How to Do a Business Entity Search in Washington and Choose a Name for Your LLC

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

The Evergreen State has naming guidelines you must follow when applying to register your Washington LLC name, either by reserving it or when you file your LLC Certificate of Formation.

Washington naming requirements:

• Distinguishable: Your name must be distinguishable from the names of active entities, and reserved or registered names, on the Washington Secretary of State’s records. Adding “LLC”, punctuation or a plural doesn’t make a name distinguishable (RCW 23.95.300).
• Specific inclusions: Your name must include “limited liability company”, “limited liability co.”, “L.L.C.” or “LLC” (RCW 23.95.305).
• Prohibited words/phrases: Your name cannot include phrases or words showing affiliation with a government department.
• Restricted words: Your name can’t suggest the LLC is organized for a purpose it isn’t allowed to have (RCW 23.95.300(4)), and words such as “bank” or “insurance” are limited by other state laws.

Conducting a business name search in Washington: step-by-step guide with tips

You conduct a business name search using the Washington SOS website, which records all registered business filings in the Evergreen State.  

While the business name search website is easy to navigate, there are tips for conducting a thorough search. 

Those include:

• For the best research results, begin your search using one word. If your desired business name contains more than one word, add any additional ones if your first search returns zero results.
• The search tool doesn’t recognize upper and lower cases, so it doesn’t matter which one you use.
• Do not include any spaces that do not exist in your desired business name.
• Leave out LLC designators and punctuation marks.

Search options

Washington State’s corporation website has two entity search options:

• Basic search: The basic search option allows you to search using a business name or a UBI (Unified Business Identifier), a number given to registered entities by Washington state.
• Advanced search: The advanced search option enables you to search for an available name using additional criteria that help narrow your search and minimize the results.

Using the basic search option, the entity search page has 4 categories:

• Corporation Search
• UBI Number
• Charity/Fundraiser/Trust Search
• Trademark Search

Using this link, navigate to the Corporation Search page, select contains, enter your desired name, and click search.

For our example, I will use the name Speedy Locksmiths:

Reviewing the results

The results page will display any names matching or similar to your research query.

Select the one closest to your desired name and click on it for additional information.

Additional information

Here, you will see your chosen name’s business information, including:

• The business name
• Business Type
• Principal Office
• Formation date
• Expiry date
• UBI number
• Business status
• Principal mailing address
• Jurisdiction
• Period of duration
• Nature of business

Using the advanced search, you can also view the details of the business’s registered agents and request further information. 

However, if your desired name appears in the search results and is active, then it isn’t available, and you will need to choose a different name. 

Fictitious name/DBA/assumed name

All separate entities (LLCs, Corporations, and Limited partnerships) can use a fictitious name (Doing Business As) instead of their registered name for branding and marketing purposes.  

Before you register a trade name (Washington’s term for a DBA), check that it isn’t already in use with the Washington state DBA search.

Once you confirm availability, you file your DBA by completing the Business License Application online.

You can also mail the completed form to:

• Washington Department of Revenue
• Business Licensing Service
• PO Box 9034
• Olympia, WA 98507-9034

What can you do once you have an available name?

Once you’ve confirmed your LLC name’s availability, you can take further steps to secure it in Washington State, nationally, and online.

Consider name reservation

Suppose you need more time to be ready to file your LLC Certificate of Formation but want to secure your chosen LLC name.

You can reserve your LLC name in Washington by filing a Name Reservation form with the Secretary of State, completing the name reservation form, and paying the $30 fee. A reservation lasts 180 days and can’t be renewed. It’s filed by mail or in person only.

Consider trademarking your name

You can also trademark your name to stop other businesses from using it in Washington and nationwide.

Search the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) database search tool to confirm that your name is available and that no other business has already registered it. If they have, you can’t use it without risking trademark infringement. 

Consider domain registration

Lastly, perform a domain search to see if your chosen name is available for your website and online branding and marketing strategies. 

Search for domains using a domain check and registration website like GoDaddy. If the .com extension isn’t available, consider another extension such as .co or .net.

Conclusion

Now that you know how to do a business entity search in Washington, you can take the first step toward registering an LLC in Washington.

If you find your desired name isn’t available, don’t worry, there are many ways to come up with a great business name, especially one that works brilliantly as a domain!

If filing your Certificate of Formation, hiring a registered agent, registering a trademark, and buying a domain sound like hard work, check out an LLC formation service, which can do all those for you.

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