1. What Michigan filings must contain
MCL 450.4203(1) lists five required items: the name, the purposes, the street and mailing address of the initial registered office with the name of the initial resident agent, a statement that the business is managed by managers if that is the case, and the maximum duration if not perpetual. Section 203(2) lets the articles include other provisions, so some filings name more than the law requires.
MCL 450.4207(3) requires an annual statement, filed by February 15, containing the resident agent’s name and the registered office address. It does not ask for members or managers.
2. How to search
- Copy the exact owner name from the county register of deeds or tax record.
- Search it from the business entity search on the LARA Corporations Division page. That page says the MiBusiness Registry Portal has been live since June 23, 2025, and that searches can be run there.
- Open the filed documents and read the articles and each annual statement.
- Note the resident agent, the registered office, any signer and any optional names.
3. Reading a manager-managed statement
If the articles say the company is managed by managers, that tells you the structure, not the names. Under MCL 450.4207(2), the resident agent is the person process may be served on. The agent can be an individual, a company or a service, and serving as agent does not make anyone an owner; see is the registered agent the owner.
4. Where people show up instead
- Deeds and mortgages. A person signs for the LLC; the signer had authority, which is not proof of ownership.
- Court files. Suits by or against the company may name members or managers.
- Tax foreclosure. If the property went through tax foreclosure, see Michigan remaining proceeds for who may claim.
5. How Locate Next fits
Read LLC owner lookup before treating a LARA filing as an owner list. It says: “State filings list the people a company named. They don’t prove who owns or controls it, and we don’t claim they do.” The same page says: “We search available state records for the owner name on your list, including former names when the source provides them, and keep the plausible companies in view.” And: “Where Locate has a working state source, we show its official record or search link.” Nothing here puts Michigan on that source list. A row you work by hand can sit on the LLC research worksheet.
Common questions
Does Michigan list LLC members?
Not as a requirement. MCL 450.4203 requires the name, purpose, registered office and resident agent, and a manager-managed statement if it applies.
Where do I search Michigan LLCs?
The business entity search on the LARA Corporations Division site, part of the MiBusiness Registry Portal.
What does the Michigan annual statement show?
The resident agent and the registered office address (MCL 450.4207(3)).
Is the resident agent the owner?
Not necessarily. The resident agent is the company’s agent for service of process.
Sources
- MCL 450.4203, articles of organization contents. Checked October 23, 2026.
- MCL 450.4207, resident agent and annual statement. Checked October 23, 2026.
- MCL 450.4202, formation. Checked October 23, 2026.
- Michigan LARA, Corporations Division. Checked October 23, 2026.
This page is general information, not legal advice.