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鈥檝e decided to form an LLC in Louisiana, one of the first things you鈥檒l 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.
Louisiana doesn鈥檛 allow two businesses in the state to register names that are the same or are not distinguishable from one another. It you file your LLC Articles of Organization with a name that鈥檚 too close to a business name already in use, your filing will be rejected. You鈥檒l 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.
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 :
Names must be distinguishable, but the Secretary of State doesn鈥檛 publish explicit rules about what is and isn鈥檛 distinguishable. If you鈥檙e not certain, you may have to contact the SOS office.
A Louisiana business name search is free, and it鈥檚 easy. You can do it at the :
You can get up to 250 results per search. 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鈥檚 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, Monday through Friday between 8:00 AM and 4:30 PM Central Time. Here are some tips for making best use of the search facility:
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:
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 web page, and it must be distinguishable from other business names. The fee is $75. This is a formal filing; Louisiana treats Trade Names like trademarks.
A DBA name is filed at the parish or county level. It does not have to be unique or even distinguishable, but it lets the public know that you are doing business under this name. Fees are lower than for a Trade Name. Contact the Parish or County Clerk to file a DBA name.
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.
If you鈥檙e not yet ready to file your LLC articles of organization, you can reserve the name so that no one else claims it. You do this at the page. The fee is $25, $30, or $50, depending on how quickly you want it. Reservations are valid for 120 days and cannot be renewed.
You don鈥檛 have to do this, but it from being used anywhere else in the United States.
Even if you won鈥檛 have a website right away, you may want one in the future. You don鈥檛 want anyone else to take the name you鈥檇 prefer. There are many online registrars that can do this for you.
Actually file your Louisiana Articles of Organization and Initial Report at the GeauBIZ site. The fee is $100.
Choosing the right name for your Louisiana LLC is a crucial step in establishing your business. By conducting a business entity search, 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.
You cannot file LLC Articles of Organization unless you use a distinguishable business, and the entity search ensures that you have one.
Search for the name at the聽.
The fee is $25 to $50, depending on expedition level.
Yes. Although a DBA name is not unique, it tells the public your company is doing business under this name.
They can be found at the聽.
You will have to choose another one. That鈥檚 why it鈥檚 good to have several names in mind as you begin your search.
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