Rather they are required to file the statements so creditors can know who is responsible for the activities of a business.Įach county keeps on a computer terminal an alphabetical index of the names of all fictitious businesses in that county, as well as the names of the people or companies that set up the businesses. There is nothing “fictitious” about these businesses in the sense that they’re doing anything improper or the businesses aren’t solvent. Some states keep a master index of all fictitious businesses that have filed statements with all the county recorder offices.įictitious businesses are sometimes referred to as “DBAs,” which stands for “Doing Business As.” The statements are usually kept at the county recorder’s or county clerk’s office, and they list the addresses of the businesses, the owners/partners in the businesses, and their addresses. In California any person or company doing business in a county under something other than their real names must file a fictitious business name statement with the county. file a fictitious business name statement for Delightful Dinners stating Fast Food Inc. opens a restaurant called Delightful Dinners, the law requires that Fast Food Inc. Similarly if a company called Fast Food Inc. Richmond (CA) License Search – select Company from the drop-down menu and then type in the name of a company.Ĭounties often keep files on so-called “fictitious businesses” operating in the county.Ī fictitious business is just a business being operated under a name that’s different from the name of the actual owner of the business.įor example, if John Smith and Jim Jones set up a coffee shop called S&J Cafe in California, state law requires that they file a fictitious business name statement for S&J Cafe stating that John Smith and Jim Jones actually own the business. These indexes are usually kept by a business licensing agency at a city, which often is a part of the city clerk’s office or city treasurer’s office.Ī few cities have put their business license records online. In the case of listings for companies, the index usually will also include the name of the owner or owners of each company. The index will list the address of the person or company. The city will keep on a computer terminal an alphabetical index of the names of people or companies licensed to do business in a city. ThomasNet – listings for manufacturers, distributors and service providersĪ city often will require any person or company doing business in the city to get a business license and pay a fee such as a business license tax. The online directories usually only have very basic information, such as the city where the business is based, The directories include:īetter Business Bureau – Check out a business or charity Some of the directories are available as online databases, searchable by the name of a company. While the directories list millions of businesses in the United States, millions more smaller businesses are not covered. Sometimes a short profile of the business and some basic financial information is included. Several companies or organizations compile directories of businesses, often listing each business’s address, phone, principal officer or officers, and the type of business in which it’s engaged. There are many telephone and yellow page directories on the Web you can search by a business name to get a phone number or an address. Look especially for anything that identifies the headquarters city or a specific address for a company, any officers of the company, and the type of business in which it’s engaged. You may find a home page for the business, a listing in an online yellow pages guide or just references to the business at other websites. So always begin by running the business’s name through a Web search engine, such as Google, to see what information is available on it. With more information on a business, you’ll also better be able to distinguish the business you’re researching from other businesses that may have nearly identical names. Or if the kind of business the company is engaged in is regulated by the government, you’ll know to check an online database of a particular business licensing or regulatory agency. Knowing where a company is located will help you identify which local or state agencies might have records on it. Securities and Exchange Commission.īefore you search the various databases of public records on businesses, it’s important to try to gather as much background as you can on the business. The filings vary from simple listings of the address and principal executive of a company, to detailed documents that publicly traded companies must file with the U.S. The records are kept by a variety of local, state and federal agencies, as well as some private organizations. This is a guide to the public records a reporter can access to find background information on a business.
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