File the LLC
From $123.75 + state fee
The name becomes yours when the state accepts the articles. Four steps, the registered agent included if you want it, documents in your vault when it is done.
Form my LLCFree tool · 50 states + DC · updated 2026-09-08
Is my business name available? Check the official state records
Type the name, pick the state. We check it for the required LLC designator and for words that are often restricted, then open the state’s own search, prefilled where the state allows it. Availability is decided by the state in its records, not by us, and that is where you read the answer.
- Official search link for every state
- Designator and restricted-word check
- Nothing you type is stored or sent to us
51registries, one per state and DC, each deciding availability only for itself
3designators every state accepts: LLC, L.L.C., Limited Liability Company
0“Available” badges on this page. The state’s search is the only one that counts
How it works
Type the name and the state
The check runs in your browser. The name never leaves the page; we do not log it or sell it to a registrar.
Fix the form first
Missing designator, words that usually need approval, and anything else the state would bounce before it even reads the records.
Read the answer at the state
One button opens the official search, prefilled where the state’s URL allows it. If an account is required, we say so before you click.
What the state decides, and what this page checks
The state Availability
- Whether the name is distinguishable from entities already on that state’s records, by that state’s own standard.
- Whether a restricted word may be used, and what approval it needs.
- Whether a reservation is offered, for how long, and at what fee.
- The final word: a name is yours when the articles are accepted, not when a search comes back empty.
This page Form
- Is an LLC designator present: LLC, L.L.C., Limited Liability Company, or a form the state has published as accepted.
- Does the name contain a word that is often restricted: bank, trust, insurance, university, college, engineer, attorney. Educational flag; confirm with the state.
- Which agency holds the records, whether a login is needed, and the fastest route into its search.
- Reservation fee and term only where we have verified them against the state’s own source; otherwise a link to that source.
What this is. A free reference tool from Vermilion Vitez LLC, a filing-services company, not a law or accounting firm. Name availability is decided by each state’s own records; this tool checks form, not availability, and never says a name is free. Agency links, designators and reservation facts come from each state’s own site, with the verification date shown on every state page. Confirm at the official site before relying on them.
After the search
Three things that actually secure the name
A clean search is a snapshot. These make it stick.
Take the domain
Free to search
Registries and registrars never talk. A name that is open in the state can be gone online; check both before you print anything.
Open the domain finderName the registered agent
$74.25 / yr
Every state wants an in-state agent on the articles. Ours puts a staffed street address on the record and every notice in your dashboard.
See agent serviceFrequently asked questions
Does this tool tell me if my business name is available?
No, and no third-party tool can. Availability is decided by the state’s own records against its own distinguishability rules. This page checks the form of the name and opens the official search, prefilled where possible; the answer is read there.
Why does the name need “LLC” in it?
Every state requires an LLC’s legal name to carry a designator that tells the public what kind of entity it is. LLC, L.L.C. and Limited Liability Company are accepted everywhere; some states publish further accepted forms, and the state pages list them where we have verified the source.
Which words are restricted in a business name?
It varies by state, which is why this page flags rather than rules. Words that imply a regulated business or an institution, such as bank, trust, insurance, university, college, engineer or attorney, commonly need agency approval or a licence. Confirm with the state before filing a name that includes one.
Should I reserve the name or just file?
Most people file the articles straight away, since forming the LLC is what secures the name. Reserve when partners, funding or paperwork will take longer than the state’s reservation window. Where we have verified a state’s fee and term, the tool shows them with the source; otherwise it links to the state’s page.
Does a clean state search mean the name is safe to brand?
No. The state check covers entity names in that state only. Trademark rights are separate: search the USPTO database linked in the results, and consider a trademark attorney if the brand will matter beyond one state.
Is this legal advice?
No. Vermilion Vitez is a filing-services company, not a law firm. Everything here is educational, sourced reference information; the official state site or a professional is the final word.
Your state, on its own page
Each state page carries the agency, the direct official search, the designator rule, reservation facts where verified, and what the state asks for after the name. All states on one page.
Last step
Name checked? File it before someone else does.
The search tells you the name is open today. Only the accepted articles make it yours.
Or call (954) 470-8356 — we pick up.