A limited liability company (LLC) is an Internal Revenue Service-recognized form of business organization that limits the liability of the owners. In the state of California, the Secretary of State's Office organizes and registers LLCs. If you want to check to see if a California LLC is still active, you can use the free online business entity search tool offered by the California Secretary of State's Office.

Go to the California Secretary of State's business entity search tool (See Resources).

Select the "Limited Liability Company / Limited Partnership" option.

Enter the LLC's name in the "Entity Name" search field.

Click the "Search" button to display a list of California LLCs that matches your search query.

Scroll down and find the specific LLC you're looking for. To the left of the LLC's name, you will find the current status of the LLC. If the displayed status is "Active," the LLC's current registration is active. If you see any other status displayed, the LLC is currently inactive.