Regardless of what city in Michigan they are from, if the business is a corporation, limited liability company/ limited partnership, or non-profit they must register with the state of Michigan.

The best way to validate a company in Michigan is to check with the Michigan Secretary of State and do a Corporation and Business Entity Search. The website is here DLEG-BCS-Corporation Division Database Lookup. Here are some steps to use the site:

1. You will need the name, identification number or a keyword to search.
2. Select any of the above you would like to search by, press enter and Voila.

Perfect. What kind of information can I expect to find out about the company?

If they show up in the search, click on the company name and you should get the following information:

• Company ID number
• Registered name of the company
• Type of corporation i.e. LLC, Inc, and LLP etc.
• Registered Agent
• Registered Office Address
• Mailing Address
• Formation date
• Jurisdiction of origin
• Who the company is managed by
• Status of the company i.e. active in good standing, etc.

You can also click on “View Document Images” from that page and see their Articles of Incorporation.