How To Do a Business Entity Search in Georgia And Choose a Name For Your LLC

Q: What are the LLC naming guidelines in Georgia?

Georgia naming guidelines include:Distinguishable: Your LLC’s name must be unlike any other entities registered with the Georgia Secretary of State.Required terminology: Your LLC name must include one of the following terms or abbreviations: limited liability company, limited company, LTD, Co, LLC, LC, or L.L.C. Language requirements: Your name must only use letters from the English alphabet. Maximum characters: Your name must not exceed 80 characters.Restricted terminology: You cannot use words like association, corporation, incorporation, or abbreviations of these words. Restricted government terms: You cannot use words that might confuse your business with a government department, like the State Department, Treasury, CIA, etc. Georgia Department of Banking and Finance approval: To use any of the following words: “Bank, banker, banking company, bankruptcy, credit union, trust, or trust company,” you must first gain approval from the GDBF.Nonpublic Postsecondary Education Commission approval: To use the words university or college, you must gain approval from the Nonpublic Postsecondary Education Commission. Georgia Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner approval: You must gain approval from the Georgia Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner to use any of the following words: assurance, insurance, reassurance, reinsurance, fidelity, surety, or indemnity.

Home » Blog » How To Do a Business Entity Search in Georgia

Georgia state requires less paperwork than most U.S. states for forming an LLC.

However, one similarity Georgia has with all U.S. states is you must ensure your business name is available before filing your Articles of Organization with the Secretary of State to officially start you LLC in Georgia.

After you confirm your name’s availability and register it, further steps help stop other businesses from using it and enable you to create an online brand presence.

We’ll cover all of those in this post.

Why do you need to do a business entity search?

A business entity search is essential when starting an LLC because it confirms whether your chosen business name is available in your state.

If you don’t do a business entity search in Georgia and your name is already registered to an existing entity, the Georgia Corporations Division will reject your LLC formation application.

Georgia state naming guidelines

All U.S. states have naming guidelines you must adhere to when choosing your LLC business name.

In Georgia, those guidelines include:

Distinguishable: Your LLC's name must be unlike any other entities registered with the Georgia Secretary of State.
Required terminology: Your LLC name must include one of the following terms or abbreviations: limited liability company, limited company, LTD, Co, LLC, LC, or L.L.C.
Language requirements: You must spell your name using letters from the English alphabet.
Maximum characters: Your name must not exceed 80 characters.
Restricted terminology: You cannot use words like association, corporation, incorporation, or abbreviations of these words.
Restricted government terms: You cannot use words that might confuse your business with a government department, like the State Department, Treasury, CIA, etc.
Georgia Department of Banking and Finance approval: You must first gain approval from the GDBF to use any of the following words: bank, banker, banking company, bankruptcy, savings & loan, credit union, trust, or trust company.
Public Postsecondary Education Commission approval: The Public Postsecondary Education Commission must approve the use of the words university or college.
Georgia Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner approval: You must gain approval from the Georgia Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner to use any of the following words: assurance, insurance, reassurance, reinsurance, fidelity, surety, or indemnity.

Pro tip:

For further information on LLC name requirements, read the Georgia state statute.

Conducting a business name search in Georgia: Step-by-step guide with tips

Georgia has strict naming guidelines, including not using a name similar to a registered name.

You can confirm the uniqueness of your chosen name by using the Georgia Corporations Division’s online search tool. This tool provides all registered entity names and crucial information about an entity’s status.

Georgia Corporations Division’s business search page

You can search for a business entity by name or by registered number. We will search by name.

Your first step is to visit the Georgia Corporations Division’s business search page, which brings you to the page below:

Here, you enter your desired business name, select contains, and press search. I’ll use Georgia plumbing as an example:

Reviewing the results

The results page displays all registered entities matching your search query and provides the business name, control number, entity type, principal office address, registered agent details, and current status.

Clicking on a name displays further details about the business, including its date of formation, NAICS code, state of formation, and whether it was dissolved.

At the bottom, you’ll see links to the business’s filing and name history and a return to search button.

Fees

You must account for certain costs when starting an LLC in Georgia.

Fortunately, Georgia State doesn’t charge to register a business name because you register one when forming your business.

For example, registering an LLC costs $100, $200 if you want it processed in 2 business days, and $250 for same-day processing, and your name is included in those fees.

You can also pay to reserve a business name, which costs $25.

Fictitious name/DBA/assumed name

A fictitious name (Doing Business As) or an assumed name, depending on the state, is one you use that isn’t your LLC state-registered name.

You verify your chosen DBA`s available by searching the Clerk of the Superior Court county trade name records.

