How we check US license facts
Reviewed and checked Nov 7, 2026.
Short answer
Every fee and rule on our US pages comes from an official government page and shows the date we checked it. Right now 512 of 561 state facts are verified. Facts we could not confirm are marked Not yet verified and show no number.
Which sources we use
- Official government sites ending in .gov, including the IRS (irs.gov) and the Small Business Administration (sba.gov).
- A state's own official site that does not end in .gov, only when a .gov page links to it. We record which .gov page links to it.
We never cite private sites, such as company formation services, law firms, blogs or Wikipedia. We may read them to find a lead, then we confirm the fact on the official page.
How we verify a fact
Copy the exact words
We open the official page and copy the sentence that states the fee or the rule.
Check it again, separately
Before a page goes live, a second reviewer and an automatic check open every source again and confirm the sentence and the dollar amount are still there.
No proof, no number
If the official page does not confirm it, we publish no number. The row says Not yet verified and links to the agency so you can ask.
Date everything
Every row shows the date it was last checked.
What we do not cover yet
Our state pages cover state level registrations and licenses. Cities and counties add their own business licenses, zoning, health and building permits, and these differ from place to place. Always check with your city hall and county clerk.
Who we are
GovtLicense is an independent guide to business licenses. We are not a government agency and never charge for government services. About GovtLicense.
Found a mistake?
Tell us with the correction form. We aim to fix confirmed mistakes within 7 business days.