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How to Check If an LLC Name Is Available in Indiana

Last verified: November 2, 2026 · Sources are cited at the bottom of this page.

The short answer

Short answer: Indiana's official search is the Secretary of State's INBiz Business Search at bsd.sos.in.gov. It is free and needs no login. The trap: Indiana tests your name against registered assumed names (DBAs) and the names of entities dissolved within the last 120 days, not just active LLCs — so a name can look clear and still be blocked by a DBA or a recently dead company.

The official search

The registry is run by the Indiana Secretary of State, Business Services Division, through INBiz, the state's one-stop business portal.

Note the address: the public search lives on the bsd.sos.in.gov subdomain, while filing happens at inbiz.in.gov. If you land on a login page, you are in the filing system, not the search — you do not need an account just to look a name up.

The search covers LLCs, corporations, nonprofits, limited partnerships, and other entities registered with the Secretary of State. Sole proprietorships do not register with the Secretary of State and do not appear.

There is no separate tool that answers "available: yes or no." You judge availability from the search results, and the Secretary of State makes the final distinguishability decision when your Articles of Organization or name reservation is reviewed.

A detail record is reported to show the legal name (and name type, such as assumed or former name), Business ID, entity type, status, creation date, principal office address, jurisdiction, registered agent, filing history, and the entity's Business Entity Report due date. Member and manager names are not published as an ownership roster, even though you can search by a governing person's name.

Step by step

  1. Open the Business Search at bsd.sos.in.gov. You will see three match modes — Contains, Starts With, and Exact Match — and fields for Business Name, Business ID, Filing Number, Registered Agent Name, and Incorporator or Governing Person Name.
  2. Start with Business Name + Contains, entering your name without "LLC." Contains is the broadest mode and catches your words in any position in an existing name.
  3. Run Starts With on a shortened version of the name. This catches conflicts that begin the same way but end differently.
  4. Run Exact Match last, to confirm whether the precise name is already taken word for word.
  5. Use Advanced Search to widen the net. Its filters include entity Type, Status, Name Type, and address fields. Because Indiana counts registered assumed names against you, do not limit yourself to active LLCs — check other entity types and assumed names too.
  6. Open every close match and check its type and status. Remember that a company dissolved within the last 120 days still blocks a name, so do not dismiss a recently dissolved record.
  7. If nothing close appears, the name is probably available — but only the Secretary of State's review of your actual filing is definitive.

Indiana's name rules

Naming rules for all Indiana entities sit in IC 23-0.5-3 of the Indiana Uniform Business Organizations Code. LLCs themselves are governed by the Indiana Business Flexibility Act (IC 23-18).

Designator. Under IC 23-0.5-3-2(d), the name must contain the phrase "limited liability company" or the abbreviation "L.L.C." or "LLC."

Distinguishable. Under IC 23-0.5-3-1(a), your name must be distinguishable on the records of the Secretary of State from:

  1. The name of any existing domestic filing entity
  2. The name of a domestic entity that has not been administratively dissolved for more than 120 days
  3. The name of any foreign entity registered to do business in Indiana
  4. Any name reserved under IC 23-0.5-3-3
  5. Any assumed name registered with the Secretary of State

Another entity can consent in writing to your use of its name — except that consent can never be given for a reserved name.

Differences that do not count. IC 23-0.5-3-1(c) says entity-type words are ignored when the state decides whether two names are distinguishable. The list includes "corporation," "Inc.," "company," "Co.," "Limited," "Ltd.," and — importantly — "limited liability company," "LLC," and "L.L.C." themselves. Swapping "LLC" for "L.L.C.," or adding "Company," does not turn a taken name into an available one.

Government names are banned. A name may not falsely indicate or imply that the business is, or is connected with, a government agency of Indiana, another state, or the United States — and the Secretary of State may remove a violating name from the record (IC 23-0.5-3-1(e)–(f)). Words tied to regulated industries, such as banking, may be routed to that industry's regulator for approval — check with the Business Services Division before building a name around one.

Reserving a name. Indiana allows name reservations under IC 23-0.5-3-3 for 120 days at a time, renewable for additional 120-day periods, filed electronically through INBiz. The reservation fee is reported as $10 — confirm the current fee in INBiz before you rely on it. A reservation is optional; it does not establish an LLC.

What the search can't tell you

If the name looks available

File Articles of Organization (State Form 49459) with the Business Services Division, online through INBiz at inbiz.in.gov, or by mail or in person on the paper form.

Ongoing: the Business Entity Report — every two years, not every year.

FAQ

Is the Indiana LLC name search free? Yes. The INBiz Business Search at bsd.sos.in.gov is free and requires no login or account.

What is the difference between Contains, Starts With, and Exact Match? Contains finds your words anywhere in a name, Starts With finds names that begin the same way, and Exact Match finds only the identical name. Run Contains first — it catches the most conflicts.

Can an assumed name (DBA) block my Indiana LLC name? Yes. Under IC 23-0.5-3-1, your name is tested against registered assumed names as well as legal entity names, reserved names, and entities dissolved within the last 120 days.

How much does it cost to form an Indiana LLC? $95 filed online through INBiz, or $100 by mail on State Form 49459.

When is the Indiana Business Entity Report due? Every two years, in the anniversary month of your formation. It costs $31 online or $50 by mail, and an LLC whose report is five months overdue is administratively dissolved.

Sources

Run the check now

Use the workflow tool below — it is pre-set to Indiana and builds your printable checklist with the official links.

Name-Check Workflow Tool

Pick your state, choose your entity type, and type the name you want. The tool builds your step-by-step checklist — the official search, the trademark check, the domain check, and your filing options. It runs entirely in your browser; nothing you type is sent anywhere.