New Jersey LLC Name Search
To conduct a New Jersey LLC name search, you’ll need to visit the Division of Revenue & Enterprise Services website and use the Business Name Search tool. This will allow you to compare your desired name against all actively registered business names in the state and determine whether it is available to use.
Found the perfect name? Make sure it’s available as a web domain and secure it today with GoDaddy.
New Jersey LLC Name Search Quick Summary
- You can check if your desired New Jersey LLC name is available by conducting a Business Entity Name Search on the Division of Revenue & Enterprise Services website.
- This will show you all actively registered business names in the state, allowing you to confirm whether your desired name is already taken by an active business.
- To start, you will need to enter your desired name into the Business Name field and click Search.
- Remember to exclude identifiers like “LLC” from your search and use the “%” wildcard symbol to avoid missing any relevant results.
- Keep in mind that New Jersey does not consider changes to punctuation, spacing, capitalization, or spelling as sufficient to make a name distinguishable.
- It is also recommended that you search the USPTO trademark database to ensure your desired name is not already registered as a federal trademark.
Check LLC Name Availability in New Jersey
1. Do a New Jersey Business Name Search
You can use the New Jersey Business Entity Search to check the availability of your desired name.
To perform the most effective search, type in the name you would like to use, excluding identifiers like “LLC.” This will return all entities using the same or similar names. If your business name is several words, you can even search just the first two words to ensure you pull up all possible similar names.
Be sure to conduct a thorough search before completing your paperwork to avoid rejection.
2. Search Available Domain Names
Another important consideration to make when selecting a business name is whether or not your desired web domain name is available.
Having a URL that clearly matches your business name is important. This seemingly small step can make a big difference in how prospective customers find your business.
The best way to determine if your desired URL is available is to search for it online using your preferred domain registry, such as GoDaddy.
3. Follow New Jersey Naming Guidelines
These are the guidelines as set forth by the state of New Jersey for naming an LLC.
Business Entity Identifier
When naming your business in New Jersey, it’s important to include a business entity identifier to indicate the type of entity you are forming. For a limited liability company (LLC), your business name must contain one of the following:
- “Limited Liability Company”
- “LLC”
- “L.L.C.”
You can also use the abbreviations “Ltd.” and “Co.” For example, a valid business name could be “ABC Plumbing Ltd.”
Distinguishability
New Jersey law requires that your business name be distinguishable from any other active business name or reserved name in the state.
This means your name should not be too similar to existing business names to avoid confusion among consumers.
Conducting a thorough search of existing business names is recommended to ensure your proposed name is unique and distinguishable.
Acceptable Words/Terms
When selecting a business name, be cautious not to include words or terms that falsely imply a connection to a regulated industry for which you do not have the necessary authority to operate. Examples of such terms include “bank,” “university,” “insurance,” and “police.”
Using these terms in your business name without proper authorization may mislead customers and violate New Jersey regulations.
Not sure what to name your business? Check out our LLC Name Generator.
Registering Your New Jersey Business Name
Whether you’re prepared to launch your LLC or still in the planning phase, the next step is to secure your business name.
Register Your New Jersey LLC
Registering your LLC name in New Jersey is a relatively straightforward task. Your business name becomes officially registered when you file the New Jersey Certificate of Formation. This critical document marks the formal establishment of your business in the state.
The New Jersey Division of Revenue’s website provides detailed instructions on how to fill out the form and pay the necessary state filing fee.
Form an LLC
If you’ve verified your domain name and are good to go, we recommend using a professional LLC formation service like ZenBusiness ($0+ State Fees).
Reserve Your New Jersey Business Entity Name
The New Jersey Department of the Treasury, Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services handles all LLC naming questions and requests. Business names can be reserved for 120 days for domestic entities. Foreign entities will have names reserved until the end of the calendar year. If you have yet to form your business entity using the reserved name when the business name reservation expires, you may renew the name reservation.
When reserving your name, you will have to pay a filing fee. You can file either online or by mail, each option has its own advantages.
After choosing a name for your LLC, take the next step and create a unique logo with our Free Logo Generator.
New Jersey Name Reservation
File Online with the State of New Jersey
File Online– OR –
File by Mail
Download PDFThe fee is $50 by mail or online and cheques must be made out to the “Treasurer, State of New Jersey.” For expedited services add $25.
Mail to:
NJ Division of Revenue,
PO Box 308, Trenton, NJ 08646
Other Considerations
While reserving the name for your LLC is straightforward, there are some other things you should think about when choosing the best name for your business. You may want to do a Trademark and Social Media search for your name to see if it’s available for use across the internet. This will help ensure you have full, unrestricted use of your business name.
Trademark Search
Conducting a trademark search of your business name and associated slogans or logos before registering can help prevent costly litigation in the future. Discovering that another entity has trademarked your business name does not automatically disqualify you from using it.
However, it is important to know who is using the name, what industry they operate in, and where they are located to be sure you do not inadvertently infringe upon anyone’s intellectual property rights.
To complete this step:
- Search New Jersey’s trademark records to see if your business name or associated slogans, logos, or others are in use by another business in your state.
- Search the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s electronic records to find any federally registered trademarks associated with your business name.
Social Media Search
Just as important, or more so, than finding a domain name that fits your business is ensuring that your business name is available for use across social media platforms. To do this, you can search for your business name on each major site, or use a tool such as Namecheckerr to search across all platforms at once.
Bottom Line
According to recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau, New Jersey now processes over 150,000 new business applications per year.
With this volume, finding a distinguishable name for your New Jersey LLC can seem more competitive than ever.
Even so, we recommend not rushing the process or settling for the first available name you find. It’s important that you take the time to choose something memorable that reflects your brand, works as a domain, and won’t limit you as your business grows.
FAQs
To check the availability of an LLC name in New Jersey, you can utilize the online business name search tool provided by the New Jersey Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services. Enter your desired LLC name and review the search results to ensure that the name is not already registered or in use by another entity.
Conducting an LLC name search in New Jersey is crucial to ensure that your chosen name is unique and distinguishable from other registered entities. This step helps prevent potential legal conflicts, trademark infringement issues, and confusion among consumers.
It is recommended to perform an LLC name search in New Jersey during the early stages of forming your LLC. If a significant amount of time has passed since your last search and you haven’t registered the name yet, it’s advisable to conduct a new search before proceeding with registration.
In New Jersey, your LLC name must be unique, distinguishable from other entities, and include the words “Limited Liability Company”, “LLC”, or “L.L.C.”. It should also avoid words or phrases that could mislead the public or imply a purpose it does not serve.
No, New Jersey does not offer name reservations for LLCs. Once you have confirmed the availability of your desired LLC name through the name search, it is recommended to proceed with the LLC formation and registration process promptly to secure the name.
No. A New Jersey business name search only checks if a name is available for registration within the state. It does not check federal or state trademarks. Even if the state approves your LLC name, you could still be sued for trademark infringement if a similar name is already protected by the USPTO. We recommend performing both searches to be fully protected.
Yes. You can reserve a business name in New Jersey for 120 days by submitting a name reservation request to the Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services. You will need to pay a $50 filing fee, which can be submitted online or by mail.