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Tennessee Business Entity Search

Tennessee’s business entity search is run by the Secretary of State through the TNCaB portal. The public search form can be opened without signing in. When we tested it, the search did not return results, so this guide is limited to the form itself and the state’s own help.

Official agency: Tennessee Secretary of State, Business Services

Open Official Government SearchOpens tncab.tnsos.gov in a new tab. This is the official government site, not EntityLocator.

Direct links on the official site

Search methods offered

  • Business Name
  • Control Number
  • Name matchingStarts With, Contains or Exact. The official help describes Contains as matching names that contain all of the words you enter.
  • Active Entities OnlyA checkbox, unchecked when the form opens.

How to search

  1. Open the Tennessee business entity search using the button above.
  2. Enter a business name, or a Control Number if you know it.
  3. For a name search, choose Starts With, Contains or Exact.
  4. Tick Active Entities Only if you want to restrict the search to active entities. Leave it unticked to include all.
  5. Select Search. The official help says results appear in a grid and that you select Details for more information about an organization.
  6. Use Clear to remove your criteria and results. The form also has a “How to use this search” help panel.

What you can expect to find

  • The results grid has the columns Control No., Name, Other Names Used, Entity Type, Status, Formed In and Registration Date, with a 20-items-per-page control.
  • We did not reach a populated results grid or a Details page, so this guide does not describe what a record shows, such as registered agent, addresses or filing history.
  • We saw no registered-agent, officer, address or individual-name search on this form.

Limitations, fees and notices

  • The public search form opens without signing in, and no CAPTCHA or payment prompt appeared. Our test search stayed on “Searching business records, please wait...”, so we can’t confirm a completed lookup or its cost, and a stalled search does not mean no matching business exists.
  • The site showed a notice dated November 3, 2026 that corporate filings and annual reports had been processed through November 1, 2026. That is a temporary processing notice, not a promise about how current the records are.
  • Copies are a separate service. The official guide lists a $20 fee per set of document copies and asks for the Control Number, the legal name, the documents wanted, and requester and delivery information. It also links to online ordering of a Certificate of Existence, but the content we read did not give that certificate’s price.
  • A name lookup is not evidence the state will approve a proposed name. We did not confirm a name-availability workflow or its price.
  • The older TNBear system’s fields and fees do not describe the current TNCaB portal.

Sources and research notes

Sources reviewed: . Official sites change; always confirm current details on the government site.

Research for this guide used the official Tennessee sites in a web browser. The search form and help were inspected, but the test search did not return results, so no record screens were reviewed.

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