You must have an accurate corporate address for a company if you plan on suing the corporation or to contact the proper headquarters for other inquiries. A company's corporate address is the address that was used when the business was incorporated with the secretary of state's office. The business does not have to operate in the same state in which it is incorporated. Businesses may choose to incorporate in different states for the tax savings or if they have relocated.
Find a complete and accurate spelling of the business' legal name. Some businesses may be operating as a DBA (doing business as). You may find more difficulty locating a corporation operating as a DBA. Contact the company by phone to find out their legal business name, or click on the "privacy" link or "contact us" link of the website to look for legal business name, if provided.
Review any literature about the company from mail that you have received or the telephone area code of the business to determine in which state the business is located. Contact the company directly to determine what state they incorporated in as well. Companies should not be secretive about the original state they incorporated as it is public information.
Visit the secretary of state's office for the state in which the business was incorporated. Click on the "Corporations division" and perform a business entity search. Type in the correct legal name for the business and click "Search." When you locate the company, the address where the business is located or the registered agent's address will appear.
Visit Dun & Bradstreet's website to perform a company search. The business address may populate when searching through Dun & Bradstreet. Pay for a corporate credit profile if you want comprehensive information on the company. The fees for purchasing a company profile varies.
Tip
If you have difficulty finding the state a business has registered in, contact the secretary of state's for Nevada, Wyoming and Delaware. These three states have tax benefits that attract business owners even if they are not residents of these states.
