The official search
The registry is run by the New Jersey Department of the Treasury, Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services (DORES).
- Search page: https://www.njportal.com/DOR/BusinessNameSearch/
- Cost: Free
- Login: None required
The database covers corporations, LLCs, limited partnerships, LLPs, and nonprofits formed or authorized to do business in New Jersey. Sole proprietors and general partnerships do not register a business name with DORES — they file a trade name with the county clerk — while LLCs and corporations that operate under a different name register an "alternate name" with DORES instead.
New Jersey is unusual in offering a real availability mode: the Available Names search determines whether a name is available to be used in the state's Business Formations service. That is a stronger signal than most states give, but DORES still makes the final determination when your Certificate of Formation is reviewed.
The free search is a name lookup, not a proof of standing. If you need to show that an existing company is in good standing, DORES sells that separately: a status report costs $5 (plus a $1.25 online convenience fee), and a short-form standing certificate for an LLC costs $50.
Step by step
- Open the Business Name Search at njportal.com and read the Search Guidelines — they explain the two modes before you start.
- Start with Search for Available Names. Enter the exact name you want, including "LLC." This mode answers the formation question: can this name be used to form and register a new business?
- Then run Search for Registered Businesses with the same name, and again with the most distinctive word in it. This mode returns every matching entity regardless of status or availability — it shows you who is out there, including inactive and similar names the availability mode may not spell out.
- Check close matches one by one. New Jersey tests your name against every entity on file, not just LLCs, so look at corporations, partnerships, and reserved names in the results too.
- If the Available Names search clears your name and no close conflict appears, the name is probably available — and you can move straight into the Business Formations service, which uses the same availability result. DORES's review of your actual filing is still the final word.
New Jersey's name rules
The rules are in N.J.S.A. 42:2C-8 of the Revised Uniform Limited Liability Company Act.
Designator. The name must contain "limited liability company" or the abbreviation "L.L.C." or "LLC." Within that phrase, "Limited" may be shortened to "Ltd." and "company" to "Co." — but those abbreviations do not replace the LLC designator itself.
Distinguishable. The name must be distinguishable in the records of the filing office from:
- The name of every other non-individual entity incorporated, organized, or authorized to transact business in New Jersey — corporations, LLCs, and partnerships alike
- Every name reserved under N.J.S.A. 42:2C-10
Restricted words. The name may not contain any word or phrase whose use is prohibited or restricted by another New Jersey statute, unless you have met that statute's conditions. The restrictions live in the banking, insurance, and professional-licensing laws rather than in the LLC statute itself, so a name that implies a regulated business can require that regulator's approval first.
Consent exception. A name that is not distinguishable can still be authorized if the existing holder consents in a signed record and agrees to change its own name, or if you deliver a certified copy of a court judgment establishing your right to use the name. In practice, most founders simply pick a different name.
Reserving a name. New Jersey allows name reservations under N.J.S.A. 42:2C-10: $50 for 120 days. A reservation is optional — it holds the name for your exclusive use while you prepare, but it does not establish an LLC.
What the search can't tell you
- County trade names. A sole proprietor's trade name filed with a county clerk is a county record, not a DORES record, so it will not surface the way a state-registered name does.
- Official standing. The free search does not substitute for a status report or standing certificate — if a bank or landlord needs proof a company is active and current, that document costs extra.
- Trademarks and domains. The search says nothing about federal trademark rights or .com availability. A name can be available with DORES and still infringe someone's trademark.
- A guaranteed approval. The Available Names result feeds the formation service, but DORES's review of your filing is definitive.
If the name looks available
File a Certificate of Formation (the state's Public Records Filing for New Business Entity) with DORES, online through the New Jersey Business Formation service at njportal.com, or on paper.
- Cost: $100. Watch out for stale information here: the fee was $125 until it was reduced in 2026, many older guides still quote $125, and even the state's older paper-form instructions print the old figure. The current DORES fee schedule lists the Certificate of Formation at $100.
- What the certificate needs: under N.J.S.A. 42:2C-18, essentially your LLC's name and the name and address of its registered agent and registered office.
- Then file Form NJ-REG. Formation is a two-step process in New Jersey: after the certificate, you file the NJ-REG tax and employer registration, which produces your Business Registration Certificate. Skipping it leaves the job half done.
Ongoing: the annual report.
- Fee: $75 per year.
- Due date: Business.NJ.gov, the state's business portal, sets the deadline as the last day of your anniversary month — the month your LLC was formed. Form in March, and your report is due by March 31 every year. Every New Jersey business has its own date; there is no single statewide deadline.
- Late consequences: New Jersey publishes no dollar late fee for a late report. The risk is administrative instead: the state warns that failure to file can result in revocation of your business, and missing reports year after year can land the LLC on the inactive list, requiring reinstatement ($75 on the DORES fee schedule, plus all back reports) to restore it.
FAQ
Is the New Jersey LLC name search free? Yes. The Business Name Search is free and requires no login, in both of its modes.
What is the difference between "Registered Businesses" and "Available Names"? Registered Businesses shows every entity that matches, regardless of status or whether the name could be reused. Available Names determines whether a name is available for a new formation. Use the second for the availability question and the first to see all the near-matches.
Who runs business registration in New Jersey — is there a Secretary of State search? No. Business entities register with the Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services (DORES) in the Department of the Treasury, and the search lives at njportal.com.
How much does it cost to form a New Jersey LLC? The Certificate of Formation filing fee is $100 on the current DORES fee schedule (reduced from $125 in 2026). After formation you also file Form NJ-REG for tax and employer registration.
When is the New Jersey LLC annual report due? Every year by the last day of your anniversary month, for a $75 fee. There is no published dollar late fee, but continued failure to file can lead to revocation.
Sources
- New Jersey DORES — Business Name Search: https://www.njportal.com/DOR/BusinessNameSearch/
- New Jersey DORES — Registry Fee Schedules: https://www.nj.gov/treasury/revenue/fees.shtml
- New Jersey DORES — Getting Registered: https://www.nj.gov/treasury/revenue/gettingregistered.shtml
- N.J.S.A. 42:2C-8 (LLC name rules): https://codes.findlaw.com/nj/title-42-partnerships-and-partnership-associations/nj-st-sect-42-2c-8/
- N.J.S.A. 42:2C-10 (Reservation of name): https://law.justia.com/codes/new-jersey/title-42/section-42-2c-10/