Alabama Business Name Availability Checker
Data verified September 3, 2026 · Official database: Alabama Secretary of State
LLC filing fee
Name reservation cost
Reservation hold
Quick answer: Alabama requires a Certificate of Name Reservation before a domestic LLC files its Certificate of Formation. Screen the name in the Secretary of State’s Entity Name search and read the Filings completed through date. The capture showed records processed through 09/01/2026, so a newer filing may not yet appear. Only the Secretary of State’s reservation decision is final.
How to check a name in Alabama
The Secretary of State’s Government Records Inquiry System offers separate entry points for an entity name, entity number, and officer, agent or incorporator. The walkthrough uses Entity Name. This form can filter by entity type, place of formation, principal city and status, and the results mix domestic and foreign records. What you find is preliminary. Only the Alabama Secretary of State decides whether the name can be reserved and filed.
Step 1: Open the Entity Name search
Open Business Entity Records, then choose Entity Name under Business Entity Search Options. The page is titled Business Entity Search By Entity Name. Check the Filings completed through date before entering a name. The form opens with Type, Place of Formation and Status set to All Records, which is the broadest first pass.
Step 2: Search the distinctive wording
Enter the distinctive words in Name and leave off “LLC” for the first search. The test term Microsoft returned names containing that word, including records with other words before or after it. Alabama law ignores entity-type terms when comparing names, so adding “LLC” to a conflicting name does not solve the conflict. Leave the filters broad and select Search.
Step 3: Compare the result type and status
Read Entity Name, Type and Status together. This capture includes Foreign Corporation and Domestic Limited Liability Company records, with statuses of Exists and Withdrawn. A withdrawn record still deserves review because the public list does not decide name availability for you. Select an Entity ID to open the underlying record, or use New Search to test a narrower variation.
Step 4: Open the entity record
The detail page identifies the record by Entity ID Number and adds Entity Type, Status, Place of Formation, Formation Date and Qualify Date. It also shows the Registered Agent Name and registered-office fields. Those facts help separate a similarly named local LLC from a foreign company registered in Alabama. They do not replace the required reservation decision.
Alabama LLC naming rules
Alabama’s LLC ending and comparison rules appear in Ala. Code §§ 10A-1-5.03 and 10A-1-5.06:
- Required ending: the name must contain “Limited Liability Company,” “L.L.C.” or “LLC.”
- Records that can block the name: existing Alabama filing entities, general partnerships with an effective statement on file, registered foreign entities and names already reserved with the Secretary of State.
- Entity endings do not create a difference: the comparison disregards words and abbreviations such as corporation, Inc., limited liability company and LLC. “Riverstone Inc.” and “Riverstone LLC” therefore do not become distinguishable merely because the endings differ.
- Consent has a condition: the current holder may consent in writing only with an undertaking satisfactory to the Secretary of State to change its own name. A reserved-name conflict may instead be resolved by transferring the reservation.
- Regulated terms need evidence: the domestic reservation form calls for regulator approval when a name uses banking, trust, insurance, engineering or certain other professional wording. An architect term requires an Alabama architect license.
Reserving a name in Alabama
The reservation is not an optional hold here. Ala. Code § 10A-1-5.10 and the Secretary of State’s LLC filing instructions require the certificate before a domestic LLC files its formation document.
The paper request costs $25. The online service costs $28 and lets a non-subscriber print the certificate immediately. The reservation lasts one year or until it is withdrawn, and the Secretary of State provides a renewal form when formation has not been completed. Keep the spelling on the certificate identical to the name on the Certificate of Formation. Alabama requires the certificate to accompany that filing.
Trade names in Alabama
Alabama does not operate a general mandatory DBA register. A business that wants a state registration for the name it uses may apply for a trade name under the trademark chapter. The Secretary of State’s Trademarks program covers trademarks, service marks and trade names on the same application path.
Registration costs $30, runs for five years and may be renewed during the six months before expiration. The application requires specimens showing use of the name. This is separate from the entity-name search: registered marks have their own Trademark Records search, and an unregistered trade name will not necessarily appear in either database. The Secretary of State also states that rejection of a mark registration does not prevent use; ownership disputes are handled under common law and by the courts.
If your Alabama name is taken
- Change the words that identify the business. Switching only between “Inc.” and “LLC,” or adding an entity ending, does not count in Alabama’s comparison.
- Search without filters before narrowing. An existing foreign corporation or a reserved name can block a domestic LLC even when the entity types differ.
- Use consent only when the holder will change its own name. Alabama requires both written consent and an undertaking acceptable to the Secretary of State. A bare permission letter does not meet the statutory route.
- Check the trade-name register separately. A trade name does not sit in the entity results shown above, but an existing user’s trademark or common-law rights can create a different conflict.
- Let the reservation process settle the filing question. The public search is a screening tool. The Secretary of State reviews the proposed name when it processes the mandatory reservation request.
If the reservation is issued, the next state filing is the Alabama Certificate of Formation. Its Secretary of State fee is $200, so the required state-level sequence costs $225 by paper or $228 online before any optional service costs. Alabama’s mandatory reservation makes that name certificate part of formation, not a separate precaution.
Official Alabama sources
- Business Entity Records: official search options and records-system notice
- LLC filing instructions: required LLC ending, name-reservation certificate and $200 formation fee
- Ala. Code § 10A-1-5.03: distinguishability, consent and treatment of entity designators
- Ala. Code § 10A-1-5.06: LLC name ending
- Domestic Entity Name Reservation Request: $25 paper fee and regulated-name approvals
- Secretary of State fee schedule: $25 reservation and $28 immediate online service
- Trademarks program: trade-name application, five-year term and records search
Frequently asked questions
How do I check business name availability in Alabama?
Open the Alabama Secretary of State's Entity Name search, enter the distinctive part of the proposed name and review every result. Compare the Entity Name, Type and Status columns, then open the Entity ID for the full record. The search is preliminary; the Secretary of State decides whether the name can be reserved and filed.
Is an Alabama name reservation required before forming an LLC?
Yes. Alabama requires a domestic LLC to obtain a Certificate of Name Reservation before filing its Certificate of Formation. The reservation costs $25 on paper or $28 online, lasts one year and may be renewed while the entity has not completed formation.
Does adding LLC make an Alabama name distinguishable?
No. Alabama law tells the Secretary of State to disregard entity-type words and abbreviations such as LLC, L.L.C., Inc. and Corp. when comparing names, unless the current name holder waives that treatment in writing. Change the distinctive wording instead of changing only the ending.
Can an Alabama LLC use bank, insurance or engineer in its name?
The name reservation form requires approval from the relevant Alabama regulator for banking, insurance and certain professional terms. Architect requires an Alabama architect license, and engineering-related names may require both a license and a Certificate of Authorization. Submit the required clearance with the reservation request.
Does Alabama require a DBA filing?
Alabama has no general mandatory DBA filing. A business may register a trade name with the Secretary of State under the state's trademark law for $30. The registration lasts five years, is renewable and is searched separately from business entity records.