Before you file articles of organization
An LLC's name goes on its articles of organization, the document that creates the company. The state's filing office reviews that name before it accepts the filing. Two things get names rejected: a missing or wrong LLC ending, and a name the office can't tell apart from one already on its register. Both are easy to catch before you pay the filing fee, and that's what this check is for.
The LLC ending
Every state requires an LLC's name to say what it is. The forms states accept most often:
| Ending | Accepted |
|---|---|
| Limited Liability Company | Everywhere |
| LLC | Everywhere |
| L.L.C. | Everywhere |
| Limited Company, LC, L.C., Ltd. Liability Co. | In some states |
The ending usually goes at the end of the name. In most states it doesn't make a name unique: the state ignores it when comparing names, so it can't rescue a name that's already taken. Colorado, where the ending counts, is the exception, and each state's page says which rule applies there. The naming rules page covers each rule in detail.
What the state compares
The filing office reads your name the way the check does: it drops the LLC ending, "the", punctuation and spacing, often treats plurals as the same word, and compares what's left with the names on its register. If that core matches an existing company's core, the name isn't available, whatever the other company's type.
Words that hold up an LLC filing
Some words need permission from another agency before an LLC can use them. Banking, trust and insurance terms usually need the state regulator's approval; words like "university" need the education authority's; and professional terms can require a professional LLC owned by licensed members. The check flags the common ones, and each state's page lists its own.
After the search
When the core is free, you have two choices: file your articles of organization now, or reserve the name while you get ready. Either way, also search federal trademarks for the name and register the domain you'll use. The state pages list each state's filing office, fees and official search.
LLC name search by state
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- District of Columbia
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
How to check LLC name availability
- Type the LLC name you want, with or without the ending.
- Choose the state where you'll form the LLC.
- Fix anything the check flags: a missing LLC ending or a word that needs approval.
- Open the state's official search and look up the core of the name, without 'LLC'.
- If no existing name shares that core, reserve the name or file your articles of organization.
Common questions
Does my LLC name have to include 'LLC'?
Yes. Every state requires an LLC's name to show that it's a limited liability company, usually with 'Limited Liability Company', 'LLC' or 'L.L.C.'. Some states accept a few other forms, listed on each state page.
Can two LLCs have the same name in different states?
Yes. Each state checks names only against its own register, so an LLC in Ohio doesn't block the same name in Texas. Trademark rights are separate and can cross state lines.
Will adding 'LLC' make a taken name available?
Almost never. Most states ignore the ending when they compare names, so 'Blue Fox LLC' clashes with an existing 'Blue Fox Inc.'. Colorado is the exception we've confirmed: there the ending itself can make two names different. California compares an LLC's name only with other LLCs.
How long does an LLC name search take?
A few minutes: the check above shows what to search, and most state searches return results immediately. Approval itself comes when the state reviews your filing.
Does the LLC name check look at registered names?
For Colorado, Connecticut, New York, Oregon and Texas it does: those states release their business registers as open data, and the check lists the names on our copy that share your words. In the other states it links the official search, and in every state that search is the one that counts.
Is this an official state search?
No. It's an independent check that prepares the search and links the state's official one, where the result counts.