California Business Name Search

Searching California records

California consolidated its filings into one portal in recent years, which makes the check itself straightforward:

1. Open bizfile Online. The business search covers LLCs, corporations, and partnerships registered with the Secretary of State.
2. Search the core name, then widen. Try your name without “LLC,” then try its distinctive words individually. § 17701.08 measures you against reserved names too, and those do not always surface in a casual exact-match search.
3. Apply the misleading-name test yourself. Before falling in love with a name, ask whether it suggests a license you do not hold, a industry you are not in, or a government connection that does not exist — examiners do.

The widget at the top of this page automates the first pass, and every result links back to bizfile Online because that database, not any third-party check, is what the state actually consults.

California LLC naming rules

Two subsections of Corporations Code § 17701.08 do most of the work:

• § 17701.08(a) — the ending: “limited liability company,” “L.L.C.,” or “LLC,” with “Ltd.” and “Co.” accepted as abbreviations of the long form.
• § 17701.08(b) — the double test: distinguishable in the Secretary of State’s records from every registered LLC, authorized foreign LLC, and reserved name; and not likely to mislead the public.
• § 17701.08(e) — forbidden terms: the words below may not appear in an LLC name at all.

Forbidden in California LLC names	Why
bank, trust, trustee	Reserved for regulated financial institutions
incorporated, inc., corporation, corp.	Marks a corporation, not an LLC
insurer, insurance company	Reserved for licensed insurers

Unlike Georgia or Ohio, there is no approval path for these terms in an LLC name — they are simply unavailable.

The $10 California name reservation

At $10 for 60 days, a California name reservation (Corp. Code § 17701.09) is the cheapest of the five pilot states we cover. The catch is the anti-squatting rule: the same applicant cannot hold consecutive reservations for one name. At least one full day must separate two reservations, and during that day the name is up for grabs. Requests go through bizfile Online or by mail.

Forming the LLC costs $70 for articles of organization, followed by a $20 Statement of Information every two years — and note that California’s $800 annual franchise tax applies regardless of what you name the company.

Conflict on your California search?

• Change substance, not dressing. Swapping ”&” for “and,” pluralizing, or restyling punctuation will not make a name distinguishable in the state’s eyes.
• Watch reserved names expire. A blocking reservation may be only days from lapsing — and its holder cannot instantly re-reserve. Timing a filing for that gap is legitimate strategy.
• Brand separately if needed. A fictitious business name (FBN), filed at the county level, lets a California LLC operate under a name its articles do not carry.

If the search comes back clean, forming your California LLC is what converts an open name into yours — reservations only pause the race.

Official California sources

• bizfile Online business search — authoritative records
• Cal. Corp. Code § 17701.08 — naming statute
• Cal. Corp. Code § 17701.09 — reservations
• Secretary of State — name reservations — process and forms

Found an open California name? Claim it.

Forming an LLC under your name is the only way to lock it in. Northwest handles the California filing, registered-agent service, and paperwork.

Start your California LLC with Northwest →

Affiliate link — we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Questions

Frequently asked questions

Where do I search California business names?

The California Secretary of State's bizfile Online portal hosts the official business search. Look up your proposed name and its close variants there; the office applies the final availability test when it examines your filing or reservation request.

Why can't my California LLC name contain "Inc." or "Corporation"?

Corporations Code § 17701.08(e) bars an LLC from using terms that belong to other regulated forms — bank, trust, trustee, incorporated, inc., corporation, corp., insurer, and insurance company — because they would misstate what the entity is.

Can I keep re-reserving the same name in California?

Not back-to-back. A $10 reservation lasts 60 days, and the same applicant must let at least one day pass before reserving the identical name again — a gap in which another founder could take it.

Is a misleading name rejected even if it's distinguishable?

Yes. California applies two independent tests: the name must be distinguishable from existing records, and it must not be likely to mislead the public. Passing one test does not excuse failing the other.