To find out who owns a New Jersey business you usually start with the state registry, then check licences and property records. Each step answers a different question, and the first often gives you a company name rather than a person.
Start with the official source: The New Jersey Department of the Treasury's Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services runs the Business Records Service. Open the official New Jersey search. Basic searches there are for looking up one business at a time.
1. Search the New Jersey business registry
The New Jersey Department of the Treasury's Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services keeps the register of companies. Use its Business Records Service and type the business name. The record normally gives the legal name, whether it is active or dissolved, when it was formed, the registered agent and the registered office. Read the record itself for the exact fields it shows today.
Watch out for: a registered agent that is a law firm, an accountant or an agent company that serves many businesses. Its name tells you nothing about the owner. When you see that, move on to the next step.
2. Check licences issued to a named person
Liquor, food, contractor and professional licences are issued to a person or a company, and a sole proprietor's licence is in their own name. City councils and licensing boards publish agendas that name who applied. It is some of the clearest public evidence of who runs a business.
3. Look up the property
For a business that owns its building, the county clerk or register of deeds and the municipal tax assessor shows who owns the parcel and where the tax bill goes. If the business rents, the record names the landlord, not your prospect. Match the name before you rely on it.
4. Read what the business says about itself
An "about" page, a Facebook page, a Google Business Profile and owner replies to reviews often name the founder. Local papers report openings and sales, which is the fastest way to find out that a business changed hands.
When you still can't tell
- Franchises: the person on site manages the place; decisions may sit with a franchise group.
- Holding companies: one company is owned by another, and the trail usually ends after two steps.
- Recent sales: records lag, so an older record can name the previous owner.
If you can't find the owner, write to the role ("the person who looks after your bookings") rather than guessing a name.
What the New Jersey records look like
These are the biggest kinds of business in our New Jersey data, with how many of each we can reach:
- Health care: 39,775 businesses, 18% with an email on file, 96% with a phone number.
- Restaurants and food: 25,079 businesses, 41% with an email on file, 96% with a phone number.
- Salons and personal services: 23,628 businesses, 49% with an email on file, 99% with a phone number.
- Construction and trades: 19,518 businesses, 46% with an email on file, 96% with a phone number.
- Professional services: 12,347 businesses, 31% with an email on file, 89% with a phone number.
In New Jersey, wholesale and distribution listings are the most likely to show an email on file (96%), and salons and personal services are the most likely to have a phone number (99%). Start with the first group when you need an owner's email, and with the second when you plan to call.
Doing it for many New Jersey businesses
BeatTheDoor holds 141,021 New Jersey businesses from state records and listings, with the most in Newark, Jersey City and Toms River. 51,958 have an email on file, and 2,746 have been checked and have no website found. The owner is shown where public records name one, with where it came from. See the New Jersey business counts by trade and city, or read the general guide, how to find the owner of a small business. If you sell website work, see how to find businesses with no website.