To find out who owns a business in Texas, start with the entity type. Corporations, LLCs, and limited partnerships file management information with the Texas Secretary of State and the Comptroller, so you search those state databases. Sole proprietorships and general partnerships file an assumed name certificate with the county clerk, so you search at the county level. One caution up front: Texas state filings identify officers, directors, managers, and general partners, but they do not list shareholders of most corporations or members of LLCs. “Who runs the business” is public; “who owns the equity” often is not.
Gather the Right Details First
You need the business’s exact legal name, not its storefront or brand name. A shop called “Sam’s Repairs” might be registered as “Samuel Johnson Services, LLC.” Invoices, contracts, and the fine print on receipts usually carry the legal name. State databases index that legal name, so a search for the marketing name alone often returns nothing.
Look at the end of the name. A suffix like LLC, Inc., LP, or Ltd. means the business is a registered entity on file with the Secretary of State, and your search runs at the state level. No suffix usually means a sole proprietorship or general partnership, and the search moves to the county clerk.
Also note the county where the business operates, any physical address, and any names you have seen on signage, ads, or vehicles. For licensed trades like electricians, plumbers, or HVAC contractors, write down the license number if it appears on marketing materials. The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation maintains a searchable license database at tdlr.texas.gov that ties licenses to named individuals and establishments, which can surface an owner’s identity when other routes come up short.
Search the Secretary of State Through SOSDirect
The Texas Business Organizations Code requires corporations, LLCs, and limited partnerships to file a certificate of formation with the Secretary of State before they can legally operate.1State of Texas. Texas Business Organizations Code Chapter 3 – Formation and Governance Those filings sit in SOSDirect, the Secretary of State’s online portal. SOSDirect is available around the clock and charges $1.00 per search.2Office of the Texas Secretary of State. SOSDirect – Online Searching and Filing
Create a temporary account, then search by legal name, filing number, or registered agent name. Results show each entity’s filing number, formation date, and current status, and you can pull specific documents including the certificate of formation and the most recent Public Information Report. Plain copies cost $0.10 per page and certified copies cost $1.00 per page.3Office of the Texas Secretary of State. Instructions for Ordering Copies and Certificates from SOSDirect
What the Secretary of State Does and Doesn’t Have
This is where researchers get tripped up. The Secretary of State does not maintain records of who actually owns most business entities. For corporations, the office has no shareholder information except in the rare case of a close corporation. For LLCs, it has no membership or ownership records. What the office does keep are the names and addresses of officers, directors, and managers, taken from Public Information Reports forwarded by the Comptroller, plus registered agent information. For limited partnerships, the office keeps general partner names and addresses but not information about limited partners.4Office of the Texas Secretary of State. Management and Ownership FAQs
Do not mistake the registered agent for an owner. Every filing entity in Texas must designate a registered agent, but that agent’s only legal role is to accept legal documents like lawsuits on behalf of the company.5Office of the Texas Secretary of State. Registered Agents Many businesses hire a commercial registered agent service with no ownership stake at all. A registered agent’s name tells you who receives legal notices, not who profits from the business.
If the business turns out to be a foreign entity (formed in another state but registered to operate in Texas), the Texas filing will show the jurisdiction of formation, the Texas registered agent, and sometimes a fictitious name.6Office of the Texas Secretary of State. Foreign or Out-of-State Entities For deeper ownership information you may need to check the home-state business registry, because Texas will only have what the company disclosed when it registered here.
Check County Clerk Assumed Name Records
Sole proprietorships, general partnerships, joint ventures, and estates that operate under a name other than the owner’s legal surname must file an Assumed Name Certificate (a DBA) with the county clerk in every county where they maintain an office.7State of Texas. Texas Business and Commerce Code Chapter 71 – Assumed Business or Professional Name For an unincorporated business, this is the single best way to connect a name on a storefront to a specific person.
