The three searches, and what each one checks
People searching “hawaii trademark search” or “north carolina secretary of state trademark search” often land on an LLC name search. That tool answers a different question. Run all three layers before a name goes on a sign, a domain or a filing.
1. State entity name search
Checks: whether the name is distinguishable from the LLCs, corporations and other entities on that state’s records.
Does not check: trademark registers, federal marks or unregistered use.
2. State trademark register
Checks: marks registered with that state’s trademark office.
Does not check: other states’ registers, the USPTO, or marks nobody registered. State table below
3. USPTO federal search
Checks: federal trademark applications and registrations in the USPTO Trademark Search system.
Does not check: state registers or unregistered use. tmsearch.uspto.gov
State trademark registers
Each row links the state agency page we opened on October 30, 2026. Where the link goes to an online search, the label says so. Otherwise it is the agency’s trademark page, which describes how that state handles registrations and searches.
| State | Agency | Official page |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Secretary of State, Lands and Trademarks | Agency page www.sos.alabama.gov/administrative-services/trademarks |
| Alaska | Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development, Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing | Online search www.commerce.alaska.gov/cbp/main/search/trademarks $50.00 per class (state page, Oct 30, 2026) |
| Arizona | Arizona Secretary of State | Agency page apps.azsos.gov/apps/tntp/se.html |
| Arkansas | Secretary of State, Business and Commercial Services | Online search portal.arkansas.gov/service/ar-registered-trademark-search |
| California | Secretary of State | Online search tmbizfile.sos.ca.gov/Search |
| Colorado | Colorado Secretary of State | Agency page www.sos.state.co.us/pubs/business/FAQs/trademarks.html |
| Connecticut | Secretary of the State, Business Services | Agency page business.ct.gov/knowledge-base/articles/trademarks |
| Delaware | Department of State, Division of Corporations | Agency page corp.delaware.gov/trademark/ |
| Florida | Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations (Sunbiz) | Online search search.sunbiz.org/Inquiry/CorporationSearch/ByTrademark |
| Georgia | Georgia Secretary of State, Corporations Division | Online search ecorp.sos.ga.gov/TrademarksSearch |
| Hawaii | DCCA, Business Registration Division | Division home page cca.hawaii.gov/breg/ |
| Idaho | Idaho Secretary of State (SOSBiz) | Online search sosbiz.idaho.gov/search/trademark |
| Illinois | Illinois Secretary of State, Business Services (Trademark/Servicemark section) | Online search portal.ilsos.gov/trademarksearch.html |
| Indiana | Secretary of State (filed through INBiz) | Agency page inbiz.in.gov/business-filings/trademarks |
| Iowa | Iowa Secretary of State | Online search sos.iowa.gov/search/trademark/TrademarkSearch |
| Kansas | Secretary of State | Agency page sos.ks.gov/general-services/trademark.html |
| Kentucky | Secretary of State | Online search web.sos.ky.gov/ofx/tmsearch |
| Maine | Secretary of State, Corporations, Elections and Commissions | Agency page www.maine.gov/sos/corporations-commissions/maine-marks-information |
| Maryland | Secretary of State | Agency page sos.maryland.gov/Pages/Trademarks/Trademarks.aspx |
| Michigan | LARA, Corporations Division | Agency page www.michigan.gov/en/lara/bureau-list/cscl/corps/marks |
| Mississippi | Mississippi Secretary of State | Agency page www.sos.ms.gov/business-services-external-affairs/trademarks |
| Missouri | Secretary of State | Agency page www.sos.mo.gov/business/trademark |
| Nebraska | Secretary of State | Online search www.nebraska.gov/sos/corp/corpsearch.cgi |
| Nevada | Secretary of State | Agency page www.nvsos.gov/sos/businesses/trademarks |
| New Jersey | Department of the Treasury, Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services | Online search www.njportal.com/DOR/businessrecords/ |
| New Mexico | Secretary of State | Agency page www.sos.nm.gov/commercial-services/trademarks/ |
| New York | New York State Department of State, Division of Corporations, State Records and UCC (State Records) | Agency page dos.ny.gov/application-register-trademark $50 per class (state page, Oct 30, 2026) |
| North Carolina | Secretary of State | Agency page sosnc.gov/divisions/trademarks |
| North Dakota | North Dakota Secretary of State (FirstStop) | Online search firststop.sos.nd.gov/search/trademark |
| Oregon | Secretary of State | Agency page sos.oregon.gov/business/register/pages/business-names-and-trademarks.aspx |
| Rhode Island | Secretary of State, Business Services | Agency page www.sos.ri.gov/divisions/business-services/trademark-servicemark |
| South Carolina | Secretary of State | Agency page www.sos.sc.gov/index.php/services-and-filings/trademarks |
| South Dakota | Secretary of State | Agency page sdsos.gov/business-services/trademark-name-registration/ |
| Tennessee | Secretary of State | Agency page sos.tn.gov/businesses/guides/apply-for-a-trademark |
| Texas | Secretary of State | Agency page www.sos.texas.gov/corp/tradepatents.shtml |
| West Virginia | Secretary of State | Agency page sos.wv.gov/register-trademark-or-service-mark |
| Wisconsin | Department of Financial Institutions | Online search dfi.wi.gov/Pages/BusinessServices/Trademarks/SearchRegisteredTrademarks.aspx |
| Wyoming | Secretary of State | Online search trademarks.wyo.gov/ |
No listed state matches that filter.
