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County of Los Angeles |
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Finding a Person or Business
You need to find the person or business you are suing in order to serve them. You also need to find the person or business if you win your court case and want to collect money.
The court will not find the person or business you are suing for you. Read on to find out different ways to find a person or business.
How can I find a person?
Directory Assistance: You can call 411 to see if there is a public listing. On the Internet, you can use directory or search sites such as www.smartpages.com and www.google.com. Enter the Defendant’s name, address, or telephone number to see what information is available.
Reverse Telephone Directory: Reverse telephone directories are often available at public libraries and online at sites like www.anywho.com and www.whitepages.com. In a reverse directory, you can look up a telephone number to get the name of the account holder and address if the number is listed.
U.S. Postal Service: If the person you are looking for has moved, consider finding them through the U.S. Postal Service. To do this, send a letter to their last known address and write the words: “Address Correction Requested. Do Not Forward.” If the person filed a change of address with the post office, you may get the letter back with their new address.
Private Investigator: You can hire a private investigator to find the person you are suing. This can cost a lot of money.
Property owner
The Tax Assessor’s Office can give you the property owner’s name if you provide them with the address for property located in the County of Los Angeles. To get this information, you can go in person or call them.
Los Angeles County Tax Assessor’s Office is located at:
500 West Temple St., Rm. 225
Los Angeles, CA 90012
You can reach them by phone at (213) 974-3441.
How can I find a business?
The Los Angeles City Hall Tax & Permit Office can give you the business owner’s name and address for a licensed business in the City of Los Angeles. You can go in person or ask for the information by mail. Fees may apply.
Los Angeles City Hall Tax & Permit Office is located at:
201 N Main Street Room. 101
Los Angeles, California 90012
or call (213) 626-9271
For other cities, contact their city hall.
Fictitious Business Names
If the business filed a Fictitious Business Name Statement with the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder's Office, you can get a copy. This will provide you with the owner’s name and address for a business in the County of Los Angeles. You can go in person or ask for the information by mail.
Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder’s Office is located at:
12400 E. Imperial Hwy
Norwalk, CA 90650
Check their website for a complete listing of locations.
You can reach them by phone at (562) 462-2177.
Corporation, Limited Liability Company, or Limited Partnership
The Secretary of State’s Office can give you the name of the party (referred to as the Agent for Service of Process) who can be served on behalf of a corporation, limited liability company, or limited partnership. (See Serving a Corporation.)
The information is available to you online.
Court forms are available here and at California Courts - Forms. Select "Small Claims" from the pull down menu. Forms are also available at the Court Clerk's office.
Contact us for more information or speak with one of our counselors at (800) 593-8222. If you live outside of Southern California, call us at (213) 974-9759.
Updated March 1, 2008
For more information:
County of Los Angeles Department of Consumer Affairs
B-96 Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration
500 W. Temple Street *
Los Angeles, CA 90012-2706
Telephone (800) 593-8222 (within LA County)
web site: dca.lacounty.gov