Check LLC Name

Home › State Guides › South Carolina

How to Check If an LLC Name Is Available in South Carolina

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

The short answer

Short answer: South Carolina's official search is Business Entities Online on the Secretary of State's business filings site. It is free and needs no login. The trap: South Carolina charges no annual report and no annual fee for a standard LLC — but that is only true if your LLC is taxed as a partnership or disregarded entity. Elect corporate taxation and your annual reporting quietly moves to the Department of Revenue.

The official search

The registry is run by the South Carolina Secretary of State through its Business Entities Online system.

The database covers corporations, limited liability companies, limited partnerships, LLPs, nonprofits, and foreign entities registered with the Secretary of State. Sole proprietorships and general partnerships do not appear — they never file with the Secretary of State.

There is no separate "name availability" tool that answers yes or no. The search page itself tells you how it works: results show entities that contain your search criteria. You judge availability from those results, and the Secretary of State makes the final distinguishability decision when your Articles of Organization or a name reservation is reviewed.

A results list shows the entities whose names contain your search text. Clicking a result opens the business's official profile, which shows its legal name, entity type, status, formation date, registered agent, and filing history. The record does not publish who owns the company — the Secretary of State does not keep a list of an LLC's members or managers for you to look up.

Step by step

  1. Open Business Entities Online and go to the Business Name Search.
  2. Type your proposed name without "LLC." Because the search is a contains search, leaving the designator off avoids missing records that punctuate it differently.
  3. Search the most distinctive part of the name. A contains search on a common word ("Carolina," "Services") returns a long list; a distinctive word or phrase keeps the list reviewable.
  4. Read every result, not just LLCs. South Carolina tests your name against corporations, limited partnerships, and other companies too, so a conflict can come from any entity type on the list.
  5. Try a shorter fragment and a spelling variant. Contains matching only finds the exact text you type, so a near-identical name built on different words can slip past a single search.
  6. If nothing close appears, the name is probably available — but only the Secretary of State's review of your actual filing is definitive.

South Carolina's name rules

The rules are in S.C. Code §33-44-105 of the South Carolina Uniform Limited Liability Company Act of 1996.

Designator. The name must contain "limited liability company" or "limited company," or the abbreviation "L.L.C.", "LLC", "L.C.", or "LC". ("Limited" may be shortened to "Ltd." and "company" to "Co.")

Distinguishable. The name must be distinguishable upon the records of the Secretary of State from:

  1. The name of any corporation, limited partnership, or company incorporated, organized, or authorized to transact business in South Carolina
  2. A name reserved under §33-44-106 or registered under §33-44-107
  3. A fictitious name approved for a foreign LLC whose real name is unavailable

There are narrow exceptions: the Secretary of State can authorize a name that is not distinguishable if the existing holder consents in writing and undertakes to change its name, or if a court judgment establishes your right to the name. A company can also take the name of a business it merged with or acquired.

Reserving a name. Under §33-44-106 you can reserve a name before you file. The fee set in the statute's fee schedule (§33-44-1204) is $25, and the reservation lasts 120 days. Two catches: it is nonrenewable — when the 120 days run out, the hold is gone — and online filers report the checkout adds an electronic records charge on top of state fees, so confirm the final total on screen before paying. A reservation is optional; filing your Articles is what actually creates the LLC.

What the search can't tell you

If the name looks available

File Articles of Organization with the Secretary of State, online through Business Entities Online or by mail on the paper form (§§33-44-202, 33-44-203).

Ongoing: for most LLCs, nothing at all. South Carolina is one of the few states with no annual report and no annual fee for an LLC taxed as a partnership or disregarded entity — the Secretary of State collects nothing from you year to year, which makes South Carolina one of the cheapest states in the country to keep an LLC alive.

The exception matters: if your LLC elects to be taxed as a corporation, it files an annual report with its South Carolina corporate tax return through the Department of Revenue, along with the corporate license fee, instead. So "no annual report" describes the default LLC, not every LLC. Either way, keep your registered agent and address current with the Secretary of State — administrative dissolution still exists for companies that fall out of compliance, and reinstating costs $25.

FAQ

Is the South Carolina LLC name search free? Yes. Business Entities Online is free and requires no login or account to search.

How much does it cost to form a South Carolina LLC? The Articles of Organization fee is $110 by statute. Filing online is commonly reported to total $125 with the state's electronic records charge.

Does a South Carolina LLC file an annual report? Not with the Secretary of State, as long as it is taxed as a partnership or disregarded entity. An LLC that elects corporate taxation files an annual report through the Department of Revenue with its corporate tax return.

Can I reserve my LLC name in South Carolina? Yes. A name reservation costs $25 and holds the name for 120 days — but it is nonrenewable, so be ready to file before it expires.

My name search came back clear. Is the name guaranteed mine? No. The search is a contains match over existing records, and the Secretary of State makes the final distinguishability call when your filing is reviewed.

Sources

Run the check now

Use the workflow tool below — it is pre-set to South Carolina 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.