Once you confirm availability, file your DBA with your location’s Clerk of the Superior Court.

Fees and filing procedures vary by county, but all require you to complete an application process.

Georgia also requires that you publish a DBA notice in a local newspaper. The Georgia Superior Court Clerks’ Cooperative Authority website provides the names of each county’s official DBA publishers and filing instructions.

What can you do once you have an available business name?

Once you know your new name is available, you can either form your LLC in Georgia or reserve your business name to stop someone else from using it.

Consider name reservation

Entrepreneurs not ready to form their Georgia LLC can reserve their desired name for 30 days on the Georgia Secretary of State’s website (or by mail), where you’ll find step-by-step instructions and links to the relative departments.

The fee for reserving your LLC business name in Georgia is $25.

Consider trademarking your name

You can trademark your new LLC name or any other branding you’ll use to identify your new business, including your logo or slogan in Georgia or nationwide, to stop others from infringing upon your intellectual property.

To register a trademark in Georgia, visit the Trademark and Service Mark Application And Forms webpage.

To register a trademark nationwide, visit the United States Patent and Trademark Office website, where you should also search to ensure your chosen LLC name isn’t already registered as a trademark to avoid trademark infringement.

Consider domain registration

Most businesses need an online brand presence, which includes a website, social media platforms, and an appropriate domain.

You can check if your LLC`s name is available as a domain (and if not, choose something appropriate) using a domain registration service that can also register it for you.

Conclusion

That’s how to do a business entity search in Georgia.

The key to ensuring your name’s availability is taking the steps slowly and checking if it has yet to be registered as a trademark on the Georgia trademark database and the USPTO website.

And if you’d like further help in starting an LLC in Georgia, follow that link, where you`ll find easy steps that cover everything you need to know.

FAQ

Why you need to do a business entity search

You can’t register a new business using a name previously registered with the Georgia Secretary of State.

So, when starting a new business in Georgia, an entity search helps you confirm whether your desired name is available and not overly similar to an already registered entity.

How to check if the LLC name you want is available in Georgia?

Use the Georgia Corporations Division’s online search tool to confirm your desired name is available.

How much does it cost to reserve your LLC name in Georgia?

The cost of reserving a business name in Georgia is $25.

If you have a DBA, should you register its name?

To use a DBA in Georgia, you must apply with the Clerk of the Superior Court in the county where you do business.

What are the LLC naming guidelines in Georgia?

Georgia naming guidelines include:

Distinguishable: Your LLC’s name must be unlike any other entities registered with the Georgia Secretary of State.
Required terminology: Your LLC name must include one of the following terms or abbreviations: limited liability company, limited company, LTD, Co, LLC, LC, or L.L.C.
Language requirements: Your name must only use letters from the English alphabet.
Maximum characters: Your name must not exceed 80 characters.
Restricted terminology: You cannot use words like association, corporation, incorporation, or abbreviations of these words.
Restricted government terms: You cannot use words that might confuse your business with a government department, like the State Department, Treasury, CIA, etc.
Georgia Department of Banking and Finance approval: To use any of the following words: “Bank, banker, banking company, bankruptcy, credit union, trust, or trust company,” you must first gain approval from the GDBF.
Nonpublic Postsecondary Education Commission approval: To use the words university or college, you must gain approval from the Nonpublic Postsecondary Education Commission.
Georgia Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner approval: You must gain approval from the Georgia Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner to use any of the following words: assurance, insurance, reassurance, reinsurance, fidelity, surety, or indemnity.

What to do if the LLC name you want is already taken?

Say another entity has already registered the LLC name you want to use; here, you can register a DBA in the county you do business in, which enables you to use your desired name while complying with Georgia’s legal naming requirements.

Learn more about LLC in Georgia

How to Dissolve an LLC in Georgia

5 Best LLC Formation Services in Georgia

Small Business License in Georgia

Georgia Registered Agent for Your LLC

How Much Does an LLC Cost in Georgia?

How to File a DBA in Georgia

Georgia LLC Annual Report Requirements

Terry OToole

Terry is a serial entrepreneur with over 25 years of experience building businesses across multiple industries – construction, real estate, e-commerce, hotelier, and now digital media. When not working, Terry likes to kick back and relax with family, explore Taoism’s mysteries, or savor the taste of fine Italian red wine.

This portion of our website is for informational purposes only. Tailor Brands is not a law firm, and none of the information on this website constitutes or is intended to convey legal advice. All statements, opinions, recommendations, and conclusions are solely the expression of the author and provided on an as-is basis. Accordingly, Tailor Brands is not responsible for the information and/or its accuracy or completeness. It also does not indicate any affiliation between Tailor Brands and any other brands, services or logos.