How To Do a Business Entity Search

When you start an LLC in Florida, you must ensure your chosen business name is available and complies with the Florida naming rules; otherwise, the state might reject your application. 

You confirm your name’s availability by searching for a business name entity on the Florida Division of Corporations (Sunbiz) website. 

As for complying with the naming rules, I’ll walk you through those in this post and tell you what to do after registering your new LLC name to ensure you protect it online. 

Why do you need to do a business entity search?

Before you register your Florida LLC, you need to conduct a state business entity search to confirm your name is not registered by another entity.

A business entity search, or LLC check, also provides specific information about existing Florida entities, including LLCs, corporations, limited partnerships, non-profits, and organizations.

Florida state naming guidelines

Your new business name must comply with the following Florida LLC naming requirements:

• Availability: Your first step is to search the Florida Division of Corporations (Sunbiz) website to confirm that the name isn’t already registered in Florida and is distinguishable from other names on record.
• Required ending: Your LLC name must include “Limited Liability Company,” “LLC,” or “L.L.C.” (F.S. 605.0112).
• Your LLC cannot mislead: Your LLC name can’t state or imply a connection with a state or federal government agency (F.S. 605.0112). Words like “bank” or “insurance” are restricted by other Florida laws.
• Authorized purpose: The name can’t imply a purpose your LLC isn’t authorized for.

Those are the Florida naming guidelines. Next, we’ll learn how to use the Florida Department of State Business Entity Search website.

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

The following tips can simplify your experience when using the Florida Department of State website to search for a business name and ensure you find what you’re looking for.

Those include:

• The name search tool isn’t case-sensitive; all letters are uppercase.
• Leave out suffixes like LLC when you search.
• Do not add or remove spaces to the business name you are searching for.
• You can broaden your search by using single search keywords. For example, if your chosen name has three words, begin by entering the first word and searching, then the first two and searching, then all three.
• Registered names with punctuation marks will be displayed without them in the search results.
• When searching for a Florida LLC by its 12-character document number, enter the full document number.

Now you’re ready to use the Florida Division of Corporations (Sunbiz) Business Entity Search tool:

Florida department of state division of corporations

To search for a business, visit the Division of Corporations’ website and select “Name.”

Enter the entity name

Type your desired business name into the entity name search bar and click Search Now. 

For example, I’ll use the name “Florida Extreme Fitness.”

Pro tip:

The search works best when you enter part of the name you’re looking for.

For instance, if you want to use Florida Extreme Fitness LLC, begin with “Florida Extreme,” which broadens the search and shows similar names.

Review the results

If your name (or something similar) is already registered, it will show on the results page; if the exact name appears, it isn’t available for use; if the search shows no names, your chosen name is available.

My example shows several similar names and one exact match. 

Next, click on the name most similar to your desired business name, which will bring you to the “Detail by Entity Name” page:

Here, you will find detailed information about the company using your chosen business name, including:

• Entity name: The registered business name.
• Entity document number: The 12-character document number (a letter followed by numbers, for example L24000123456) issued by the Florida Division of Corporations.
• FEI/EIN: The business’s Federal Employer Identification Number.
• Formation date: Date of filing with the Florida State Department.
• Status: Active or inactive.
• Principal address: The business physical address.
• Mailing address: The business’s official mailing address for receiving Florida state legal documents.
• Registered agent: The LLC’s designated registered agent’s name, address, and contact details.

Active and Inactive:

You will also see the business statuses, which include:

• Active: The business status is active, and the name is in use.
• Inactive: The business status is non-active, and the name is available.
• Inactive/UA: The business status is non-active, and the name will be available after a specific time. Inactive/UA names are held for 120 days after a voluntary dissolution, or 1 year after an administrative dissolution or revocation.

Using a DBA

A Doing Business As (also known as a fictitious name) is a name you can use other than your LLC legal name. If you want to operate under a different name, you’ll need to file DBA in Florida.

This is done on the Florida Division of Corporations (Sunbiz) website, where you will also need to conduct a name search to ensure it’s available.

To register a DBA, visit the Florida Fictitious Name Registration page, complete the online form, and pay the $50 fee. Fictitious names are valid for 5 years and expire December 31 of the fifth year. Before you file, you must advertise the name once in a newspaper in your county (F.S. 865.09).

What Can You Do Once You Have a Name?

Once you confirm your name is available in Florida State, the following steps can stop other businesses from using it online and nationwide.

Consider name reservation

Florida lets you reserve an LLC name for a nonrenewable 120 days (F.S. 605.01125) by sending a signed letter to the Division of Corporations. The fee is $25. 

Registering your desired name when you form your LLC in Florida also secures it.

Consider trademarking your name

You can trademark your new name with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to stop other businesses from using it in the U.S. First, you must search the trademark search tool to ensure it’s available and to confirm you’re not registering a name in Florida that’s already trademarked. A name can be available on Sunbiz but still infringe a trademark, especially if it’s similar to a household brand like Amazon, Apple, or Tesla.

Consider domain registration

Registering a domain name that is the same as or similar to your chosen Florida LLC’s name is crucial for creating an online presence and brand identity. 

Use a domain registration site like GoDaddy or Network Solutions to confirm your domain is available as a .com. If it isn’t, you can use a different Top-Level Domain (TLD), like a location domain or a net, org, or biz.

Conclusion

Choosing and checking your name is the first step in forming an LLC. 

Next, ensure it’s available as a domain and consider registering it as a trademark. Once you have those, you can create your brand to ensure your target audience sees and connects with your new business.

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