Arizona LLC Name Search

How to search your Arizona LLC name

The first step to forming an LLC in Arizona is to compare your desired Arizona LLC name against the names of existing businesses registered in the state and make sure it’s available for use.

(This is known as being “distinguishable upon the records” with the Arizona Corporation Commission)

Additionally, your Arizona LLC name must follow certain requirements and restrictions in order to comply with Arizona LLC law.

If you’re familiar with the process of forming an LLC in Arizona and just want to jump into the searches, the business entity search link is below.

Business Entity Search:

Arizona Corporation Commission: Business Entity Search

Arizona LLC Name Requirements

Before searching your LLC name in Arizona, there are a few requirements you need to know:

1. Designator

Your Arizona LLC name must include the proper designator (ending) as a part of its official name. As per Arizona statutes, the allowable designators are “LLC” (the most common), “L.L.C.”, “LC”, “L.C.”, “Limited Company”, and “Limited Liability Company”.

2. Not a Corporation

Because an LLC is not a Corporation, your desired name cannot use the word “Corporation”, “Incorporated”, or their abbreviations “Corp” or “Inc”.

3. Distinguishable

Your desired LLC name must be distinguishable. This means it must be different and unique from all other businesses registered in Arizona.

Differences in designators (the identifiers at the end of a business name) and differences in grammar do not create distinguishability.

For example:

• LLC, L.L.C, Inc., Corp.
• singular, plural, and possessive
• A, An, The
• and, or, &
• hyphens, slashes, periods, commas
• three vs. 3

The following examples are NOT distinguishable:

• Smith Investments, LLC vs. Smith Investments, Inc.
• Apple Farm, LLC vs. Apple Farms, LLC
• Print Shop, LLC vs. The Print Shop, LLC
• Night & Day, LLC vs. Night and Day, LLC
• Peter Paul & Mary Studios, LLC vs. Peter-Paul-Mary Studios, Inc
• Three Teachers Consulting, LLC vs. 3 Teachers Consulting, LLC

Searching the Arizona Business Name Database

To make sure your LLC name is distinguishable and available for use, you’ll need to search it in the Arizona Business Entity Database.

1. Visit the AZCC Business Entity Search Page:
Arizona Corporation Commission: Business Entity Search

2. Enter your complete LLC name (including the designator) and click “Name Availability Check”. If a pop-up message appears stating “The Name is Available”, then you’re good to go. If the pop-up message states “The entity name is not available”, you’ll need to come up with a new LLC name or create a variation.

3. To be certain that your Arizona LLC is truly unique in the state, instead of doing a “Name Availability Search”, enter your desired LLC name, but this time leave out the designator and click “Search” instead. This way, you can see the names of existing businesses in the state to make sure that your LLC name is not only unique, but that it stands out (in case there is a very similar business name already in existence):

• If a “No search results were found” message appears, this confirms your desired Arizona LLC name is unique and distinguishable.
• If the results show business names that are not too similar to yours, then your desired Arizona LLC name is unique and distinguishable.
• If your desired LLC name appears in the list exactly as you want it, this confirms your LLC name is not available for use and you’ll need to come up with a new LLC name or a unique variation.
• If you find an LLC name (or names) that are very similar to your desired LLC name, while the name may be available for use, you may want to consider coming up with an alternative LLC name that is more unique.

Does my LLC need a Trade Name (DBA)?

You don’t need to register a Trade Name (DBA/”Doing Business As”) if your LLC will operate under its true and legal name.

For more information, please see this article: Do I need a DBA for my LLC?

Next Step: Arizona LLC Registered Agent

Once you find an LLC name that is unique and distinguishable, you’re ready to select your LLC’s Registered Agent (aka Statutory Agent). We’ll discuss this in the next lesson: Arizona Statutory Agent.

And check out TRUIC’s business name generator if you need help coming up with an LLC name.

Arizona Corporation Commission (AZCC)

If you have any questions, you can contact the Arizona Corporation Commission (AZCC) at 602-542-3026 for the fastest response. Their hours are Monday through Friday from 8am to 5pm, Mountain Standard Time.

You can also email them at filings.corp@azcc.gov for a 24-48 hour response.

How do I change my LLC name?

You can change your LLC’s name later by filing an Amendment form with the Secretary of State.

We have step-by-step instructions on how to change an LLC name in Arizona.

Matt Horwitz

Founder & Educator, LLC University®

Matt Horwitz has been the leading expert on LLC education for the past decade. He founded LLC University in 2010 after realizing people needed simple and actionable instructions to start an LLC that other companies weren't offering. He's cited by Entrepreneur Magazine, Yahoo Finance, and the US Chamber of Commerce, and was featured by CNBC and InventRight.
 
Matt holds a Bachelor's Degree in business from Drexel University with a concentration in business law. He performs extensive research and analysis to convert state laws into simple instructions anyone can follow to form their LLC - all for free! Read more about Matt Horwitz and LLC University.