You can search for California businesses three ways. The fastest is the free CompanyData.com lookup tool at the top of this page. Type a company name and get instant results including address, registration number, entity type, and revenue estimates. You can also search the official California Secretary of State at https://bizfileonline.sos.ca.gov/search/business for authoritative filing status. For developers, our API provides programmatic access to all CA business records for bulk lookup, KYB verification, and CRM enrichment.
Free California business records search
California is the 5th largest economy in the world. California is a major hub for technology and entertainment. CompanyData.com gives you instant access to CA company records. Search by company name or registration number to find addresses, entity types, founding dates, industry classifications, and revenue estimates. Our database covers active and inactive entities filed with the California Secretary of State's office, plus enriched data fields not available in the official state filing system.
Home to Silicon Valley and 53 Fortune 500 companies. California requires an $800 annual minimum franchise tax for LLCs and Corporations. The CA economy is driven by technology, entertainment, agriculture, and aerospace, and our database tracks businesses across all of these sectors. Whether you're verifying a vendor, prospecting new leads, or running a KYB check, you can pull complete CA company profiles in seconds.
This is a faster, more data-rich alternative to searching the official California Secretary of State portal directly. You get the same registry data plus revenue estimates, employee counts, SIC and NAICS codes, corporate hierarchy, and bulk CSV export, all in one search. You can also search across all California entity types including Series LLC, Professional Corporation (PC), Benefit Corporation.
Top Companies in California
Largest California business entities by revenue. Includes CA technology, entertainment, agriculture companies and more.
| Company Name | Country | City | Address 1 | Phone | State/Province | Postal Code | Website | Founding Year | Yearly Revenue in U.S. Dollars | Employees Total | Business Legal Type - Description | Number of Companies in Group | Company Registration Number | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Donor Advised Charitable Giving, INC. | *****@***.*** | USA | San Francisco | 211 Main St | +** ******** | San Francisco | 94105 | schwabcharitable.***** | 1999 | $9,661,652,588 | 26 | Corporation | N/A | 2129372 |
| 2 | City & County Of San Francisco | ******@****.*** | USA | Daly City | 2650 Bayshore Blvd | +** ********* | San Mateo | 94014 | sfmta.***** | 2013 | $8,543,836,000 | 150 | Corporation | N/A | N/A |
| 3 | Saa Sierra Programs LLC | *******@*****.*** | USA | South Lake Tahoe | 130 Fallen Leaf Rd | +** ******** | El Dorado | 96150 | stanfordsierra.***** | 1999 | $8,473,666,240 | 26 | Corporation | 371 | 2978628 |
| 4 | The Charles Schwab Family Of Funds | ********@******.*** | USA | San Francisco | 211 Main St | +** ********* | San Francisco | 94105 | schwab.***** | 2021 | $7,651,350,396 | 5 | Corporation | 1279 | N/A |
| 5 | American Balanced Fund, INC. | *********@*******.*** | USA | San Francisco | 1 Market | +** ******** | San Francisco | 94105 | N/A | 1932 | $6,336,443,000 | 9 | Corporation | 65 | 0316019 |
| 6 | The Income Fund Of America INC | **********@********.*** | USA | San Francisco | 1 Market Plz | +** ********* | San Francisco | 94105 | N/A | 1983 | $5,207,599,000 | 7 | Corporation | N/A | N/A |
| 7 | The Bond Fund Of America INC | ***********@***.*** | USA | Los Angeles | 333 S Hope St | +** ******** | Los Angeles | 90071 | capgroup.***** | 1974 | $4,230,749,000 | 2 | Corporation | N/A | N/A |
| 8 | Capital Income Builder | ************@****.*** | USA | Los Angeles | 333 S Hope St Fl 55 | +** ********* | Los Angeles | 90071 | capgroup.***** | 1987 | $4,108,829,000 | 6 | Corporation | N/A | N/A |
| 9 | Washington Mutual Investors Fund | *****@*****.*** | USA | Los Angeles | 333 S Hope St | +** ******** | Los Angeles | 90071 | N/A | N/A | $3,794,677,000 | 1 | Corporation | N/A | N/A |
| 10 | Memorial Health Services Group Return | ******@******.*** | USA | Fountain Valley | 17360 Brookhurst St | +** ********* | Orange | 92708 | N/A | N/A | $2,722,723,854 | 1 | N/A | 352391110 |
Showing 10 of 6,914,466 companies
Request Free SampleHow to look up a business in California
There are three ways to search for California business entities:
Use the free CompanyData.com tool above
Type a company name and get instant results. We aggregate California business records from the California Secretary of State and enrich them with revenue estimates, employee counts, and SIC/NAICS industry classifications that the official CA filing system does not provide.