Visit the county clerk’s office or its website and search the assumed name index. The certificate on file will list the owner’s full legal name, address, and the date operations began, and it stays valid for up to ten years from filing.7State of Texas. Texas Business and Commerce Code Chapter 71 – Assumed Business or Professional Name Search and copy fees vary by county, so ask the clerk’s office for current pricing.
Two practical notes. First, there is no single statewide portal for all 254 counties, so you have to search each county individually. If you don’t know the county, start with the one where the business has a physical location. Second, since 2019, registered entities that file assumed name certificates with the Secretary of State no longer duplicate that filing at the county level.8Office of the Texas Secretary of State. Name Filings FAQs If a county search turns up nothing, the DBA may live in SOSDirect instead.
Use the Comptroller’s Public Information Report for Current Management
The Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts runs a free Taxable Entity Search you can query by entity name, Texas Taxpayer Number, or Secretary of State file number.9Texas Comptroller. Franchise Tax Account Status Search10Texas Comptroller. Comptroller’s Databases The results show franchise tax standing, but the reason to check the Comptroller is the Public Information Report.
Every corporation, LLC, limited partnership, professional association, and financial institution with a Texas presence must file a PIR annually as part of its franchise tax obligations, even when the entity falls below the no-tax-due threshold. The PIR lists the names and mailing addresses of the entity’s officers, directors, managers, or members. Entity types that don’t fall into those categories file an Ownership Information Report instead, which collects partner, member, and owner details.11Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Texas Franchise Tax Public Information Report and Ownership Information Report
Because PIRs are filed annually, they are usually the freshest snapshot of who runs the business. Once processed, the management information is forwarded to the Secretary of State and appears in SOSDirect too.4Office of the Texas Secretary of State. Management and Ownership FAQs Checking both is worthwhile, since the Comptroller may hold a more recent report than what SOSDirect currently reflects.
Search Court Records When the Registries Come Up Short
When the state and county databases don’t give you a name, court records often fill the gap. The re:SearchTX portal at research.txcourts.gov searches case records across all 254 Texas counties. Register for a free “General Public” account and search by business name or individual name to find lawsuits, liens, or other civil matters where the business or its owners are named as parties. If an owner has ever been sued individually alongside the company, the filing will link both names.
This route is especially useful when a business has changed hands, when the listed officers look like nominees rather than real decision-makers, or when the entity has been in contract disputes or collections. The case file names the parties and often describes the business relationship in ways no state registry will.
Watch for Forfeited Status
If the Comptroller’s search returns a “Forfeited” status, treat it as a serious signal. A corporation, LLC, or other taxable entity that fails to file its franchise tax report or its required Public Information Report can have its right to transact business forfeited by the Comptroller. Forfeiture strips the entity of the right to sue or defend itself in Texas courts, and each officer, director, partner, member, or owner becomes personally liable for certain debts of the entity.11Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Texas Franchise Tax Public Information Report and Ownership Information Report That personal liability sits in the Tax Code’s forfeiture rules and applies as if the officer or director were a general partner of the business.12State of Texas. Texas Tax Code Section 171.252 – Effects of Forfeiture
Failure to file at the county level carries its own teeth. Intentionally operating under an assumed name without filing the required certificate is a Class A misdemeanor,7State of Texas. Texas Business and Commerce Code Chapter 71 – Assumed Business or Professional Name which carries a potential fine of up to $4,000, up to one year in jail, or both.13State of Texas. Texas Penal Code Chapter 12 – Punishments Those penalties are why the filings you’re searching tend to stay current.
Federal Beneficial Ownership Reporting No Longer Applies to Most Texas Businesses
The Corporate Transparency Act, passed in 2021, was set to require most small companies to report beneficial owners to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network. As of March 2025, FinCEN issued an interim final rule exempting all U.S.-formed companies from that requirement. Only entities formed under foreign law and registered to do business in a U.S. state remain subject to it.14FinCEN.gov. FinCEN Removes Beneficial Ownership Reporting Requirements for US Companies and US Persons The federal BOI database is not open to the general public in any case, so for identifying the owners of a Texas business, the state and county tools above are the ones that will get you an answer.