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Florida LLC Name Search
By Christopher Ricci MONEY RESEARCH COLLECTIVE
Thinking of taking the plunge and starting your own business in Florida? Creating a limited liability company (LLC) is a great way to protect yourself from any debts and obligations incurred by your business. Before deciding on a name, knowing what to look for and what makes a business name legally compliant is essential.
This article will guide you through the Florida LLC business name search and selection process so your business gets off to the perfect start.
How to go about naming your LLC
When conducting your LLC name search, ensure your selected name meets all legal requirements and restrictions. Here is a closer look at each step.
1. Identify naming requirements and choose a name for your company
The Florida Department of State has naming requirements that business entities must comply with before settling on a name. These guidelines include:
- Your LLC name should end with the phrase “Limited Liability Company” or an abbreviation — either L.L.C. or LLC.
- If your business bears a restricted term such as “attorney,” “law office,” “university” or “bank,” you may be required to have at least one LLC member be a licensed professional.
- Your LLC name should not contain a word that may be misleading or confused with a government agency. This means it shouldn’t include terms like state, division, department, commission or bureau.
- Ensure that no other entity has already registered your name.
Once you understand these guidelines, you can choose your LLC name. Select a unique name to prevent legal issues with another entity that may have a similar name to yours. As the business owner, you’re responsible for ensuring that your LLC name doesn’t infringe on any other entity’s rights. A distinctive name also helps avoid confusion when customers look for your business.
2. Conduct a business name search to check availability
Once you have settled on the perfect name, your next step is to check on its availability. This requires you to visit the Florida Department of State website and use their online search tool.
The goal of searching the website is to ensure that no other business has already registered your business name. Here are steps to conduct a Florida LLC search by name on the state’s register website:
- Visit the Florida Division of Corporations’ database. It has records of all registered business entities in the state.
- Enter your chosen LLC name in the search bar. Here, omit the phrase “Limited Liability Company” and its abbreviations. The search will return all the business entities in Florida bearing a name similar to the one you’re searching for.
- Perform a thorough corporation search on the website for all phrases and words similar to the ones you have included in your desired LLC name.
- If the results show a name similar to the one you’re targeting, it’s unavailable. You can’t use it for your LLC. This means you have to try new combinations of the phrases or words until you come up with a unique name.
You can take your name search a step further by doing a national name search. Various websites, like Direct Incorporation, will allow you to perform a free LLC name search in the U.S. The goal is to ensure that your business name is available in all the states to avoid legal complications.
3. Check domain availability
Before you reserve a business name with the secretary of state, check online for domain names related to your business name. A domain name refers to the address that people type on the URL web browser bar to access your website. It’s crucial because people are likely to search for your business online. If the URL you want is already taken, it will be harder for customers to find your business online.
Your domain name should match your business name, but it must be available for you to take. For instance, if you’re running a fashion business under the name Fashion Box, you might want the domain name “fashionbox.com.”
The process of checking domain availability is straightforward. You can use websites like GoDaddy.com or NameCheap.com to search for an available domain name. If your desired domain isn’t available, you can try other options.
4. Reserve your name with the secretary of state
When you finally settle on a unique LLC name and its available domain, you can reserve it with Florida’s secretary of state. A name reservation will protect your chosen LLC name while you finalize the formation process and before you register it. You can reserve it for 120 days.
The Florida Department of State doesn’t have a form specifically for name reservations. Instead, according to Florida’s official state website, you should send a letter specifying the name you want to reserve and the contact information of your business entity.
Key considerations when starting and choosing an LLC name
Knowing how to search for an LLC name and reserving your name with the Division of Corporations is only part of the LLC name search process. You should also consider other factors to ensure you choose a unique name that won’t attract legal trouble in the future. Here are some things to keep in mind.
1. Align your name with the type of service or product you provide
When starting an LLC, one of the key considerations when choosing a name is to align it with the service or product you will provide. A name should briefly and accurately describe what your company does to indicate who you are.
