Is this company legit? A free background check from public records.

Type a U.S. business name. In one report you'll see whether it's a public SEC filer, whether its name hits any federal watchlist, whether it takes federal contracts or grants, and whether it has EPA environmental violations — four government sources, cross-checked. Every query runs in your browser, straight to the source.

What you get

A single company-background report that combines four official U.S. public-record systems no free tool puts side by side: SEC EDGAR (is it a public company?), the Consolidated Screening List (is the name on any of 12 federal watchlists?), USAspending.gov (does it receive federal money?), and EPA ECHO (does it have environmental violations?). It's informational, name-based, and conservative — it tells you what the public record says and what it can't confirm.

Last updated June 16, 2026 · methodology & sources

Public record for

Each card below links to the authoritative source. Cards fill in as each government service responds.

Public company (SEC EDGAR)checking…
Federal watchlist screen (12 lists)checking…
Federal awards (USAspending.gov)checking…
Environmental enforcement (EPA ECHO)checking…

Go deeper

The parts this free tool can't do in your browser

Is it registered? Secretary of State search → Official registration record, status & registered agent across 25 states. The "is this a real, active business" answer. Full live watchlist screen → The live 12-list Consolidated Screening List with addresses, IDs & programs — for compliance/KYC use. Full federal award history → Every contract, grant & loan with amounts, agencies & dates — bulk export or API. Monitor new business filings → Watch for newly registered companies across 10 official state sources. Lead-gen & due diligence.

These are Whetstone's data tools on the Apify marketplace — run them on demand or wire them into your own systems by API.

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What this check can't know

  • Private companies. Most U.S. businesses are private and never file with the SEC, so "not an SEC filer" is normal — not a red flag. For proof a private company exists and is active, check its Secretary of State registration.
  • Identity. Every match here is by name. A watchlist or EPA name match can be a different entity entirely. Confirm identity against the official source before acting.
  • Not a consumer report. This reports on businesses from public records for general information. It is not an FCRA consumer report and must not be used to decide employment, credit, insurance, or housing.
  • Not advice. Nothing here is legal, financial, compliance, or investment advice.

Why one combined report beats four separate searches

Anyone can search a single government database. The hard part is that the answer to "is this company legit?" lives in different systems that don't talk to each other: incorporation is at the state level, securities filings are at the SEC, sanctions are split across Treasury, Commerce, and the State Department, federal spending is at USAspending.gov, and environmental records are at the EPA. This tool runs the public ones at once and puts the answers in a single picture, so a brand-new company taking no federal money and carrying environmental violations reads very differently from an established public filer with a clean record.

A name match is a lead, not a verdict. The watchlist and EPA checks match on name text. They're built to be sensitive (better to surface a possible hit than miss one), which means they can surface unrelated entities that share a word. Always confirm identity against the linked official source before you rely on it.

The four sources, in plain terms

SEC EDGAR — if a company sells stock to the public, it files with the SEC. A match tells you it's a public company and shows its industry, home state, and most recent filing. The Consolidated Screening List — the U.S. government's combined export-control and sanctions watchlists (12 lists, including OFAC's SDN list). A name hit means the name resembles a listed entry. USAspending.gov — every federal contract, grant, and loan since FY2008; useful to see whether a company is a federal contractor and at what scale. EPA ECHO — environmental inspections, violations, and enforcement actions at regulated facilities.

Frequently asked questions

What does this company background check show?

Four official U.S. sources in one report: SEC public-filer status, federal watchlist name screen (12 lists), federal contracts/grants/loans, and EPA environmental enforcement. Business registration (Secretary of State) is available as a deeper, paid lookup.

Is it really free, and is my search private?

Yes and yes. There's no account and no payment. Each lookup goes directly from your browser to the government source (or to a static data file this site serves), so your search is never sent to or stored by Whetstone — we run no server.

Does a watchlist match mean the company is sanctioned?

No. It's a name-based screen. A match means the name resembles a listed entry; it is not confirmation of identity. Verify against OFAC Sanctions Search or the ITA Consolidated Screening List before acting.

Can I use this to screen an employee, tenant, or borrower?

No. This is a business-records tool for general information, not a consumer report from a consumer reporting agency, so it can't be used for FCRA-covered decisions (employment, credit, insurance, housing).

How do I check if a company is registered with the state?

Registration is held by each state's Secretary of State. Use Whetstone's Secretary of State Business Search (25 states) for the official record, status, and registered agent.