United States companies (public, private, for profit, and nonprofit) are usually incorporated in their home state and those states maintain documents pertaining to the incorporation. Documents usually include articles of incorporation and the current annual report required by the state (not to be confused with the corporation's annual report to shareholders). This is often the only source of information about corporate governance for companies which are not publicly traded. These documents are a matter of public record.

Many corporations are incorporated in Delaware but have their offices in another state. A corporation incorporated in any other state or country is referred to as a 'foreign' corporation.  In other words, if a company is incorporated (chartered) in New York and is authorized to do business in Texas, Texas will refer to it as a 'foreign' corporation; New York will refer to it as a 'domestic' corporation.  If the corporation is chartered in England, Japan, etc., it still is referred to as a 'foreign' corporation.

Corporations, Limited Partnerships (L.P.), Limited Liability Companies (L.L.C), Limited Liability Partnerships (L.L.P.) and Professional Corporations (P.C.) must be chartered (incorporated) someplace -- either a state or a foreign country. If Harry, Tom and Fred open a business and call it HTF, Incorporated but do not get a charter from a government, it is not a corporation.  It would be a general partnership.

Small-Company Caveats: It is not particularly unusual for someone to start a small business, e.g., a home-based business, and buy stationery, etc., under a name such as XYZ, Inc. before talking to a business advisor. When the new owner finds out it will cost about $1,000 to incorporate (including legal fees, etc.), he figures "the heck with that" and continues to do business with a corporate name when, in fact, the business is not incorporated.  Similarly, it is not unusual for someone to incorporate a small business, stop paying state franchise taxes, forfeit the corporate charter, but continue doing business in the corporate name.

Step 1: Find out the home state of your company by using one of the online directories:

• Companies Online
• WhoWhere? Companies on the Net
• Hoovers Online
• Yahoo! -- Finance

Step 2: Contact the agency in the state responsible for regulating corporations to find out how you can get the documents. Most of the Web sites listed here only offer contact and procedural information. Some offer searchable databases of entities incorporated in the state. These databases will usually give contact information on the company, its date of incorporation, its corporate number (which speeds up requests for documents), and whether or not the company is in good standing.

Alabama
Corporation Division
Office of the Secretary of State
11 S. Union, Rm. 207
Montgomery, AL 36130-4650
334-242-5324
Alabama Attorney General
Alabama Drivers Licenses
Insurance

Alaska
Corporations Section
Dept. of Commerce and Economic Development
P.O. Box 110807
Juneau, AK 99811-0807
907-465-2521
Alaska Attorney General
Alaska Drivers Licenses
Insurance

Arizona
Corporation Commission
1200 W. Washington St.
Phoenix, AZ 85007
602-542-3931
Arizona Attorney General
Arizona Drivers Licenses
Insurance

Arkansas
Secretary of State
256 State Capitol Building
Little Rock, AR 72201
501-682-1010
Arkansas Attorney General
Arkansas Drivers Licenses
Insurance
Development Information Network of Arkansas
(links and information about various cities)

California
Corporate Filing Division
Office of Secretary of State
1230 J Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
916-653-6564
California Attorney General
California Drivers Licenses
Insurance

Colorado
Division of Commercial Recordings
Department of State
1560 Broadway, Suite 200
Denver, CO 80203
303-894-2251
Colorado Attorney General
Colorado Drivers Licenses
Insurance

Connecticut
Office of Secretary of State
Commercial Recording Division
30 Trinity Street
Hartford, CT 06106
860-566-2448
Connecticut Attorney General
Connecticut Drivers Licenses
Insurance

Delaware
Corporation Division
Department of State
Townsend Building
Federal & Duke of York Sts.
Dover, DE 19901
302-739-3077
Delaware Attorney General
Delaware Drivers Licenses (not on-line)
Insurance

District of Columbia
Corporations Division
Dept. of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs
614 H Street, NW, Rm. 407,
Washington, DC 20009
202-727-7278
District Of Columbia Drivers Licenses
Insurance

Florida
Division of Corporations
409 E. Gaines Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399
904-487-6000
Florida Attorney General
Florida Drivers Licenses
Florida state statutes
Insurance

Georgia
Business Services & Regulations
Office of Secretary of State
Suite 306
2 Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr., SE
Atlanta, GA 30334
Georgia Attorney General
Georgia Drivers Licenses
Insurance