For example, if you’re starting a janitorial service, include “cleaning” or something similar in your LLC name. This will attract potential clients because they immediately understand your business. It also increases business credibility because the customers know what to expect from you.
A good practice when choosing an LLC name is brainstorming a list of words related to the services and products you will offer. You can then come up with different combinations and options from which to choose. You could also include your location, such as East Coast LLC or Florida Florists.
If you’re afraid that coming up with a name will take all day, you can get ideas from various business name generators available online for inspiration.
2. Don’t forget about filing fees
You should also factor in how much it will cost to file for an LLC name. The standard fee for filing a name reservation for limited liability companies in Florida is $25.
If you reserve a name, you’re ready to start an LLC, so you’re likely to incur other mandatory and optional fees. For instance, you’ll incur a mandatory state filing fee, an annual report fee and a registered agent fee. A registered agent is an individual or business entity that accepts legal documents on behalf of your LLC.
You’ll also pay an optional fictitious or “doing business as” (DBA) registration fee, which is usually $50. And if you change the LLC name, the Division of Corporations will charge you a fee for that. All these costs add up to how much it will cost to register an LLC in Florida.
3. Research and understand the rules for different entities
The naming rules in Florida generally apply to all LLCs, but there may be slight differences for each entity type. Become familiar with the naming rules and regulations specific to your business.
For instance, if you want to start a professional service LLC, such as a law firm or a medical practice, there is an additional requirement for the LLC name. In this case, the name must include the phrase “Professional Limited Liability Company” or “P.L.L.C.” to be accepted by the state.
For other LLC businesses, the applicable naming rules are uniform, including choosing a name that people can’t confuse with other businesses. You might feel tempted to use features like articles, suffixes, and numbers to differentiate your LLC name from others. However, the law prohibits such strategies — you cannot use articles such as “a,” “an,” and “the” to differentiate your business name. Likewise, you can’t use abbreviations, typefaces, symbols or punctuation marks to make your name sound or look different from another entity’s name.
Another rule to remember is that your corporation’s name must contain certain words. These include “Limited,” “Corporation” or “Incorporated.” You are allowed to use these names’ abbreviations, such as Ltd., Corp. or Inc.
Your LLC name may be subject to other restrictions, including that your name shouldn’t suggest that your business is affiliated with a state or federal agency. For this reason, you can’t use a name similar to that of a government agency or organization.
The next steps
Your Florida LLC name search shouldn’t end with reserving or registering your name with the Department of State. You also need to do a social media and a trademark search of your name to see whether other people are already using it online.
Trademark your LLC name
Performing a trademark search for your business name, logos, and slogans before registering your LLC name will cushion you from future litigation. Sometimes, you may find that another entity has already trademarked your chosen name. While this doesn’t automatically mean that you can’t use the name, understanding who is using it, their location and industry will keep you from infringing upon other companies’ intellectual property rights.
If you find that no one else is using your chosen LLC name, you can trademark it. Trademarking means that you will be the sole owner of the name, and no other entity can use it without your permission.
To trademark your name, register it with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. An experienced attorney can help you with the process.
Register social media accounts
You should also confirm that your name is available on different social media platforms. Tools like Namechekr can help you search multiple platforms simultaneously. Alternatively, you can search each platform separately.
If you trademark your LLC name, you should also secure and register social media accounts with this exact name to prevent anyone else from using the same brand online. This will help protect your business’s image and identity in the digital space.
Once you have chosen and registered your LLC name, it’s time to set up a free LLC bank account and apply for an Employer Identification Number. You should also obtain a business license. You may need to register with other state agencies to run certain types of businesses or sell specific products or services.
Do your Florida LLC name search right
Choosing the right name for your LLC is an important first step in making sure you can differentiate and protect your business online and offline. A free LLC name search can help determine whether a particular name is available. When choosing an LLC name, ensure it’s free of trademarked material. You need to understand and follow the applicable rules.
Your business name is more than just a phrase. It’s a reflection of your company and your services. Make sure it represents what you want to offer so customers can remember you for the right reasons.