We list a state only after opening its official page. Not listed yet: District of Columbia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington. For those, check the Secretary of State or business-registration agency’s own site.
USPTO facts
- The search tool. The USPTO’s federal search is called the Trademark Search system, at tmsearch.uspto.gov. The USPTO search page also links a “Transitioning from TESS” handout.
- TM and SM. The USPTO says you can use “TM” for goods or “SM” for services even if you haven’t filed an application to register.
- The ® symbol. The USPTO says to use the ® once you register your trademark with it, and only for the goods or services listed.
- What it registers. The USPTO describes federal registration as creating nationwide rights. It says it only registers trademarks, and that many states and local jurisdictions register business names.
State mark or federal mark: the geographic difference
The USPTO says unregistered rights “only apply to the geographic area in which you’re providing your goods or services,” and that registering with the USPTO creates nationwide rights. State agency pages describe their own registrations as covering that state. Check your state’s page above for its own wording.
This article is for educational and informational purposes only and does not provide legal advice. Vermilion Vitez is a filing-services company, not a law firm. For a trademark opinion, talk to a licensed attorney.
Common Questions
Is a state trademark search the same as an LLC name search?
No. An LLC name search checks the state’s entity records to see whether a business name is distinguishable from the entities already there. A state trademark search looks at a separate register of marks, kept by a different office in some states. Neither one searches the federal register at the USPTO.
Does registering my LLC name protect it as a trademark?
Registering an entity puts the name on the state’s business records. The USPTO says that many states and local jurisdictions register business names and that the USPTO only registers trademarks. A trademark is registered separately, at the state trademark office, at the USPTO, or both.
How much does a USPTO trademark application cost?
The USPTO base application fee is $350 per class, effective January 18, 2025. It replaced the older TEAS Plus ($250) and TEAS Standard ($350) fees. Surcharges apply: $100 per class for insufficient information, $200 per class for free-form text instead of the ID Manual, and $200 per class for each additional 1,000 characters.
Can I register a trademark in my state only?
Many states keep their own trademark register, and the table above links the state agency pages we have verified. The USPTO says unregistered trademark rights only apply to the geographic area where you provide your goods or services, and that federal registration creates nationwide rights. Each state agency page states its own rules and fees.
What does “distinguishable on the record” mean?
It is the standard a state entity search applies. The name has to differ enough from the names already on that state’s entity records to be accepted for filing. It does not compare the name with trademark registers, so a name can pass it and still conflict with a registered mark.
What do TM, SM and the circle-R symbol mean?
The USPTO says you can use “TM” for goods or “SM” for services even if you have not filed an application. It says to use the ® symbol once you register your trademark with the USPTO, and only for the goods or services listed in the registration.
What is the USPTO search tool called now?
The USPTO calls it the Trademark Search system, at tmsearch.uspto.gov. The USPTO search page also links a “Transitioning from TESS” handout, so older guides that point to TESS describe the previous tool.
Sources
- USPTO, Trademark Search system
- USPTO, Trademark searching
- USPTO, Summary of 2025 trademark fee changes
- USPTO, What is a trademark?
- USPTO, Trademark process
- Vermilion Vitez, LLC name search by state
- Alabama, Secretary of State, Lands and Trademarks
- Alaska, Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development, Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing
- Arizona, Arizona Secretary of State
- Arkansas, Secretary of State, Business and Commercial Services
- California, Secretary of State
- Colorado, Colorado Secretary of State
- Connecticut, Secretary of the State, Business Services
- Delaware, Department of State, Division of Corporations
- Florida, Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations (Sunbiz)
- Georgia, Georgia Secretary of State, Corporations Division
- Hawaii, DCCA, Business Registration Division
- Idaho, Idaho Secretary of State (SOSBiz)
- Illinois, Illinois Secretary of State, Business Services (Trademark/Servicemark section)
- Indiana, Secretary of State (filed through INBiz)
- Iowa, Iowa Secretary of State
- Kansas, Secretary of State
- Kentucky, Secretary of State
- Maine, Secretary of State, Corporations, Elections and Commissions
- Maryland, Secretary of State
- Michigan, LARA, Corporations Division
- Mississippi, Mississippi Secretary of State
- Missouri, Secretary of State
- Nebraska, Secretary of State
- Nevada, Secretary of State
- New Jersey, Department of the Treasury, Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services
- New Mexico, Secretary of State
- New York, New York State Department of State, Division of Corporations, State Records and UCC (State Records)
- North Carolina, Secretary of State
- North Dakota, North Dakota Secretary of State (FirstStop)
- Oregon, Secretary of State
- Rhode Island, Secretary of State, Business Services
- South Carolina, Secretary of State
- South Dakota, Secretary of State
- Tennessee, Secretary of State
- Texas, Secretary of State
- West Virginia, Secretary of State
- Wisconsin, Department of Financial Institutions
- Wyoming, Secretary of State