Georgia Business Name Availability Checker
Data verified July 11, 2026 · Official database: Georgia Secretary of State
LLC filing fee
Name reservation cost
Reservation hold
Quick answer: Georgia business names are checked against the Georgia Secretary of State’s eCorp database. An LLC name must be distinguishable from every entity and active reservation already on record, must end with a valid suffix such as “LLC,” and may not exceed 80 characters. Only the Secretary of State’s own decision at filing time is final.
How to check a name in Georgia
The search box above runs a preliminary sweep of Georgia records. The four steps below show the same official eCorp screens so you can confirm what the checker finds. A clean search is a strong signal, not a guarantee. Availability in Georgia is decided only when the Corporations Division examines your actual filing.
Step 1: Open the eCorp Business Search
Open the Secretary of State Business Search. The Business Search tab is selected by default next to Service of Process Search and Trademark Search.
Leave Business Name selected (not Control Number, Registered Agent Name, or Officer Name). For a name check, choose Contains rather than Starts With or Exact Match so near-matches appear in the list.
The form note says to enter a business name for lookup, partial or full. The instructions box also states that this search is not intended to serve as a name availability search. Treat every result as preliminary; only the Corporations Division decides when you file.
Step 2: Enter your proposed name without LLC
Type the distinctive words of your proposed name into the Business Name field. Omit the legal ending (LLC, L.L.C., and similar). Searching “Blue Ridge Coffee” instead of “Blue Ridge Coffee LLC” surfaces every entity type that uses those words.
Keep Contains selected unless you already know the exact legal name on file. Press Search (or Reset if you need a clean form).
Step 3: Read the results table
eCorp opens a Business Search Results table. Columns include Business Name, Control Number, Business Type, Principal Office Address, Registered / Designated Agent Name, and Status.
Scan more than the first exact hit. Status values such as Active/Compliance, Admin. Dissolved, Withdrawn, and Abandoned describe an existing record; they do not approve a new name for you. An Active/Compliance row is a live conflict you must clear by choosing a different name or confirming distinguishability.
Open any relevant row by clicking the business name in the first column.
Step 4: Open a record detail page
The detail page groups fields under Business Information, then Registered Agent Information and Officer Information. Confirm Business Name, Control Number, Business Type, Business Status, jurisdiction, and formation date before you treat a hit as a real conflict.
Actions at the bottom include Back, Filing History, Name History, and Return to Business Search. Use Name History when a record looks similar but not identical.
If the results list is empty for your wording and close variations, that is a favorable preliminary signal only. File or reserve through the Secretary of State before relying on the name.
Georgia LLC naming rules
Georgia’s requirements come from the Secretary of State’s administrative rules, Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 590-7-20:
- Required ending: “limited liability company,” “limited company,” or the abbreviation “LLC,” “L.L.C.,” “LC,” or “L.C.” The state accepts “Ltd.” and “Co.” as short forms of the underlying words.
- Distinguishability: the name must stand apart, on the state’s records, from every registered entity and every active name reservation. A pending reservation blocks you just as effectively as a live company.
- No borrowed identities: words that mark other structures, such as “corporation,” “incorporated,” or “limited partnership,” cannot appear in an LLC’s name.
- Length cap: 80 characters including spaces and punctuation, a limit few states impose.
Words that need approval in Georgia
| Term family | Examples | Who must sign off |
|---|---|---|
| Banking | bank, banc, banque, banker, bancorp, bankshares, credit union, savings & loan, trust | Georgia Department of Banking and Finance |
| Insurance | insurance, assurance, surety, fidelity, reinsurance, reassurance, indemnity | Office of Commissioner of Insurance |
Written approval from the relevant regulator has to accompany your filing if one of these terms appears in the name.
Reserving a name in Georgia
If you are not ready to file articles of organization, Georgia lets you hold a name for 30 days for $35 (a $25 filing fee plus a $10 service charge, the same amount online or by mail). The fee is nonrefundable and is kept even if the name is rejected. Details and the request path are on the Secretary of State’s name reservation guide.
Georgia reservations cannot be renewed, and the 30-day window is one of the shortest in the country. Texas allows 120 days and Ohio 180. Processing runs inside that same window: 7 business days for an online request and 15 for a mailed one. If your reservation lapses before you file, the name returns to the open pool and anyone (including you) may reserve it again.
Forming the LLC itself costs $110 in filing fees, and Georgia companies then owe a $60 annual registration each year between January 1 and April 1.
Trade names in Georgia
Georgia registers trade names at the county, not the state. The filing goes to the Clerk of Superior Court of the entity’s legal domicile, within 30 days of doing business under the name, and notice then runs for two weeks in the county’s legal organ. Each clerk prices the filing: verified examples are Gwinnett at $172 plus $40 for publication, DeKalb at $174, and Dade at $170.50, which makes Georgia the most expensive DBA in our set at over $210 all in. Two consequences follow. eCorp never lists trade names, so clearing a name here means checking the counties where a conflict is likely. And registration is public notice only; Gwinnett’s own guidance warns against reading it as exclusive rights in the name.
If your Georgia name is taken
A conflict on eCorp does not end the naming process:
- Add a genuinely distinguishing element. Under rule 590-7-20, punctuation or a suffix swap will not separate you from an existing record. Change or add a real word instead.
- Check the entity’s status. Administratively dissolved companies eventually free their names; a record marked inactive may be worth monitoring rather than abandoning.
- Consider whether you need the legal name at all. A Georgia LLC can register a separate trade name (DBA) at the county level, which changes what customers see without changing the entity’s registered name.
If the search comes back clear, you can start your Georgia LLC with that name while the record is current.
Official Georgia sources
- Georgia Secretary of State eCorp business search: the authoritative database
- Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 590-7-20: the LLC naming rule
- Name reservation guide: fees and process
- Business Division FAQ: filing questions
Frequently asked questions
How do I check LLC name availability in Georgia?
Search the Georgia Secretary of State's eCorp business database for your proposed name and close variations of it. If no active entity or name reservation matches, the name is likely open. The office makes the final call when your filing or reservation is processed.
Does a Georgia LLC name have to include "LLC"?
Yes. Georgia requires "limited liability company," "limited company," or an abbreviation such as LLC, L.L.C., LC, or L.C. at the end of the name. "Limited" may be shortened to "Ltd." and "company" to "Co."
How much does it cost to reserve a business name in Georgia?
Georgia charges $35: a $25 filing fee plus a $10 service charge. The amount is the same online and by mail, and it is nonrefundable. The reservation holds the name for 30 days and cannot be renewed, though you can reserve the same name again after it expires if it is still open.
Is there a length limit on Georgia business names?
Yes: 80 characters, counting spaces and punctuation. Longer names are rejected by the Secretary of State's filing system, so trim your name before submitting articles of organization.