Business Entity Search in Louisiana and How to Choose an LLC Name

There are a number of good reasons that entrepreneurs who start a new business in Louisiana choose to form a limited liability company. Once you’ve decided to form an LLC in Louisiana, one of the first things you’ll have to do is choose a business name. Your name should be easy to remember. It can tell the public what it is that you do. It also has to conform to state LLC naming regulations. A key rule is that it must be distinguishable from existing Louisiana business names.

Why do you need to do a business entity search when starting an LLC?

Louisiana doesn’t allow two businesses in the state to register names that are the same or are not distinguishable from one another. If you file your LLC Articles of Organization with a name that’s too close to a business name already in use, your filing will be rejected. You’ll have to come up with a new name and file again.

If you do a Google search with your potential name, you may be able to figure out whether the name you want is available. However, the best way to ensure your name is acceptable is to do a business entity search at the Louisiana Secretary of State website.

State naming guidelines

Before you choose a name and begin a business entity search, you should review the detailed Louisiana naming guidelines to ensure that the name you want is permissible in the state. Here are some of the key points from the guidelines document:

• You may not use a name that could lead people to believe that your business is a government agency.
• You may not use a name that implies that your LLC is something different from what you describe in your Articles of Organization.
• You may not use a name that implies an illegal activity.
• You may not use words that are immoral or scandalous.
• Bank, banking, trust, savings, homestead, credit union and similar words need written approval from the Office of Financial Institutions. Engineer, surveying and architect need advance notice to (or a waiver from) the relevant state board.
• You may not use the word “insurance” unless the company is an independent insurance agency or brokerage.
• No LLC may include the words “doing business as” or “d/b/a,” and an LLC name shouldn’t include corporate terms such as Inc. or Corp.
• Every LLC name must end with “limited liability company,” “L.L.C.” or “L.C.” (the Secretary of State also accepts “LLC”). Most companies choose LLC.

Names must be distinguishable, but the Secretary of State doesn’t publish explicit rules about what is and isn’t distinguishable. If you’re not certain, you may have to contact the SOS office.

Conducting a business name search in Louisiana – step by step guide with tips

A Louisiana business name search is free, and it’s easy. You can do it at the Search for Louisiana Business Filings web page:

Select Search by Entity Name as the Search type.

Select Search by Entity Name as the Search type.

Click the Search button.

If there are no results, your chosen name is likely to be available. If there are results, the name may not be available if some results are similar. For example, if your potential name is Acme Enterprises, LLC, and you see that there’s a business called Acme Enterprise, the name is not available. For a final determination in a specific case, you can call the Louisiana Secretary of State office at 225-925-4704. Here are some tips for making best use of the search facility:

• Have several names in mind before you begin to search.
• Do not include the word LLC in your search. You also need to know about companies that aren’t LLCs.
• Use several variations of the name. In particular, use only part of the words in your name. For example, if you want the name “Acme Enterprises,” search with only the word “Acme.”
• Leave out special characters such as commas, periods, and apostrophes.
• Don’t worry about case. You can search with either upper- or lower-case letters.

Even if a Louisiana entity search does not turn up a name similar to yours, there are a couple more steps you should take before you proceed:

• Search for a trademark similar to your name. Trademarks are at the federal level, and you run the risk of committing an infringement if you use a name that is trademarked. There is a trademark search tool with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
• Search for a domain name similar to your name. You’ll probably want your company name and website name to be the same or similar, and if someone already has the domain name, you won’t be able to do that. Use a domain search tool such as GoDaddy.

Alternate Business Names

Some companies do business under names other than the name registered with the state. You might want this if your business focus has changed, you started a new division with a new purpose, or you want a name that includes the town or city of your new branch. In Louisiana, you can accomplish this by using a Trade Name, a Doing Business As name, or both.

A Trade Name is filed with the Secretary of State at the geauxBIZ web page, and it must be distinguishable from other business names. The fee is $95 (since October 1, 2026). Registrations last 10 years and can be renewed.

A DBA name, or assumed name certificate, is filed with the parish clerk of court (the register of conveyances in Orleans Parish). It’s required if you do business under a name other than your real name (R.S. 51:281). It lets the public know that you are doing business under this name. Fees vary by parish.

What can you do once you have a name that is available?

You can start by congratulating yourself on having successfully chosen a name, but there are several steps to take to make sure the name remains yours.

Reserve the name.

If you’re not yet ready to file your LLC articles of organization, you can reserve the name so that no one else claims it. Reserve it online through geauxBIZ or by mail with the name reservation form (Form 398). The fee is $25, plus an optional expedite fee ($35 for 24-hour or $60 for priority processing). Reservations last 120 days and can’t be renewed.

Trademark your name at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

You don’t have to do this, but it protects your name from being used anywhere else in the United States.

Register a domain name.

Even if you won’t have a website right away, you may want one in the future. You don’t want anyone else to take the name you’d prefer. There are many online registrars that can do this for you.

File your Articles of Organization.

Actually file your Louisiana Articles of Organization and Initial Report at the geauxBIZ site. The fee is $125.

Conclusion

Choosing the right name for your Louisiana LLC is a crucial step in establishing your business. By conducting an LLC lookup you can avoid potential delays and legal issues. The process might seem complicated, but it ensures that your business name is unique and compliant with Louisiana’s regulations.

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