Ohio Business Name Availability Checker
Data verified July 12, 2026 · Official database: Ohio Secretary of State
LLC filing fee
Name reservation cost
Reservation hold
Quick answer: Ohio names are verified against the Secretary of State’s business search. Revised Code § 1706.07 accepts an unusually broad set of endings (including plain “limited” or “ltd”) and requires the name to be distinguishable upon state records, unless the conflicting name’s owner consents in writing on Form 590.
Checking a name in Ohio
The search box above runs a preliminary sweep of Ohio records. The four steps below show the official Secretary of State business search. A clean result is a strong signal, not a guarantee. The office decides only when it examines your filing, reservation, or Form 590 consent package.
The Secretary of State’s Guide to Name Availability explains how examiners treat designators and similar names.
Step 1: Open SEARCH BY BUSINESS NAME
Open businesssearch.ohiosos.gov. The main panel is labeled SEARCH BY BUSINESS NAME. The left column also offers BUSINESS SEARCH and TRADEMARK/SERVICE MARK SEARCH with their own Search By menus.
For a proposed entity name, stay on Business Name. Status radios under the field include All, Active, Cancelled, Dead, and Fraudulent. Default to All for a first pass so you do not miss non-active records. Buttons are SEARCH and CLEAR, with a Name Search Help link.
Step 2: Type the core words in Business Name
Enter the distinctive words of your proposed name in Business Name. Omit LLC, L.L.C., Ltd., and similar endings; Ohio treats many designators as noise when comparing names.
Keep All selected unless you are intentionally filtering. Press SEARCH (or CLEAR to reset).
Step 3: Read the SEARCH RESULTS table
Matches open under SEARCH RESULTS. Columns include Entity#, Name, Type, Filing Date, Exp. Date, Status, Location, County, State, and View Report. Status values in the sample include Active, Dead, Cancelled, and Held. Types can include FOREIGN CORPORATION and REGISTERED TRADE NAME.
Open a record with the blue SHOW DETAILS button. Treat Active (and other live statuses) with close wording as conflicts to clear by renaming or Form 590 consent.
Step 4: Review filings on the detail page
SHOW DETAILS opens the business detail view. The FILINGS section lists Filing Type, Date of Filing, Document ID, and Download Image to PDF links when images exist. Actions such as Copy URL and Print Details sit at the bottom of the page.
Use the filings history to confirm how the name entered Ohio records (for example a foreign license) and whether later events such as merger appear. Status on the results list remains the quickest read of whether the name is still a live conflict. Empty or non-conflicting results are only a preliminary signal before you file or reserve.
Ohio LLC naming rules
Ohio Rev. Code § 1706.07 sets the framework:
- Flexible endings: “limited liability company,” “LLC,” “L.L.C.,” or simply “limited,” “ltd.,” or “ltd.” No other pilot state accepts a bare “limited” for an LLC.
- Distinguishable upon the records: measured against every registered entity and reservation. Entity-type designators alone never create distinguishability.
- Consent exception: a name that fails the test can still be registered with the current holder’s written consent via Form 590 (Consent for Use of Similar Name).
Terms requiring regulator approval
| Term | Approving authority |
|---|---|
| bank, banker, banking, trust (and foreign-language equivalents) | Ohio Superintendent of Financial Institutions |
Approval must be obtained before filing; the Secretary of State will not hold a filing while you seek it.
Reserving a name in Ohio
Ohio offers the longest hold of our five pilot states: Form 534B, filed with a $39 fee, reserves a name for 180 days. The same form handles transferring a reservation to someone else or cancelling it early. See the filing forms and fee schedule.
Half a year is usually enough to prepare a launch without re-filing. Forming the LLC itself (articles of organization) costs $99, and Ohio imposes no annual report on LLCs at all, one of the lightest maintenance burdens in the country.
A reservation protects the name only against other Secretary of State filings. It does nothing about trade name registrations, trademarks, or domain names, so founders holding a 180-day reservation should still line up the matching web domain and run a federal trademark screen before the launch date arrives.
Trade names and fictitious names in Ohio
Ohio puts two very different filings on the same $39 Form 534A, and the choice matters more than the fee. A trade name registration is checked for distinguishability against every name on the Secretary of State’s records and asserts the exclusive right to use the name. A fictitious name report is taken without any check and asserts nothing beyond disclosing who stands behind the name; it is due within 30 days of first use. When your wording is open, registering the trade name costs the same and blocks later confusable filings, which makes Ohio the one state in our set where this filing can secure a name. Both kinds surface in the standard business search, and terms run five years with a renewal notice from the office.
If the Ohio name you want is taken
- Try the consent route first if there’s any relationship. Form 590 turns a blocking conflict into a signature problem, common in franchise, family-business, and spin-off situations.
- Add a substantive word. Since designators don’t count, distinguish with geography (“Scioto”), specialty (“Analytics”), or an invented term.
- Register a trade name instead. Ohio trade names (registered with the same office) let an LLC with a compliant legal name do business under a different mark.
When your search comes back clear, starting your Ohio LLC claims the name permanently; a reservation only holds it for 180 days.
Official Ohio sources
- Ohio Secretary of State business search: authoritative records
- Ohio Rev. Code § 1706.07: LLC naming statute
- Guide to Name Availability: examiner practice
- Filing forms & fee schedule: Form 534B and Form 590
Frequently asked questions
Can an Ohio LLC use "Ltd" instead of "LLC"?
Yes. Ohio is one of the few states where "limited," "ltd.," or "ltd" alone satisfies the ending requirement of Revised Code § 1706.07, alongside the usual "limited liability company," "LLC," and "L.L.C." options.
What if my Ohio name conflicts with an existing company?
Ohio offers a path most states don't: the existing entity can sign a Consent for Use of Similar Name (Form 590), which lets the Secretary of State accept your otherwise-conflicting filing. Without consent, you'll need to make the name distinguishable.
How long does an Ohio name reservation last?
180 days, the longest hold among the states we cover. File Form 534B with the $39 fee; the same form is also used to transfer or cancel an existing reservation.
Which words need approval in an Ohio business name?
Names containing "bank," "banker," "banking," "trust," or equivalent foreign-language terms require prior written approval from the Ohio Superintendent of Financial Institutions before the Secretary of State will accept them.