GET/search

Entity search

Search business entities by name and state. Every state is normalized into one fixed envelope: the best match plus similar filings, each with status, registered agent, officers, and addresses.

Query parameters

ParameterTypeRequiredDescription
statestringYesTwo-letter code or full name, e.g. "WY" or "wyoming".
business_namestringYesBusiness name to search for.
bystringNoDefaults to "name". Set to the state’s ID field (e.g. "entityId") to look a record up by ID.

Request

curl 'https://api.sosfinder.com/search?state=WY&business_name=Acme%20LLC' \
  -H "x-api-key: $SOS_API_KEY"

Response

One fixed schema for all states. bestMatch is the top record (or null); results lists the best match first, then similar filings. Fields a state doesn’t publish come back null (or [] for officers, filings, and documents).

{
  "state": "FL",
  "stateName": "Florida",
  "success": true,
  "query": "Acme LLC",
  "searchBy": "name",
  "count": 3,
  "bestMatch": {
    "name": "ACME LLC",
    "entityId": "L19000123456",
    "status": "Active",
    "entityType": "Florida Limited Liability Company",
    "standing": null,
    "formationDate": "04/08/2019",
    "jurisdiction": "FL",
    "feiEin": "59-1234567",
    "registeredAgentName": "Jane Doe",
    "registeredAgentAddress": "123 Main St, Tampa, FL 33601",
    "officers": [
      { "name": "Jane Doe", "title": "President",
        "address": "123 Main St, Tampa, FL 33601" }
    ],
    "principalOfficeAddress": "123 Main St, Tampa, FL 33601",
    "mailingAddress": "PO Box 100, Tampa, FL 33601",
    "filings": [
      { "name": "Annual Report 2026", "date": "01/15/2026", "id": null }
    ],
    "documents": [
      { "title": "01/15/2026 -- ANNUAL REPORT",
        "url": "https://search.sunbiz.org/...pdf" }
    ],
    "detailAvailable": true
  },
  "results": [ "…best match first, then similar filings…" ],
  "error": null,
  "blocked": false
}

Record fields

FieldTypeDescription
namestringLegal name of the entity.
entityIdstringThe state’s public identifier (DOS ID, filing number, …).
statusstringe.g. Active, Inactive, Dissolved.
standingstringGood-standing flag, where the state reports one.
formationDatestringDate the entity was formed, as the state formats it.
feiEinstringFederal employer ID (FEI/EIN), where published (Florida).
registeredAgentNamestringRegistered agent of record.
officersobject[]Officers / directors / members: {name, title, address} — only some states publish these.
filingsobject[]Filing / annual-report history: {name, date, id}.
documentsobject[]Downloadable document PDFs: {title, url}.
detailAvailablebooleanFalse for list-only registries with no per-entity detail page.

Errors and blocks

Zero matches return success: false with an empty results list. If a state registry temporarily blocks automated lookups, the API retries and — only if every attempt is blocked — returns blocked: true; try again shortly.