Hawaii (see Business Registration Division)
Department of Commerce & Consumer Affairs
P.O. Box 541
Honolulu, HI 96809
808-586-2850
Hawaii Attorney General
Hawaii Drivers Licenses
Insurance

Idaho
Corporation Division
Office of Secretary of State
Statehouse, Room 203,
700 W. Jefferson
Boise, ID 83720
208-334-2301
Idaho Attorney General
Idaho Drivers Licenses
Insurance

Illinois
Corporation Division
Office of the Secretary of State
330 Howlett Building
Springfield, IL 62756
217-782-4909
Illinois Attorney General
Illinois Drivers Licenses
Insurance

Indiana
Corporation Section
Office of Secretary of State
302 W. Washington, Room E018
Indianapolis, IN 46204
317-232-6531
Indiana Attorney General
Indiana Drivers Licenses
Insurance

Iowa
Office of Secretary of State
Hoover State Office Building, 2nd fl.
1300 E. Walnut
Des Moines, IA 50319
515-281-5204
Iowa Attorney General
Iowa Drivers Licenses
Insurance

Kansas
Secretary of State
Corporation Division
State Capitol Building, 2nd fl.
300 SW 10th Street
Topeka, KS 66612
913-296-4575
Kansas Attorney General
Kansas Drivers Licenses
Insurance

Kentucky
Business Services Division
Secretary of State
State Capitol, Rm. 150,
Frankfort, KY 40601-3490
502-564-3490
Kentucky Attorney General
Kentucky Drivers Licenses
Insurance

Louisiana
Commercial Division
Department of State
P.O. Box 94125
Baton Rouge, LA 70804
504-342-4479
Louisiana Attorney General
Louisiana Drivers Licenses
Insurance

Maine
Division of Corporations and Elections
Department of the Secretary of State
101 State House Station,
Augusta, ME 04333-0101
207-287-4195
Maine Attorney General
Maine Drivers Licenses
Insurance

Maryland
Department of Assessments & Taxation
301 W. Preston Street
Baltimore, MD 21201
410-767-1184
Maryland Attorney General
Maryland Drivers Licenses
Insurance

Massachusetts
Corporations Division
Secretary of the Commonwealth
State House, Rm. 337
Boston, MA 02133
617-727-9180
Massachusetts Attorney General
Massachusetts Drivers Licenses
Insurance

Michigan
Corporation Division
Consumer & Industry Services
P.O. Box 30222
Lansing, MI 48909
517-334-6212
Michigan Attorney General
Michigan Drivers Licenses
Insurance

Minnesota
Business Services Division
Secretary of State
180 State Office Building
100 Constitution Avenue
St. Paul, MN 55155-1299
612-296-2079
Minnesota Attorney General
Minnesota Drivers Licenses
Insurance

Mississippi (see Business Services)
Corporations Division
Office of Secretary of State
P.O. Box 136
Jackson, MS 39205
601-359-1350
Mississippi Attorney General
Mississippi Drivers Licenses
Insurance

Missouri
Corporations Division
Office of Secretary of State
State Information Center,
P.O. Box 778,
Jefferson City, MO 65102
573-751-4153
Missouri Attorney General
Missouri Drivers Licenses
Insurance

Montana
Business Services Bureau
Office of Secretary of State
State Capitol, Rm. 225
P.O. Box 202801
Helena, MT 59620-2801
Montana Attorney General
Montana Drivers Licenses
Insurance

Nebraska
Corporation Division
Secretary of State
State Capitol, Rm. 1301,
P.O. Box 94608
Lincoln, NE 68509-4608
402-471-4079
Nebraska Attorney General
Nebraska Drivers Licenses
Insurance

Nevada
Secretary of State
Capitol Complex
State Capitol Building
Carson City, NV 89710
702-687-5203
Nevada Attorney General
Nevada Drivers Licenses
Insurance

New Hampshire (not online)
Corporation Division
Secretary of State Office
State House, Rm. 204
107 N. Main Street,
Concord, NH 03301-4989
603-271-3242
New Hampshire Attorney General
New Hampshire Drivers Licenses
Insurance

New Jersey
Division of Commercial Recordings
Department of State
820 Bear Tavern Rd., CN308,
Trenton, NJ 08625-0308
609-530-6400
New Jersey Attorney General
New Jersey Drivers Licenses
Insurance

