Search the state's database to find the date a company was incorporated.
The date a corporation registers with a state agency to obtain authorization to conduct business within the jurisdiction is a matter of public record. This date of incorporation is stamped on the corporation's articles of incorporation as a matter of course. The articles can be viewed by any person, either online through a state business database or by contacting the state business registration office directly. The corporation's official name, date of incorporation and registered agent are the three pieces of information that are maintained by the state and made easily accessible to the public in case someone wants to file a lawsuit against the corporation.
Instructions
1. Pull the hard copy of the corporation's articles of incorporation. The articles should be part of the company's corporate records book. The date of incorporation is either stamped on the document by the state or found on a cover page attached to the articles by the state and stamped with the state seal. This date is when the state accepted the articles for filing and serves as the company's official date of incorporation.
2. Conduct a search in the state's online business database if you don't have a copy of the company's articles of incorporation or if you are searching for the date of incorporation of an unrelated company. Every state provides a web-based database portal on its business registration site to enable people to research the status of businesses authorized to operate in the state. Search by the name of the corporation. The results will indicate the date the company originally filed its articles of incorporation.
3. Call the business division of the secretary of state's office or other state entity that controls business registrations to verify the date of incorporation for any entity operating in the jurisdiction. Government telephone listings can be obtained online or from the front of a local phone book. Provide the name and location of the company at issue and the office will verify the date of incorporation over the phone.
