Arizona Business Name Search
Data verified July 22, 2026 · Official database: Arizona Corporation Commission
LLC filing fee
Name reservation fee
Reservation hold nonrenewable
Quick answer: Arizona forms LLCs at the Arizona Corporation Commission, not a Secretary of State, and its Business Search is where you check an entity name. A new LLC name has to end in “LLC” and be distinguishable from the records, with one Arizona twist: the rule counts Secretary of State trade names too, so a full check means searching both offices. The Commission settles the name when it reviews your Articles of Organization.
How to check a name in Arizona
The checker above is your quick first pass. The four screens below follow the Arizona Business Center, the Corporation Commission’s own tool. Keep the two-office split in mind while you read: this search covers Commission entities, and trade names sit in a separate Secretary of State database. A clear result here is a good sign, not a decision.
Step 1: Open the Arizona Business Center search
Open Business Search on the Arizona Business Center, run by the Corporation Commission. The Business Name field sits above three match options, Starts With, Contains, and Exact Match, with Starts With selected by default. Extra fields let you search by Business ID, Statutory Agent Name, Principal Name, or Domicile. For a name check, the Business Name field and the match option are all you need.
Step 2: Enter the words and widen the match
Type the distinctive words of your name into Business Name and leave the ending off, since Arizona disregards designator words when it compares. Starts With catches names that begin with your term, but switch to Contains to cast a wider net and surface a conflict buried inside a longer name. Then choose Business Search. Reading the words rather than the suffix is the point here.
Step 3: Read the type and former-name columns
Results open with a count, here “Business Search (9 Results Found),” in a table with Business Name, Business Former Name, Business ID, Business Type, and Statutory Agent columns. Two are worth watching. Business Former Name shows that a company may hold a name under a prior identity, so a match can hide in that column, and Business Type separates a “Domestic For-Profit Corporation” from a “Foreign For-Profit Corporation” or an LLC. A leading “F” on the Business ID marks a foreign filer. Select any close name to open it.
Step 4: Open the Business Information record
Selecting a result opens Business Information: Business Type, True Name in Domicile, State of Formation/Jurisdiction, Known Place of Business, Date of Formation, and, for corporations, an Annual Report/COD Due Date. The record here is Microsoft Corporation, a Washington company registered in Arizona as a foreign entity. These lines tell you whether a same-named record is an active Arizona filing or an out-of-state one, and reading them is preliminary: the Commission decides the name at filing.
Arizona LLC naming rules
Arizona’s LLC name rules sit in A.R.S. § 29-3112:
- Required ending: “limited liability company” or “limited company,” or the abbreviation “L.L.C.,” “LLC,” “L.C.,” or “LC.”
- Distinguishable across both offices: the name must differ from Corporation Commission entities that are not administratively dissolved, from reserved and registered names, and from Secretary of State trade names registered under A.R.S. § 44-1460. Few states reach across two agencies like this, which is why an Arizona clearance is not complete until both are searched.
- Designator words are ignored: “LLC” against “Inc.” does no work in the comparison, so the ending cannot make a name different.
- Dissolved names come free: because the test counts only companies that are not administratively dissolved, a dead company’s name stops blocking a filing.
- Conflicts clear only by court order: where a name is not distinguishable, Arizona lets it through only with a certified copy of a final court judgment establishing your right to it, a higher bar than the written-consent route many states allow.
Reserving a name in Arizona
An Arizona reservation is $10 and holds an LLC name for 120 days, among the cheapest holds anywhere, with a $35 option if you need it expedited. The statute gives it no renewal, so the hold runs once. Against a $50 filing fee for the Articles of Organization, the reservation is a low-cost hedge while plans settle, though at these prices many founders simply file once the name reads clear.
Two Arizona quirks sit next to the fee. LLCs here file no annual report, unlike the corporations you will see in the search results. And most new LLCs must publish a notice of formation in an approved newspaper within 60 days, in three consecutive runs, unless the statutory agent’s address is in Maricopa or Pima County, where the Commission posts the notice online instead.
Trade names in Arizona
If you trade under a name other than your registered LLC name, Arizona calls that a trade name, the local term for a DBA, and it is registered with the Secretary of State, not the Corporation Commission. It costs $10 and lasts five years, renewable for further five-year terms, with no publication step.
A trade name is public notice that you use the name; the Secretary of State is clear that it grants no exclusive right and no trademark protection. Its one real effect runs the other way: because a registered trade name is part of the A.R.S. § 29-3112 distinguishability test, the Commission will not register a later entity name that is not distinguishable from it while it stays active. That is also why clearing a name in Arizona means searching the Commission and the Secretary of State both.
If your Arizona name is taken
- Change the words, not the ending. “LLC” against “Inc.” makes no difference in Arizona’s comparison. Add or swap a word with meaning.
- Check the status first. An administratively dissolved company’s name no longer blocks you, so read the record before conceding. The Commission confirms it at filing.
- Search both offices. A name clear of Commission entities can still collide with a Secretary of State trade name, and that database is separate.
- Hold a clear name for $10. The reservation is cheap but will not renew, so use it when your filing is close.
If the words read clear across both registers, you can start your Arizona LLC with that name while the records still show it open.
Official Arizona sources
- Arizona Business Center search: the Corporation Commission’s entity database
- A.R.S. § 29-3112: the LLC name and distinguishability rule
- A.R.S. § 29-3113: the 120-day reservation
- A.R.S. § 44-1460: trade name registration at the Secretary of State
- Schedule of LLC fees: the $50 filing and $10 reservation fees
- Trade Name and Trademark Handbook: how Secretary of State trade names work
An open Arizona name is only yours once you file
Forming an LLC under your name is the only way to lock it in. Northwest handles the Arizona filing, registered-agent service, and paperwork.
Frequently asked questions
How do I check business name availability in Arizona?
Search the Corporation Commission's Arizona Business Center, choosing Starts With, Contains, or Exact Match, and read the Business Type and status on every close row. Then check the Secretary of State's trade name database separately, because Arizona keeps trade names there rather than at the Commission. The Commission makes the final decision when it reviews your Articles of Organization.
Does an Arizona LLC name have to include "LLC"?
Yes. The name must contain "limited liability company" or "limited company," or the abbreviation "L.L.C.," "LLC," "L.C.," or "LC." The ending is required, and because designator words are disregarded in the comparison, the suffix never makes a name distinguishable on its own.
Is Arizona different because it uses the Corporation Commission?
Yes. Arizona forms and searches LLCs at the Arizona Corporation Commission, not a Secretary of State. Trade names are the exception: those are registered with the Secretary of State. The naming rule reaches across both, so an LLC name has to be distinguishable from Commission entities and Secretary of State trade names alike.
How much does it cost to reserve a business name in Arizona?
Reserving an LLC name is $10 for 120 days, one of the cheapest holds in the country, and $35 if you want it expedited. The reservation cannot be renewed. Forming the LLC is a separate $50 for the Articles of Organization, and Arizona LLCs file no annual report after that.
Does a dissolved company's name stay off limits in Arizona?
No. Arizona measures distinguishability against companies that are not administratively dissolved, so a dissolved company's name stops blocking a new filing. Read the status on the record before you rely on it, and remember the Commission decides at filing.