New Mexico
Department of Corporations
Corporation Commission
P.O. Box 1269
Santa Fe, NM 87504
505-827-4508
New Mexico Attorney General
New Mexico Drivers Licenses

New York
Division of Corporations
Department of State
162 Washington Avenue
Albany, NY 12231
518-474-0050
New York Attorney General
New York Drivers Licenses
Insurance

North Carolina
Corporations Division
Office of Secretary of State
300 N. Salisbury Street
Raleigh, NC 27603-5909
919-733-4201
North Carolina Attorney General
North Carolina Drivers Licenses
Insurance

North Dakota (not online)
Corporation Division
Office of Secretary of State
600 E. Blvd. Ave.
Bismarck, ND 58505
701-328-4284
North Dakota Attorney General
North Dakota Drivers Licenses
Insurance

Ohio
Office of Secretary of State
30 E. Broad Street, 14th Fl.,
Columbus, OH 43266
614-466-3084
Ohio Attorney General
Ohio Drivers Licenses

Oklahoma
Secretary of State
State Capitol Building, Rm. 101,
2300 N. Lincoln Blvd.
Oklahoma City, OK 73105
405-521-3911
Oklahoma Attorney General
Oklahoma Drivers Licenses

Oregon
Corporation Division
Office of Secretary of State
Public Service Building
255 Capitol Street, NE, Suite 151,
Salem, OR 97310
503-986-2205
Oregon Attorney General
Oregon Drivers Licenses

Pennsylvania (see Corporation Bureau)
Corporation Bureau
Department of State
308 N. Office Building
Harrisburg, PA 17120
717-783-9210
Pennsylvania Attorney General
Pennsylvania Drivers Licenses

Rhode Island
Corporation Division
Office of Secretary of State
100 N. Main Street
Providence, RI 02903
401-277-3040
Rhode Island Attorney General
Rhode Island Drivers Licenses

South Carolina (not online)
Secretary of State
Wade Hampton Building
P.O. Box 11350
Columbia, SC 29211
803-734-2170
South Carolina Attorney General
South Carolina Drivers Licenses

South Dakota (see Corporations Administration)
Secretary of State
Capitol Building, Suite 204
500 East Capitol Avenue
Pierre, SD 57501-5070
605-773-4845
South Dakota Attorney General
South Dakota Drivers Licenses

Tennessee
Division of Business Services
Office of Secretary of State
James K. Polk Building
18th Floor
Nashville, TN 37243
615-741-0584
Tennessee Attorney General
Tennessee Drivers Licenses

Texas  (free, only has those that pay franchise tax) (Many Texas Links)
Corporations Section (fee-based, all registered entities)
Office of Secretary of State
P.O. Box 13697
Austin, TX 78711
512-463-5578
Texas Attorney General
Texas Drivers Licenses

Utah
Division of Corporations
Department of Commerce
160 E. 300 S.
Salt Lake City, UT 84111
801-530-6027
Utah Attorney General
Utah Drivers Licenses

Vermont
Corporations Division
Office of Secretary of State
109 State Street
Montpelier, VT 05609
802-828-2386
Vermont Attorney General
Vermont Drivers Licenses

Virginia
Commonwealth of Virginia Home Page
State Corporation Commission
Tyler Building
1300 E. Main Street
Richmond, VA 23219
804-371-9608
Virginia Attorney General
Virginia Drivers Licenses
List of state agency websites

Washington
Corporations, Trademarks & Limited Partnerships
Office of Secretary of State
P.O. Box 40220
Olympia, WA 98504-0220
360-753-7115
Washington Attorney General
Washington Drivers Licenses

West Virginia (not online)
Secretary of State
State Capitol, Rm. W-157K
1900 Kanawha Blvd., E.
Charleston, WV 25305
304-558-6000
West Virginia Attorney General
West Virginia Drivers Licenses

Wisconsin
Division of Corporate & Consumer Services
Dept. of Financial Institutions
30 W. Mifflin, 9th Fl.,
P.O. Box 7846
Madison, WI 53707-7846
608-266-3590
Wisconsin Attorney General
Wisconsin Drivers Licenses

Wyoming
Corporations Division
Office of Secretary of State
State Capitol
200 W. 24th Street
Cheyenne, WY 82002
307-777-5334
Wyoming Attorney General
Wyoming Drivers Licenses