Search the official California Secretary of State
Visit https://bizfileonline.sos.ca.gov/search/business for the authoritative state filing record. This is slower than CompanyData.com but provides direct access to official filing documents.
Use the CompanyData.com API
Developers can pull California business records programmatically for KYB verification, lead enrichment, CRM auto-fill, and bulk data export. From $0.10 per call.
What you can find in California business records
California Secretary of State registry data
- Registered business name
- Entity type (LLC, Corp, LP, Series LLC, etc.)
- Registration / filing number
- Filing date & status (active/inactive)
- Registered agent & principal address
Enriched CA data (CompanyData.com)
- Revenue estimates & employee counts
- Industry classification (SIC & NAICS) for California's technology, entertainment sectors and more
- Corporate hierarchy & parent company
- Email & phone (with data license)
- Website & trade names
- Bulk export to CSV
California Business Entity Types
California recognizes all standard US business entity types. Whether you're starting a technology company or a professional services firm, the right structure depends on your liability protection needs, tax treatment, and growth plans. Here are the entity types you'll find when searching California business records:
- Limited Liability Company (LLC): The most popular entity type for new California businesses. The California LLC filing fee is $70. LLCs offer personal liability protection with pass-through taxation and minimal compliance requirements.
- Corporation (C-Corp / S-Corp): C-Corps are taxed at the entity level and are the standard structure for venture-backed startups and companies planning to issue stock or go public. S-Corps elect pass-through taxation but are limited to 100 shareholders. Filing fee: $100.
- Limited Partnership (LP): A partnership with one or more general partners (who manage the business and bear unlimited liability) and limited partners (who invest but have limited liability). LPs are common in real estate, private equity, and investment fund structures.
- Limited Liability Partnership (LLP): Used primarily by professional service firms such as law, accounting, medicine, and architecture practices. In an LLP, all partners have limited liability for the firm's debts and the actions of other partners.
- Nonprofit Corporation: Organized for charitable, educational, religious, or scientific purposes. Eligible for federal tax-exempt status under IRC Section 501(c)(3) after IRS approval. California nonprofits file with the California Secretary of State and must comply with state-specific reporting requirements.
- Series LLC: California is one of the states that allows Series LLCs, where a single LLC can create separate "series" with distinct assets, liabilities, and members without forming separate legal entities. This is popular for real estate investors holding multiple properties.
- Professional Corporation (PC): A Professional Corporation (PC) in California is reserved for licensed professionals (doctors, lawyers, accountants, architects) who want liability protection while practicing in their licensed field.
- Benefit Corporation: A for-profit corporation that includes positive impact on society, workers, the community, and the environment as part of its legally defined goals. California is one of the states that formally recognizes this structure.
California Filing Fees and Requirements
Forming a business entity in California requires filing with the California Secretary of State and paying a one-time formation fee. Annual maintenance requirements vary by entity type.
LLC Formation
$70Filing feeCorporation
$100Filing feeAnnual Report
$800Annual feeKey facts about California businesses
- California is the 5th largest economy in the world
- Home to Silicon Valley and 53 Fortune 500 companies
- California requires an $800 annual minimum franchise tax for LLCs and Corporations
Common reasons to look up a California business
KYB / Compliance Verification
Verify California businesses before onboarding customers, vendors, or partners. Confirm that a CA entity is actively registered with the California Secretary of State, check its entity type, and validate its filing history.
