California SoS Business Scraper - bizfileOnline Company Data & Agent

Extract official company data from the California Secretary of State business registry (bizfileOnline) - the registry of every corporation, LLC, and LP in the largest US state - by company name or entity/file number, as structured JSON. Each record gives status, standing, entity type, formation date, and the registered agent for service of process. The official CALICO API is key-gated and capped; this actor is the open API, and you never bring your own state API key.

No login, no API key, nothing to configure - a search term in, structured records out.

What data do you get?

One record per entity - including the registered agent that lighter scrapers omit:

{
  "name": "TESLA MOTORS CLUB LLC",
  "entityNumber": "201313510058",
  "status": "Terminated",
  "standing": "Good Standing",
  "entityType": "Limited Liability Company - CA",
  "formedIn": "CALIFORNIA",
  "initialFilingDate": "05/13/2013",
  "registeredAgent": "CALIFORNIA CORPORATE AGENTS, INC.",
  "jurisdiction": "California, USA",
  "source": "California SoS bizfileOnline (bizfileonline.sos.ca.gov)",
  "sourceUrl": "https://bizfileonline.sos.ca.gov/search/business",
  "searchQuery": "Tesla Motors",
  "scrapedAt": "2026-06-28T00:00:00.000Z"
}

How much does it cost?

Pay per result - you are not charged for Apify platform usage, only per entity record. See the Pricing tab on this page for the current figure. The free Apify plan returns a small preview; upgrade for full, uncapped results. No subscription, no minimum.

Is it legal, and where does the data come from?

Data comes from the official California Secretary of State bizfileOnline registry at bizfileonline.sos.ca.gov. California business-entity records are public records; this actor reads the open public search and does not log in or bypass any paywall. Scraping public US business records is well-established (public records; post-Van Buren / hiQ v. LinkedIn). Use the data lawfully for KYC/AML, due-diligence, and B2B purposes.

How do I use it?

Click Try it and search by company name:

{ "searchQueries": ["Tesla"] }

For an exact single entity, use the California entity/file number ({ "searchQueries": ["3814816"] }). You can mix names and numbers in one searchQueries array.

Input options

Field	Type	Description
searchQueries	array	Company names or entity/file numbers. The registry serves at most 500 matches per term - when a search hits that ceiling the run tells you the list is incomplete and asks you to narrow the name, rather than presenting a partial list as the whole answer.
maxResultsPerQuery	integer	Cap per query (0 = no limit). Default 0.

What you can do with it

• KYC / KYB onboarding - verify a California entity's existence, status, and standing from a name or entity number.
• Registered-agent intelligence - pull the agent for service of process (for legal, compliance, or sales).
• Due diligence - check status (Active / Suspended / Dissolved) and good standing.
• Lead generation & market research - map California entities by type and formation date.

Run it from code

# cURL - start a run and get the dataset back
curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/regdata~california-sos-business-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=YOUR_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{ "searchQueries": ["Tesla"] }'

// Node.js - apify-client
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';
const client = new ApifyClient({ token: 'YOUR_TOKEN' });
const run = await client.actor('regdata/california-sos-business-scraper').call({ searchQueries: ['Tesla'] });
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();

# Python - apify-client
from apify_client import ApifyClient
client = ApifyClient("YOUR_TOKEN")
run = client.actor("regdata/california-sos-business-scraper").call(run_input={"searchQueries": ["Tesla"]})
items = client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).list_items().items

Integrations

Runs anywhere Apify does: call it from the REST API, schedule recurring checks, pipe results into n8n / Make / Zapier, or use it from any MCP client (Claude, Cursor) via mcp.apify.com.

FAQ

Is it legal? Yes. California business-entity records are public. This actor reads the open public search only. Scraping public US business records is well-established (post-Van Buren / hiQ). Use the data lawfully for KYC/AML and due-diligence purposes.

Do I need a state API key, an account, or a proxy? No - none of them. Unlike tools built on the key-gated CALICO API, you never register for or supply a state key. Just an Apify account.

Does it return the registered agent? Yes - the agent for service of process is included, which lighter scrapers omit.

How do I look up one exact entity? Use the California entity/file number as the search query.

What export formats are supported? JSON, CSV, Excel, or XML, or read live via the API.

Related actors

Part of a suite of official government registry actors - no public API, pay per result, no keys to supply.

Country	Actors
Poland	REGON/GUS · KRS financials · KRS board · CRBR UBO · KRZ debtors · MSiG gazette · KNF · PEP · EKW land · UOKiK · BDO waste · Premises
Germany	Handelsregister · Insolvency
Spain	Company directory · BORME acts · Concursal
Italy	Registro Imprese · PEC lookup
Austria	WKO directory · Ediktsdatei
France	Societe.com
Belgium	KBO/BCE
Czechia	ISIR insolvency
Slovakia	RPVS UBO
UAE	ADGM register
USA	California SoS (this actor) · California UCC liens
Global	Adverse media

Common combination: California SoS (this actor) for identity + agent -> California UCC liens for secured debts -> adverse media.

Full suite: apify.com/regdata · Callable from any MCP client via mcp.apify.com