Why do you need to do a business entity search?
In North Carolina, no two business entities can register the same name, so checking availability is one of the first things to do when you start your LLC in North Carolina.
If you file your LLC Articles of Organization before confirming the availability of your chosen name, the state may reject your entity filing.
Next, make sure that your LLC name complies with the North Carolina Secretary of State’s naming rules, which we’ll look at next.
North Carolina state naming guidelines
North Carolina State has naming rules you must follow when selecting your LLC name. Failure to follow them may cause your LLC formation application to be rejected.
North Carolina business name guidelines:
- Distinguishable: Your name must be distinguishable on the Secretary of State’s records from existing and reserved names. Designators such as “LLC” at the end of a name, and punctuation, spaces and articles, are ignored in that comparison.
- Required designators: Your LLC name must include “Limited Liability Company,” “Ltd. Liability Company,” “Limited Liability Co.,” “Ltd. Liability Co.,” “LLC” or “L.L.C.” (N.C.G.S. 55D-20).
- Restricted terminology: Some words need approval or proof of qualification, including Bank and Trust (Commissioner of Banks), Realtor, Architect, Certified Public Accountant, Engineer, Insurance, Pharmacy, Surveyor, Cooperative and Wholesale. Your name also can’t suggest the LLC is a different type of entity or has a purpose it isn’t allowed to have.
For further information on North Carolina business entity restricted wording, visit the North Carolina Secretary of State Feasibility of Name page.
Conducting a business name search in North Carolina: Step-by-step guide with tips
Searching by a business name is the most common way to use the North Carolina business entity search tool.
Like all state business entity search tools, there are specific procedures for correctly using North Carolina’s name search and tips for speeding up the process.
Helpful Tips:
How to use the North Carolina business name search tool:
- Search sees all letters as uppercase, so it doesn’t matter if you use lower, upper, or a combination.
- For names containing multiple words, begin your search using the first word.
- Do not add or remove spaces in the name you are searching for.
- Do not add any additional words to the name you are searching for.
- Do not use punctuation marks like commas, periods, or apostrophes.
- Do not use LLC identifiers.
Visit the North Carolina Business Search page
Start by visiting the North Carolina Secretary of State Business Search tool.
You can search in three ways:
- Starting with
- Exact
- SOSID (Secretary of State ID number)
Using the first drop-down menu, select “Company,” and the second, select “Starting With.”
Enter your desired name and click Search.
For my example, I’ll use Carolina Cleaning Services:
Reviewing the results
The results page will display any names identical and similar to your search query.
Carolina Cleaning Services shows several results. Choose the one closest to your search term and click on the name to see more information:
Filtering the results
The information page displays the following information about any business using your desired LLC name filed with the North Carolina State:
- Entity type
- State ID number
- Status
- Formation date
- Citizenship
- Annual report due date
- Annual report status
- Registered agent’s details
- Registered business address
- Company owner’s details
Fictitious name/DBA
A fictitious name or a (Doing Business As) is a name you can use other than your LLC name.
Non-registered structures, like sole proprietorships, can also use a fictitious name if their personal name doesn’t suit their niche and target audience.
An LLC might use a fictitious name if it needs a unique and creative name for its branding and marketing strategies.
To use a fictitious name in North Carolina, you must first confirm availability using the Assumed Business Name search option in the North Carolina Secretary of State Business Search tool.
You file your assumed name certificate by downloading the Assumed Business Name Certificate from the Secretary of State’s website and filing it with the Register of Deeds in a county where you do business.
The fee for registering a North Carolina DBA is $26.
Pro tip:
Assumed names filed since December 1, 2017 appear in the Secretary of State’s statewide database, so one search covers every county.
What can you do once you have an available business name?
Finding an available business name is the first step when starting a business in North Carolina. Once you have one, there are other actions you can take to secure it in your state, online, and nationally.
Consider name reservation
Entrepreneurs starting a business in North Carolina can reserve their desired entity name to prevent another company from using it while they form their LLC.
To reserve a name, you must confirm its availability with the North Carolina Secretary of State.
Once you confirm your name is available, complete the Application to Reserve a Business Entity Name (Form BE-03) and file it with the Secretary of State with the $10 filing fee. A reservation lasts 120 days and can’t be renewed. See our North Carolina LLC cost breakdown for all state fees.
Consider trademarking your name
Starting an LLC and registering its name with the North Carolina Secretary of State only stops other NC entities from using it.
Trademarking your business name stops other companies from using it in the U.S. Another reason you should trademark your name is to check that another company hasn’t already registered it, which could lead to trademark infringement if you were to use it.
Visit the United States Patent and Trademark Office website to confirm your chosen name is available and register it for your business.
Consider domain registration
Most businesses need a website to establish their online brand presence, and domain registration is a crucial part of that process.
Your domain is how your prospects will find your business, so it should be the same as or similar to your LLC’s registered name.
If the .com TLD isn’t available, you can use an alternative TLD like .co or .net.
Use a name-checking tool like GoDaddy to search for available domain names, or register your domain name with us.
Conclusion
Doing a business entity name search in North Carolina is your first step in forming an LLC in NC. Once you confirm availability, you must complete your Articles of Organization and file them with the Secretary of State’s office. Once you are done filing, you can verify an LLC by doing the search again with your chosen name.
Also, consider trademarking your name to secure it nationally and buying your domain to create your online branding presence and attract future customers.
FAQ
You can’t form your North Carolina LLC using a name registered by another entity; you must do a business entity search to confirm that your desired name is available.
Use the North Carolina Secretary of State Business Search tool to confirm your name is available.
It costs $10 to reserve your LLC name in North Carolina. The reservation lasts 120 days and can’t be renewed.
All businesses that want to use an assumed business name in North Carolina must register it with their county Register of Deeds office and pay the $26 filing fee.
Your North Carolina LLC name must be distinguishable from other names on file, include an approved designator such as “LLC,” and get approval before using restricted words such as Bank, Trust or Engineer.