Free LLC Name Search

Is my business name taken?

Before registering an LLC, a name will have to be searched to see if it is available.  Every LLC has to have a name that no other registered businesses are using.  Most states allow for the reservation of a name before filing the LLC paperwork for a small fee.  Before paying to reserve a business name, check to see if the business name is available first.  Below are links to each state’s business entity database so you can do your own free LLC name search.

How long does it take to get an EIN

Getting an EIN (Employer Identification Number) for your LLC is pretty easy and only takes about five minutes when registering online.  If you choose to mail in the SS-4 form, expect 4-5 weeks. When filing directly through the IRS, the EIN costs nothing to get. See how to get an EIN number in about 5 minutes!

LLC Name Search

Learn how to properly search business name availability for a Limited Liability Company (LLC) or corporation in each state through their business name database.  Click on the state below to see how.

Alabama  Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia 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 Mexico 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

Be sure to check your Secretary of State website for your LLC’s entity name availability before filing. Nothing is more frustrating than filing out all your Limited Liability Company formation paperwork, paying an attorney or LLC service, only to find out that your first choice name for your company has been taken.

If you have narrowed down your search for a business name, also check if the domain name is also available as a domain name that is the same as the business can be hard to find.

Last, before settling on a name, check the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to verify the name you want isn’t already registered to another business.  Even if the name is available through the state, this doesn’t check to see if someone else already has trademark rights to the name.  Additionally someone could have a registered trademark, but operating under a fictitious name, which isn’t easy to research registration.

State law says that the entity name cannot be identical or “confusingly similar” to the name of any other LLC, Limited Partnership, or Corporation in your state.

More specifics can be found regarding the requirements of naming an LLC.