Find who's behind a DBA

A business operates under a trade name. 2 API calls reveal the owning corporation.

2 API calls · $0.01
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How can I find who actually owns a business operating under a trade name? You see a storefront, receive an invoice, or find a listing under a name that doesn't match any corporate filing. In Florida, businesses operating under a name other than their legal name must register a "fictitious name" (DBA). That registration links back to the owning entity.

In this example, a tenant is paying rent to "Sunshine Auto Repair" but wants to know who actually owns the business.

The lookup

Search by DBA name
GET /api/v1/fictitious-names/search?q=Sunshine+Auto+Repair
DBA Name
SUNSHINE AUTO REPAIR
Status
Active
Document #
G00000012345
County
HILLSBOROUGH
Get full DBA detail
GET /api/v1/fictitious-names/detail?documentNumber=G00000012345
Filed
Mar 15, 2023
Expires
Dec 31, 2028
Owner
SAR HOLDINGS LLC
Charter #
L21000456789
Owner address
456 Commerce Blvd, Tampa, FL 33602
FEI/EIN
87-1234567

What you learn

✓
Corporate owner identified. "Sunshine Auto Repair" is a DBA registered to SAR Holdings LLC (charter # L21000456789).
✓
Cross-reference available. The charter number links directly to the corporation record — one more call gives you officers, registered agent, and filing history.
✓
Registration current. Filed in 2023, expires 2028 — this DBA is valid and maintained.
ℹ️
County filing. Registered in Hillsborough County — you know where the business operates.
The full picture

Starting from a trade name, you now know:

  • Who owns the DBA (SAR Holdings LLC)
  • The corporation's charter number (for deeper lookup)
  • The owner's address and EIN
  • Whether the DBA registration is current

To go deeper, use the charter number with the /corporations/detail endpoint to see officers, annual reports, and full filing history. Total cost: $0.01 for 2 calls.

How it's built

Two API calls, one API key. Works from any language with HTTP support.

Try it — copy, paste, run
terminal
# Step 1: Search fictitious names by trade name
$ curl -s -H "x-api-key: $API_KEY" \
    "https://api.sunbizdata.com/api/v1/fictitious-names/search?q=Sunshine+Auto+Repair"

< 200 OK (32ms)
{ "results": [{
    "documentNumber": "G00000012345",
    "fictitiousName": "SUNSHINE AUTO REPAIR",
    "status": "Active",
    "county": "HILLSBOROUGH",
    "filingDate": "03152023"
  }], "total": 1 }

# Step 2: Get full detail including owners
$ curl -s -H "x-api-key: $API_KEY" \
    "https://api.sunbizdata.com/api/v1/fictitious-names/detail?documentNumber=G00000012345"

< 200 OK (28ms)
{
  "fictitiousName": "SUNSHINE AUTO REPAIR",
  "status": "Active",
  "county": "HILLSBOROUGH",
  "filingDate": "03152023",
  "expirationDate": "12312028",
  "owners": [{
    "ownerName": "SAR HOLDINGS LLC",
    "ownerCharterNumber": "L21000456789",
    "ownerCity": "TAMPA",
    "ownerState": "FL"
  }]
}
Drop into your app
node.js
// Look up who owns a DBA / trade name
async function lookupDba(tradeName) {
  const headers = { "x-api-key": process.env.SUNBIZDATA_KEY };
  const search = await fetch(
    `https://api.sunbizdata.com/api/v1/fictitious-names/search?q=${encodeURIComponent(tradeName)}`,
    { headers }
  ).then(r => r.json());

  if (!search.results.length) return { found: false };

  const detail = await fetch(
    `https://api.sunbizdata.com/api/v1/fictitious-names/detail?documentNumber=${search.results[0].documentNumber}`,
    { headers }
  ).then(r => r.json());

  return {
    found: true,
    dbaName: detail.fictitiousName,
    status: detail.status,
    county: detail.county,
    owner: detail.owners[0]?.ownerName,
    charterNumber: detail.owners[0]?.ownerCharterNumber,
  };
}

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