Texas Secretary of State business search — the free company lookup guide

The Texas Secretary of State maintains a free public database of every LLC, corporation, partnership, and limited partnership registered in the state. You can pull entity status, formation date, registered agent, and file history in minutes without paying a dime. But the data is only useful if you know what each field means for underwriting, and what it doesn’t tell you.

What you get from a free Texas entity search

Log into the state’s business registry and search by entity name, file number, or registered agent name. The search returns the legal entity name, entity type (LLC, C-corp, S-corp, LP, etc.), formation date, jurisdiction, status (Active, Inactive, Forfeited, or Administratively Dissolved), and the registered agent’s name and address. You can also pull the full certificate of formation, which shows the filing date and some structural details like whether the entity is member-managed or manager-managed (if it’s an LLC).

This data is live and updated as the state processes filings. It’s also completely free. No login wall, no subscription tier, no per-lookup charge. If you’re underwriting a deal and need to confirm that an LLC exists and is in good standing, this search is the fastest first step.

The registered agent trap

Here’s where most underwriters stumble: the registered agent is not the owner. The agent is the address where the state mails legal notice. It can be a law firm, a registered-agent service, the company’s accountant, or sometimes the owner themselves. If you see “John Smith, Registered Agent” and write down “John Smith owns this LLC,” you have verified nothing about who actually controls the entity or signs for the debt.

The certificate of formation and any amendments will show the initial members or managers, but the state’s free search doesn’t always surface current ownership. If the entity has changed hands, amended its operating agreement, or added members, those changes may not appear in the basic search result. You have to request the full file or check for recent amendments to see the current structure.

Status codes matter for credit risk

An “Active” status means the entity is current on all Texas filings and franchise tax payments. An “Inactive” entity has failed to file required reports or pay taxes; the state has not dissolved it, but it’s not in good standing. A “Forfeited” or “Administratively Dissolved” entity is no longer valid. Do not lend to an Inactive, Forfeited, or Dissolved entity without clarification and a written commitment to cure any deficiency.

The formation date also matters. If the business was formed last month but is seeking a $500,000 equipment line, flag it. A six-month-old LLC with spotty financial statements and a loan request that outpaces its tax returns is a higher-risk file, even if the entity exists.

What the free search doesn’t show

The state search does not include UCC filings, lien history, or secured creditor data. It does not pull USDOT / FMCSA safety records if the company operates trucks. It does not flag beneficial-ownership red flags, sanction matches, or past bankruptcies. It doesn’t tell you whether the registered agent is real or a mail drop. And it doesn’t validate the mailing address or phone number.

A complete underwriting decision requires more than the state registry. But the state registry is where you verify that the entity is legally formed, when it was formed, and whether it’s in good standing. That’s the floor.

Free vs. paid: when to go deeper

If the entity status is “Active” and the formation date is reasonable, the free search has given you what you need to move forward. If there are red flags · a recent dissolution notice, an Inactive status, gaps in the file timeline · then you need the full certificate, any amendments, and ideally the registered agent address verified by phone.

Some underwriters also pull Texas Secretary of State UCC records (separate from the entity search) to see if there are existing liens or secured interests against the business. That data is also publicly available, though it requires a different search and some patience to parse.

How to run the search step-by-step

Go to the Texas Secretary of State website and locate the business-entity search tool. Enter the entity name (exact match helps but is not required) or the file number if you have it. Click Search. The results will show the legal entity name, status, and formation date. Click into the record to see the registered agent and to request the certificate of formation or any available documents.

Write down the entity name, status, formation date, registered agent, and file number. Cross-check the entity name against your application documents · mismatches (misspellings, missing words, different legal structure) are red flags for identity risk. Verify the registered agent address by a phone call if possible.

Bottom line

The Texas Secretary of State entity search is free, fast, and essential. It confirms legal existence and good standing. But it’s the beginning of verification, not the end. A business that exists on the state registry can still be insolvent, fraudulent, or operationally dormant. The search tells you the entity is real and current; UCC searches, financial statements, tax returns, and (for transporters) FMCSA records tell you whether it’s creditworthy. Do the state search first, every time. Then build the rest of the file.