Last Updated on February 5, 2022
Connecticut Business Entity Search
The Connecticut Business Business Services Division keeps detailed information on businesses incorporated in the state in its database. You can access the database to view information on entities such as Corporations, Limited Liability Companies and Limited Liability Partnerships.
Sole proprietorships and general partnerships are not registered with the Secretary of State as they are not individual business entities. To find information about sole proprietorships and partnerships, go to the Town Clerk’s office where the business is located to look at the Trade Name registration records.
To search the database, you need to have at least one of the following information with you:
- Name
- Business ID
- Filing Number
Also see: How to start an LLC in Connecticut
Connecticut Business Entity Search
If you are someone looking for information regarding corporations or business entities based in Connecticut, then you are at the right place. We have made the search process easier to understand with our simple entity name search guidelines below. Just follow the steps on how to use the search tool of the Connecticut Secretary of State.
Step 1 – To start your name search, go to the Connecticut Secretary of State’s website
See following screenshots to better understand the process.
Step 2 – Type in either the Business Name, Business ID, or Filing Number. It’s not mandatory to key in all the fields, but if you fill in every detail you will get more specific results.
If you want a wild card search, you can put an asterisk symbol followed by the Business Name (for example, *Duracell). All the business entities named “Duracell” will then appear.
Assuming you’ll conduct the search based on Name, let’s type in “Odyssey Toys“.
Step 3 – Click on the “Search” button. The Results Page will then appear showing the Business ID, Status, and Business Address.
Step 4 – You can further click on the name in the Results Page to access more information on the entity.
Available information includes;
- Business Name
- Business ID number
- Business Address (PO Boxes are not allowed)
- Mailing Address
- Date of Registration
- Annual Report Due Date
- Business Type (Limited Liability Company, Corporation, etc)
- Business Status
- Registered Agent information
Statutory Agent
In Connecticut, a Statutory Agent (commonly referred to as a Registered Agent) is a legal requirement to be named for a registered entity. This is a single point of contact in case the business needs to be served with legal papers or contacted by the state. One of the business owners often file as the entities Statutory Agent. When they file, their home address is often used (PO Boxes aren’t allowed) and their name address is now a public record that can be looked up by anyone. If that is a concern, consider looking into a Registered Agent service.
Business Licenses
The business name registration is different from business licensing in Connecticut. The Connecticut State Department of Consumer Protection has more information regarding business licenses.
Also see: How to do a UCC search in Connecticut
Information on the Connecticut (CO) SOS
The Office:
The Connecticut Secretary of the State is an elected constitutional official of the state. The office is one of the highest government institutions in Connecticut. It is the official keeper of a wide range of government documents and public records in the state.
Presently, the office is headed by Denise W. Merrill. She was re-elected in 2014 after serving the office from 2011 to 2014.
Functions:
Apart from the usual duties, the Connecticut Secretary of the State is also responsible for the following two departments:
- Legislation and Elections Administration Division
- Business Services Division