To find the owner of a business in Texas, first figure out what kind of business it is, then search the public-records system built for that type. For a registered company like an LLC or corporation, the Texas Comptroller’s Taxable Entity Search and the Secretary of State’s SOSDirect will name the current officers, managers, or organizers. For a sole proprietor or partnership using a trade name, the answer sits with the county clerk. Licensed professionals show up in their regulator’s database, and public companies are covered by the SEC.
Start With the Legal Name, Not the Sign Out Front
The name on a storefront, website header, or business card is often a “Doing Business As” trade name that the state does not index. Before running any search, look at the fine print on a receipt, invoice, contract, or the website’s terms-of-service page for a formal entity name like “XYZ Holdings LLC” or “Smith & Associates, Inc.” That is what the databases use.
A street address helps too. When two entities share a similar name, the physical location tells you which is which and points you to the right county for assumed-name filings. Industry matters as well. A medical practice, an electrical contractor, or a cosmetology studio will appear in a licensing database that a retail shop won’t.
Comptroller’s Taxable Entity Search: The Fastest Free Option
For any corporation, LLC, limited partnership, or professional association, the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts runs a free Taxable Entity Search that is usually the single most useful tool. Texas franchise-tax law requires those entities to file a Public Information Report each year listing the name, title, and address of every officer, director, member, general partner, or manager as of the filing date.
You can search by legal name, the 11-digit Comptroller taxpayer number, federal EIN, or Secretary of State file number. Results also show whether the entity’s right to transact business in Texas is active, which tells you whether the company is in good standing. Because the report is refreshed annually, it reflects leadership changes that the original formation paperwork won’t.
No account. No fee. The data comes straight from the company’s own tax filings.
SOSDirect for Formation Documents and the Registered Agent
The Texas Secretary of State’s SOSDirect system is the central repository for every formally registered business entity in the state. Any corporation, LLC, limited partnership, or professional association that filed a Certificate of Formation shows up here. Under the Texas Business Organizations Code, that founding document lists the names and addresses of the entity’s organizers, and depending on entity type, its initial directors or managers as well.
A for-profit corporation’s Certificate of Formation names each initial director who will serve until the first shareholder meeting. An LLC’s certificate identifies either the initial managers or, if there are no managers, the initial members.
Each name search costs $1.00. Once you find an entity, plain copies of its formation documents are $0.10 per page; certified copies are $15.00 plus $1.00 per page. The filing history also shows the entity’s registered agent, the person or company designated to accept legal papers for the entity. That alone is sometimes enough to reach whoever is in charge.
The catch: SOSDirect shows who formed the entity and who the current registered agent is, but the original formation documents won’t reflect ownership changes that happened years later. Pair it with the Comptroller search for a current picture.
County Clerk Records for Sole Proprietors and Partnerships
Sole proprietors, general partnerships, and other unincorporated operations that use a name other than the owner’s legal name must file an Assumed Name Certificate with the county clerk where they do business. Texas Business and Commerce Code Chapter 71 requires the certificate to include the assumed name, the full legal name and residence address of each owner or partner, and the period the name will be used, up to ten years.
Most county clerks offer online search portals where you can look up assumed-name filings for free. Filing fees for owners vary by county, running roughly $20 to $35 depending on the county and whether a clerk acknowledgment is required. These records are the standard way to identify the person behind a local shop, an independent contractor, or a service provider that hasn’t formed a formal entity with the state.
h3>When a County Search Comes Up Empty
If no assumed-name certificate appears, the business may be operating under the owner’s legal name (no filing required), or the owner may have formed an LLC or corporation instead. Go back to SOSDirect and the Comptroller’s search. If neither turns up results, the business may simply be noncompliant with the filing rule, and you’ll need to try the other methods below.
Professional and Occupational Licensing Records
Businesses that require specialized licenses are tracked by the state agency that regulates their industry. The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation oversees dozens of fields, from electricians and HVAC contractors to cosmetologists and auctioneers, and maintains a public database of licensees. A search by business name or individual name yields the licensed professional associated with that operation.
Medical practices follow a separate path. The Texas Medical Board provides a license-verification tool covering physicians, physician assistants, acupuncturists, pain management clinics, and several other categories. Physician profiles include license status, educational background, practice address, and any disciplinary actions.
Licensing databases are especially useful when the person you’re looking for operates through a professional entity like a professional LLC or professional corporation that may not list individual names in the standard business filings. The license itself is always tied to a specific person.
Publicly Traded Companies: SEC EDGAR
If the business is a publicly traded corporation, the ownership picture is handled at the federal level through the SEC’s EDGAR system. Anyone who acquires more than 5% of a public company’s shares must file a Schedule 13D or 13G disclosing their identity, background, and investment intentions. Directors, officers, and shareholders owning more than 10% of a class of equity securities must report most transactions on Forms 3, 4, or 5 within two business days.
EDGAR is free and searchable by company name, and you can filter results to ownership forms. This won’t help you find the owner of a local restaurant, but for any company listed on a stock exchange it is the definitive source.
UCC Filings as a Cross-Reference
Uniform Commercial Code financing statements, commonly called UCC-1 filings, are recorded when a business pledges assets as collateral for a loan. They are public and searchable through the Texas Secretary of State’s portal. A UCC search costs $1.00 and can be run by debtor name, secured party name, or filing number.
A UCC filing identifies the debtor (the business or individual who borrowed money) and the secured party (the lender). When the debtor is listed as an individual rather than a corporate entity, you have a direct link between a person and a business operation. Even when the debtor is an entity name, the filing can reveal the physical address where the business operates and the lender it works with, both of which help narrow the search. UCC filings only exist when a business has taken on secured debt, but when they do exist they sometimes surface details no other database captures.
What About the Federal Beneficial Ownership Database?
You may have heard about the federal Corporate Transparency Act, which was designed to require most small businesses to report their beneficial owners to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network. For finding a Texas business owner, it is a dead end. An interim final rule published in March 2025 exempted all domestic U.S. companies from the reporting requirement. Only foreign entities registered to do business in the United States are still required to file, and even for those entities the database is not open to the public. Access is limited to law enforcement, certain government agencies, and financial institutions with regulatory obligations.
Picking the Right Search Path
The method that works fastest depends on what kind of business you’re dealing with:
- LLC, corporation, or limited partnership: start with the Comptroller’s Taxable Entity Search for current officers and directors, then pull the formation documents from SOSDirect for the original organizers and registered agent.
- Sole proprietorship or general partnership using a trade name: search the county clerk’s assumed-name records in the county where the business operates.
- Licensed professional practice: search the relevant licensing agency, whether that’s the Texas Medical Board, TDLR, or another regulator.
- Publicly traded company: use SEC EDGAR for insider-ownership filings and major-shareholder disclosures.
When one database doesn’t have what you need, cross-reference with another. The Comptroller’s data fills gaps left by SOSDirect, UCC filings surface details neither of those captures, and licensing records reach individuals that corporate filings obscure. Most Texas business owners leave a trail in at least one of these systems.