Your Guide to Doing a Business Name Search in Alabama

Choosing a name for your new business is a decision that will have a big impact on your branding and marketing. However, even if you’ve found the perfect name, naming a business isn’t quite as simple as just declaring what you want to call it.

Before you register your business, one of the steps to start an LLC in Alabama is to make sure that the name you want is available and meets the right requirements. To help guide you through this process, here is everything you need to know about conducting a business name search in Alabama and choosing a name for your LLC.

Why do you need to do a business entity search?

The name you choose for your business needs to be unique and distinguishable from any other business in the state. Not only is this important for branding purposes, but it’s actually a legal requirement when naming an LLC in Alabama.

By conducting a Secretary of State business search of the name you are considering, you can check whether any other Alabama businesses are already using it. You can use the LLC lookup website to also check for variations or similar names as well to make sure there aren’t any that too closely resemble the name you’ve chosen.

Alabama state naming guidelines

There are only a few guidelines you need to follow when naming an LLC in Alabama, but they are all important. To register your LLC with the state, its name will need to meet the following criteria:

• Unique and distinguishable: The business name must be unique and not an exact match or too similar to any existing business in Alabama.
• Inclusion of required words: The name must include the words “Limited Liability Company” or the abbreviation “L.L.C.” or “LLC.” Professional LLCs may use “PLLC.”
• Restricted words: Names that include “Bank,” “Trust,” “Insurance,” or “Engineer” need a letter of approval from the governing state agency, and names that include “Architect” need an Alabama architect license. You also can’t use words that suggest a different type of entity, such as “Corporation,” or a government affiliation.
• No misleading information: Your business name should not imply a purpose that is different from what is stated in its Certificate of Formation. For example, naming your business “Henry’s Automotive Repair” when its stated purpose is landscaping services would not be allowed.

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

Once you’ve come up with a name you would like to use for your Alabama LLC, the next thing you need to do is conduct a business name search to confirm that it’s available. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to do this:

Search the Alabama business name database

The Alabama Secretary of State provides a business name database that can be found at this link. This database includes information on all business entities registered in the state, and it offers several ways to narrow your search:

• Business name: This is the most common search method, and it allows you to confirm that your business name is unique by searching it and its variations.
• Entity type: You can limit results to a specific type of entity, such as domestic or foreign LLCs.
• Place of formation: You can filter by the Alabama county (or state) where the entity was formed.

Trade names (DBAs) aren’t included in the business entity database. To check whether someone has registered your name as a trade name, use the Secretary of State’s separate trademark and trade name records.

Tips for conducting a business entity search

To make the most of the Alabama business name database and ensure you are able to find any businesses that might be using names similar to yours, here are a few important tips to follow:

• Use keywords: Search for different keywords and their variations to locate businesses with names that are similar to the one you’ve chosen.
• Check plurals and synonyms: Look for plural forms or synonyms of your desired name to ensure no similar names exist.
• Consider misspellings: Check for common misspellings or alternate spellings of the name you’re considering.

Reviewing the results

If a business shows up in the search results that you would like to learn more about, you can access a lot of helpful information by simply clicking on the business name or entity ID. This will allow you to check things like the business’s status, its formation date, the nature of the business, and more.

What can you do once you have an available business name?

Once you’ve chosen a name you’d like to use for your Alabama LLC and confirmed that it’s available, there are a few different steps you can take to secure it. In Alabama, reserving your name is required before you file your Certificate of Formation. A name reservation lasts 1 year and costs $25 by mail or $28 online through the Secretary of State.

You may also want to consider trademarking your business name for additional protection. You can file for a trademark at the state level through the Alabama Secretary of State or at the federal level through the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Trademarking helps protect your brand identity both within your industry and potentially nationwide.

Lastly, think about going ahead and purchasing a domain name for your business. If you plan to create a website for the business now or in the future, purchasing the domain name you’d like to use ahead of time is always a good idea.

Conclusion

Naming your LLC (and conducting a business entity search to confirm that the name is available) is a key first step to getting your business up and running. If you would like help with this process and all of the other steps required to form an LLC in Alabama, be sure to check out Tailor Brands’ LLC formation packages. Or, to learn more about how Tailor Brands can help you form your Alabama LLC, feel free to contact us today!

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