U.S. Small Business Administration
Launch your business
Why business structure and location determine which registration office to check.
Business and property records
Start with the document and the office that issued it
GuideWeSpeakLaw EditorialUpdated August 26, 2026Sources reviewed
A business name, federal tax number, lease and housing complaint belong to different record systems. Identify the document first, then use the state, local or federal office responsible for it.
Official record
Primary sources
Internal Revenue Service
Employer identification number
The federal tax-ID record and official confirmation routes.
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Fair Housing: Rights and Obligations
HUD FHEO's narrow federal housing-discrimination role.
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Contact FHEO
The official federal reporting and regional-contact route.
Business records start with location and structure
The Small Business Administration explains that registration depends on a business's structure and location. State offices commonly handle entity registration, while a county or city may handle a trade name, license or permit.
Keep the exact legal name, jurisdiction, filing number and filing date with every record. A state entity filing and a local license are not interchangeable, and neither document by itself answers a contract or liability question.
A federal tax ID is a different record
An employer identification number, or EIN, is a federal tax ID for businesses and other entities. It comes from the IRS; it is not the same thing as a state formation document or local permit.
If an authorized person needs to confirm an EIN, the IRS lists official confirmation routes, including an entity transcript, an eligible Business Tax Account notice or the agency's business tax line. Avoid placing the number in public notes or ordinary messages.
Housing discrimination has a federal record path
Many property questions are controlled by state or local law. A federal housing-discrimination question has a separate source: HUD's Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity investigates complaints under the federal fair-housing laws it enforces.
HUD provides a reporting route and regional FHEO contacts. A complaint records an allegation; it is not a finding that discrimination occurred. Keep the complaint, correspondence and any later agency decision separate and identify each by date.
Build a record set before drawing conclusions
For a business question, gather the state filing, governing documents, amendments, licenses, signed agreements and notices. For a property question, gather the lease or deed, amendments, payment records, notices, inspection records and correspondence you already lawfully possess.
Label each document by issuer and date. A filing shows what was submitted or recorded; an agreement shows its written terms; a complaint states an allegation; and an agency or court decision says what that body actually decided.
Corrections
Updated August 26, 2026. No corrections are recorded.