To check a California business license online, you have to search three separate systems: the Secretary of State’s bizfile portal for the entity itself, a state licensing board for any professional or industry license the business needs, and the city or county where it operates for a local business tax certificate. No single site covers all three. A business can look fine in one system and be out of compliance in another, so the verification only works when you run all the layers that apply.
Confirm the Entity With the Secretary of State
Start at bizfileonline.sos.ca.gov and open the Business Search tool. This is the official registry for California corporations, LLCs, limited partnerships, and nonprofits.1California Secretary of State. Business Entities You can search by the exact legal name or by the Entity Number assigned at formation.
The record tells you the entity type, formation date, and current status, and it gives you free PDF copies of recent filings. The Statement of Information is the most useful of these: it lists the officers, directors, or managing members and their addresses.2California Secretary of State. Search – bizfile Online If the name on the storefront doesn’t match anyone on that document, that’s worth asking about.
Pay attention to the status field. “Active” means the entity has kept up with its filings. “FTB Suspended” or “SOS Suspended/Forfeited” means it has fallen out of compliance, usually by missing a Statement of Information deadline or owing the Franchise Tax Board.1California Secretary of State. Business Entities
A suspended entity is more than a paperwork problem. Under California law, contracts a business makes while its powers are suspended are voidable at the other party’s request.3California Legislative Information. California Code RTC 23304.1 A suspended company also cannot file or defend lawsuits in its own name. Relief is available from the Franchise Tax Board, but only after the underlying compliance issues are cleared up.4California Legislative Information. California Code RTC 23305.1 If bizfile shows a suspended or forfeited status, pause before paying a deposit or signing anything.
One boundary to know: sole proprietorships and general partnerships that never filed formal entity documents will not appear in bizfile at all. A blank result there doesn’t automatically mean the business is illegitimate; it may just mean the business isn’t the type that registers with the Secretary of State.
Verify the Professional or Industry License
Entity registration is separate from occupational licensing. A company can be in perfect standing with the Secretary of State and still lack the license required to do its actual work. Dozens of professions in California need one, and each is regulated by a different board or bureau, most of them under the Department of Consumer Affairs.5Department of Consumer Affairs. Boards and Bureaus
The DCA License Search
The Department of Consumer Affairs runs a centralized lookup at search.dca.ca.gov that covers most of the boards it oversees, including accountants, registered nurses, cosmetologists, and veterinarians. Search by license type, license number, or the person’s name. The record shows whether the license is current, expired, suspended, or revoked.6Department of Consumer Affairs. DCA License Search
A few DCA boards keep their own separate lookup systems. The Contractors State License Board, the Bureau of Real Estate Appraisers, and the Bureau of Household Goods and Services (which regulates movers) each require you to go directly to their own websites.6Department of Consumer Affairs. DCA License Search
Contractor License Checks
Contractors get their own tool at cslb.ca.gov, where you can search by license number, business name, or the individual’s name. The result shows the classification (the specific work the contractor is authorized to perform), any complaint disclosures, and whether the contractor has a current surety bond on file. California requires a $25,000 contractor’s license bond.7Contractors State License Board. Check A License8Contractors State License Board. Bond Requirements
Confirm the name on the license matches the business you’re actually dealing with. Passing off another person’s license number is a common red flag.
Alcohol, Sales Tax, and Other State Lookups
Some businesses need licenses from agencies outside the DCA system:
- The Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control runs a License Lookup where you can search by license number, licensee, business name, or address.9California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. License Lookup
- Any business selling tangible goods needs a seller’s permit from the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration, which offers an online tool to check whether a permit is valid and active.10California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. Permits and Licenses
If you aren’t sure which licenses a given business should hold, run the business type through CalGold at calgold.ca.gov. It won’t tell you whether a specific company has its permits, but it identifies which agencies regulate that activity and gives you their contact information so you know where to look next.11CalGold. CalGold v2 – Permit Assistance Tool
Check the Local Business Permit
State systems don’t track local permits. Most California cities and counties require businesses operating within their borders to hold a local business tax certificate, sometimes called a business license. These are issued by the city clerk or the treasurer/tax collector, and you’ll need to search the specific jurisdiction’s website to verify one.
Larger cities usually offer an online lookup. Smaller jurisdictions may only answer by phone. Fee structures and renewal cycles vary from place to place, so a company current in one city may not have bothered to register in the next city over where it also takes work.
Fictitious Business Names
If a business operates under a name different from its legal entity name, California law requires a Fictitious Business Name statement (a DBA, for “doing business as”) filed with the county clerk in the county where the business is based.12California Office of the Small Business Advocate. Setting Up Your Business in California The Secretary of State does not hold these records. They sit in the county clerk’s files and expire after five years unless renewed. To tie a storefront or trade name back to the legal entity behind it, that county search is where the answer is.
Extra Checks Before Hiring for Physical Work
If you’re hiring a contractor, mover, or anyone else for on-site work, two more searches are worth the few minutes.
California employers are required to carry workers’ compensation insurance. The Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California runs a free lookup at caworkcompcoverage.com. Search an employer’s name and you’ll see which insurer wrote its policy on a given date, with history going back five years.13Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California. California Workers’ Compensation Coverage Inquiry The tool doesn’t cover self-insured employers or businesses not legally required to carry coverage, but it handles most cases. If an uninsured worker is hurt on your property, the liability picture gets complicated quickly.
The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration maintains a public Establishment Search that shows inspection history and citations for safety violations. Search by business name and filter to California.14Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Establishment Search A pattern of serious violations can tell you something a clean license record won’t.
Why the Check Is Worth Doing
Unlicensed contracting is a criminal offense in California, with penalties that escalate on repeat convictions and can include jail time.15California Legislative Information. California Business and Professions Code 7028 The practical exposure for the person who hired the unlicensed operator is different but real. If the work is botched, an unlicensed contractor generally cannot enforce the contract, and your options for getting money back are narrower than they would be with a licensed and bonded contractor. The CSLB bond exists precisely so consumers have somewhere to turn when licensed work goes wrong; that recovery route is gone the moment you hire outside the license system.16California Office of the Small Business Advocate. Guide to Permits, Licensing, and Regulations