Utah LLC Name Search

You'll need to check name availability by doing a Utah LLC name search before starting a new business. 

We’ll help you start your Utah LLC with a unique and legally compliant business name.

Recommended: Northwest ($29 + State Fees) will register your business name when you form an LLC.

Check LLC Name Availability in Utah

1. Do a Utah Business Name Search

You can use Utah’s 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.

If you reserve a name online, the website automatically prompts you to do a search first. 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 Utah Naming Guidelines

When establishing a business entity in Utah, it's crucial to follow specific naming requirements to ensure compliance and avoid potential conflicts with existing entities. Here's what you need to know:

Naming Conventions and Policies

• The name of an LLC must include one of the following: "limited company," "limited liability company," "L.C.," or "L.L.C." (Utah Code Ann. 48-3a-108 (2014)).
• The name of an LLC should not include "association," "corporation," "incorporated," "limited," "limited partnership," "L.P.," or "Ltd." (Utah Code Ann. 48-3a-108(8) (2014)).

• A professional limited liability company's name must contain the words "professional limited liability company" or the abbreviations "P.L.L.C." or "PLLC" (Utah Code Ann. 48-3a-1104 & 48-3a-108 (2014)).

• The name of a low-profit limited liability company should contain the abbreviation "L3C" or "l3c"

Distinguishable Names

To determine if a name is distinguishable from others on record, the Division applies specific criteria:

• If one or more key words in the name are different from existing names, it is considered distinguishable. Key words exclude articles, prepositions, conjunctions, or entity identifiers like "corporation," "incorporated," "company," etc.
• The order of the key words can make a name distinguishable even if the words themselves are the same.
• Creative, unusual, or artistic spelling of key words can create a distinction.
• Differences in meaning between similar words in their contexts can make a name distinguishable.
• Certain factors, such as the presence or absence of specific words, punctuation, capitalization, plurals, abbreviations, and special characters, do not make a requested name distinguishable.

Restricted Words

Certain words require written consent from specific agencies before using them in a business name. The following agencies must be contacted for permission to use restricted words:

• Utah Division of Consumer Protection: "College," "Institute," "University," "Institution"
• United States Olympic Committee: "Olympic," "Olympiad," "Citius Altius Fortius"
• Department of Financial Institutions: Various banking-related terms and phrases

For specific inquiries or concerns regarding your entity's name, it is advisable to consult legal professionals or reach out to the Utah Division of Corporations and Commercial Code.

Not sure what to name your business? Check out our LLC Name Generator.

Registering Your Utah Business Name

Whether you're prepared to launch your LLC or still in the planning phase, we're here to guide you through the process.

Register Your Utah LLC Name

Registering your LLC name in Utah is a relatively straightforward task. Your business name becomes officially registered when you file the Utah Certificate of Organization. This critical document marks the formal establishment of your business in the state.

The Utah Division of Corporations and Commercial Code's website provides detailed instructions on how to fill out the form and pay the necessary state filing fee.

Keep in mind: Utilizing a professional LLC formation service can simplify the process by handling the registration of your LLC name and the establishment of your LLC. To learn more, refer to our Best LLC Services review.

Reserve Your Utah Business Entity Name

Utah’s Secretary of State Division of Corporations and Commercial Codes handles all Utah LLC naming questions and requests. Business names can be reserved for 120 days. 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.

To reserve a business name, you must file an application by mail. When reserving your entity name, you will have to pay a filing fee. Checks must be made out to the “State of Utah.” Applications can also be faxed with a cover sheet with credit card information.

After choosing a name for your LLC, take the next step and create a unique logo with our Free Logo Generator.

Utah Application for Reservation of Business Name

File by Mail With the Utah Department of Commerce

Fee: $22

Mail to:
Utah Division of Corporations & Commercial Code
P.O. Box 146705
Salt Lake City, UT 82114-6705

Fax to: (801) 530-6438

Considering Using an LLC Formation Service?

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Find out which is best for you.

Other Considerations

While reserving your entity name 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 Utah’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, search for your business name on each major site using a tool such as Namecheckr to search across all platforms at once.

Bottom Line

Having a name for your business is an important first step for creating a successful Utah LLC, and one that is incredibly easy to do. Once you have found your preferred entity name using the Utah Business Entity Search, you'll want to secure your domain name so that your customers will be able to find your business online.

Reserving your entity name with an Application for Reservation of Business Name will help you stand out from the competition. With your entity name secured, you will be ready to take the next steps to formalize your Utah LLC.

What's Next?

Now that you have your entity name, it's time to take the next steps to establish your Utah LLC. Check out our full guide on how to form an LLC in Utah, where we can guide you every step of the way.

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