Sales Prospecting
Find California companies matching your ideal customer profile. Target CA's technology and entertainment sectors by filtering on SIC/NAICS industry code, revenue range, employee count, or location. Export matching California companies to CSV for outreach.
Vendor Due Diligence
Before signing contracts or sending payments, confirm that a California vendor is a real, registered, active entity. You can verify registration status, formation date, and registered agent details in seconds.
Market Research
Analyze California's technology, entertainment, and agriculture landscape. Count businesses by sector, identify market leaders, benchmark competitors by revenue and employee count, and track industry concentration across CA regions.
Background Checks
Look up the corporate history of any California entity: formation date, name changes, mergers, and dissolution records. Check whether annual reports have been filed and whether the entity is in good standing with the California Secretary of State.
Lead Enrichment
Enrich your CRM with California company data via the CompanyData.com API. Append revenue estimates, employee counts, SIC/NAICS industry codes, and corporate hierarchy to your existing CA contacts. From $0.10 per enrichment call.
Frequently asked questions about California business search
California business records include the registered company name, entity type (LLC, Corporation, LP, etc.), filing status (active/inactive), formation date, registered agent, principal business address, and registration number. CompanyData.com enriches these records with fields you won't find in the state filing system: estimated revenue, employee count, SIC/NAICS industry classification, corporate hierarchy, and parent company linkage. This is especially useful for researching California's technology and entertainment sectors.
The standard California LLC filing fee is $70, paid to the California Secretary of State.. California also requires an annual report with a $800 fee, which is among the highest in the US.
Filing Articles of Incorporation in California costs $100, paid to the California Secretary of State. Corporations must also file annual reports to maintain good standing.
California business records list the registered agent and, in some cases, directors or members of record. However, the California Secretary of State filing system rarely shows the ultimate beneficial owner. For full ownership data including UBO (Ultimate Beneficial Owner) information and corporate hierarchy, use the CompanyData.com API, which combines CA registry data with ownership records from multiple sources.
An active California business is in good standing, meaning its filings are current and it can legally conduct business in CA. Inactive (dissolved, suspended, or forfeited) entities cannot transact. In California, entities that fail to file annual reports or pay franchise taxes can be administratively dissolved or suspended by the California Secretary of State. CompanyData.com shows both active and inactive entities so you can verify a company's full history.
Yes. The CompanyData.com CA business lookup at the top of this page is free with no signup required. The official California Secretary of State portal is also free to search. CompanyData.com is faster and includes enriched fields (revenue, employees, SIC/NAICS codes) that the state portal does not provide. For bulk access or API integration, paid plans start at $0.10 per lookup.
California recognizes Limited Liability Companies (LLCs), Corporations (C-Corp and S-Corp), Limited Partnerships (LPs), Limited Liability Partnerships (LLPs), General Partnerships, Sole Proprietorships, and Nonprofit Corporations. California also recognizes Series LLC, Professional Corporation (PC), Benefit Corporation, which are not available in every state. You can search for any of these entity types using the lookup tool above.
An Employer Identification Number (EIN) is issued by the IRS, not by California. After forming your CA entity with the California Secretary of State, apply for an EIN for free at irs.gov.
The official California business filing portal is maintained by the California Secretary of State at https://bizfileonline.sos.ca.gov/search/business. CompanyData.com offers a faster search experience with additional data fields like revenue estimates and industry classification that the state portal does not include.
CompanyData.com refreshes CA business records daily from official California Secretary of State filings. Revenue, employee, and corporate hierarchy data is updated on a rolling basis from multiple sources. The official state system is updated in real time as filings are submitted.
Yes, CompanyData.com supports CSV export of CA business records and provides a REST API for programmatic bulk access. This is used for sales prospecting, lead enrichment, KYB verification, and market research. Filter by California's key industries (Technology, Entertainment, Agriculture), revenue range, employee count, or entity type.