If you are underwriting credit to a business that has only a DBA on file with San Juan County and no registered entity with the New Mexico Secretary of State, you are extending credit to a sole proprietor or general partnership with unlimited personal liability.

How to search for a DBA in San Juan County

The San Juan County Clerk’s office maintains records of assumed name filings. You can visit the county clerk’s office in Farmington in person, or contact them by phone or mail to request a search. Many counties now offer online access to their assumed name database on the county’s website or through a records portal. Your first step is to confirm whether San Juan County offers a public online search tool for fictitious business names. If they do, you can search by the assumed name, the filer’s name, or sometimes the file date.

When you perform a search, you are looking for the original filing date and any renewal or expiration dates. Most states require assumed names to be renewed every few years · check New Mexico’s specific renewal requirements for San Juan County, as they vary. An expired DBA does not automatically extinguish the business, but it does mean the owner has not kept the registration current, which is a compliance and attention-to-detail signal.

What information a DBA filing reveals

A San Juan County fictitious business name record will typically show the assumed name itself, the owner’s legal name, the owner’s address, the nature of the business (briefly described), the date of filing, and the expiration or renewal date. Some filings also list a business address if it differs from the owner’s residence. This is the extent of what a DBA discloses · it is far thinner than a Secretary of State entity record.

Critically, a DBA filing does not verify the owner’s identity beyond what they self-reported on the form. It does not tell you whether the owner has a valid Social Security number, a real address, or good credit. It does not list members, officers, or managers. It does not disclose beneficial ownership beyond the person or entity that filed it. For underwriting purposes, a DBA is a starting point, not a conclusion. You must still verify the owner’s identity independently, pull their personal credit if you are lending to a sole proprietor, and confirm that any entity listed as the filer is itself registered and in good standing.

DBA vs. registered entity · why it matters for credit decisions

A business operating under a DBA in San Juan County but not registered as an LLC or corporation with the New Mexico Secretary of State is a sole proprietorship or general partnership. This means the owner’s personal assets are on the line for every debt the business incurs. If the business fails or defaults, you can pursue the owner personally. This is materially different from lending to an LLC, where the owner’s personal liability is limited to their capital contribution.

When you pull credit on a business name and it returns no Secretary of State record, but you find a DBA filing, do not assume the entity exists as a separate legal entity. Assume it is a sole proprietor trading under a name. Verify the owner’s personal credit, verify their identity, and assess the personal credit risk, not the “business” credit risk. If the business generates revenue over several years and you need to assess it, ask for business tax returns filed under the DBA name, not corporate returns.

Combining a DBA search with state-level verification

A complete business verification in San Juan County includes both a DBA search (county level) and a Secretary of State search (state level). The DBA search tells you whether someone is trading under an assumed name. The Secretary of State search tells you whether that person or their company has registered an LLC, corporation, or other formal entity. If you find a DBA but no entity registration, you have one person operating as a sole proprietor. If you find both a DBA and an LLC registered to the same person, you have a properly structured business · now verify that the LLC is in good standing, check its registered agent, and pull the owner information from the state record.

San Juan County also includes Navajo Nation territory, and some businesses may operate under Tribal business licensing rather than or in addition to county DBA filings. If the DBA search yields no results and the business operates on or near Tribal land, ask the applicant whether they hold a Tribal business license. This is a separate compliance layer.

Bottom line

A DBA in San Juan County is a public notice, not a legal entity. It names the person or company using a trade name, but it does not create liability protection, does not stand in for an LLC or corporation, and does not tell you much about the owner beyond their name and address. For underwriting purposes, treat a DBA filing as a search starting point. If the business has no Secretary of State registration, you are lending to a sole proprietor or partnership, and you must verify the owner’s personal credit and identity independently. If there is a corresponding Secretary of State entity, verify that entity’s status, ownership, and officers, then cross-check against the DBA. Skipping the county DBA search entirely is a mistake; treating it as if it were a registered entity is worse.