The official search
The registry is run by the Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable Organizations, through TNCaB, the Secretary of State's Charity and Business Filing System.
- Search page: https://tncab.tnsos.gov/business-entity-search
- Cost: Free to search
- Login: None required to search (a TNCaB account is needed to file, not to look)
Caution: Tennessee replaced its older TNBEAR system with TNCaB, but many online guides still describe TNBEAR. If instructions elsewhere don't match what you see, trust the TNCaB screens.
The database covers LLCs, corporations, limited partnerships, LLPs, and foreign entities registered with the Secretary of State, plus assumed names and reserved names filed with the Secretary of State — all of which count when your name is judged (see below). Sole proprietors and partnerships trading under names registered only at the county level do not appear.
There is no separate tool that stamps a name "available." You judge availability from the results, and the Secretary of State decides when your Articles of Organization are processed. A detail record shows the entity's name, control number (the state's ID number for the entity), status, formation date, addresses, registered agent, and filing history.
Step by step
- Open the Business Entity Search in TNCaB and choose a business name search.
- Search your full proposed name without "LLC." Note anything identical or close, in any entity type.
- Search again on the most distinctive word or phrase alone. Tennessee judges your name against assumed and reserved names as well as entity names, so cast the net wider than your exact name.
- Try shorter and variant spellings. Small changes — punctuation, or a singular/plural swap — may not make a name distinguishable. If a near-twin exists, assume it is a problem until the Secretary of State says otherwise.
- If you know a company's control number, the control-number search pulls up that single record directly — useful for verifying a specific competitor.
- If nothing conflicting appears, the name is probably available — but only the Secretary of State's review of your actual filing is definitive.
Tennessee's name rules
The rules are in Tennessee Code Annotated §48-249-106 of the Tennessee Revised Limited Liability Company Act.
Designator. The name must contain "limited liability company" or the abbreviation "LLC" or "L.L.C." Note what is missing: Tennessee does not list "LC" as an option, even though some neighbouring states allow it.
Prohibited terms. An LLC name may not contain "corporation" or "incorporated," or an abbreviation of either. It also may not imply that the LLC does business it needs state authorization to do. Wording tied to regulated industries — banking, trust, and insurance terms are the usual examples — is reported to need the regulator's approval first; confirm before building a name around such a word.
Distinguishable. The name must be distinguishable upon the records of the Secretary of State from the names of or for every other entity — whether true, assumed, reserved, or registered — where that use is evidenced by a filing with the Secretary of State. In plain terms: an assumed name filed by an existing business can block you, just like another LLC can.
The indistinguishable-name exception. Section 48-249-106(c) provides a narrow escape hatch: in limited situations you can apply to use a name that is not distinguishable — for example, where the existing holder consents in writing and agrees to cancel its reservation or change its own name. On Form SS-4270, this route means filing an Application for Use of Indistinguishable Name with an additional $20 fee. Consent alone is not enough.
Reserving a name. Tennessee law provides for reserving a name before you form (§48-249-107), using Form SS-9425. The fee and term are reported as $20 for four months — confirm both on the Secretary of State's current Business Forms & Fees page before relying on them. A reservation only holds a name; it does not form an LLC.
What the search can't tell you
- County-level businesses. A sole proprietor or partnership trading under a name never filed with the Secretary of State will not appear — even if it is actively trading under "your" name locally.
- A final verdict. A clean search is evidence, not approval. The Secretary of State decides when your Articles are processed.
- Trademarks and domains. The search says nothing about federal trademark rights or .com availability.
- Your true formation cost. The search won't ask how many members you have — but Tennessee's fees will. Know your member count before you budget (see below).
If the name looks available
File Articles of Organization (Form SS-4270) with the Secretary of State, online in TNCaB or by mail on the paper form.
- Cost: $50 per member, with a $300 minimum and a $3,000 maximum — the fee printed on Form SS-4270 itself. One to six members all pay the $300 floor; a 10-member LLC pays $500; the cap is reached at 60 members.
- Choose your fiscal year ending month deliberately. The Articles ask for it; leave it blank and the state defaults to December. That one line sets your annual report deadline for the life of the LLC.
Ongoing: the annual report (T.C.A. §48-249-1017).
- Fee: the same per-member structure. The Secretary of State's own FAQ states it plainly: the LLC annual report fee is $300 minimum up to a maximum of $3,000, increasing by an additional $50 per member for every member over six. Budget at least $300 every year.
- Due date: on or before the first day of the fourth month after your fiscal year ends. For a calendar-year LLC — a December year-end, the default — that is April 1. A June year-end would mean October 1. April 1 is not everyone's deadline; it follows from your fiscal year.
- Late filing: Tennessee does not publish a fixed dollar late fee for LLC annual reports in the sources checked for this guide. The real risk is status: failure to file is a ground for administrative dissolution, which can leave your LLC shown as inactive.
Separately, Tennessee LLCs are generally also subject to franchise and excise tax filings with the Department of Revenue — a different return, to a different agency. Do not mistake paying one for having filed the other.
FAQ
Is the Tennessee LLC name search free? Searching the Business Entity Search in TNCaB is free, and you do not need an account to look a name up. You will need a TNCaB account if you go on to file.
How much does it cost to form an LLC in Tennessee? The Articles of Organization (Form SS-4270) fee is $50 per member, with a $300 minimum and a $3,000 maximum. Most small LLCs — six or fewer members — pay $300.
When is the Tennessee LLC annual report due? On or before the first day of the fourth month after your fiscal year ends. For a calendar-year LLC, that is April 1. The fee follows the same per-member structure as formation: $300 minimum, plus $50 per member over six, up to $3,000.
Can an assumed name block my Tennessee LLC name? Yes. Under §48-249-106, your name is tested against true, assumed, reserved, and registered names on the Secretary of State's records — not just other LLC names.
Can I reserve a Tennessee LLC name before forming? Tennessee provides for name reservation under §48-249-107 using Form SS-9425, reported at $20 for four months. Confirm the current fee and term on the Secretary of State's Business Forms & Fees page before filing.
Sources
- Tennessee Secretary of State — Business Entity Search (TNCaB): https://tncab.tnsos.gov/business-entity-search
- Tennessee Secretary of State — Business Forms & Fees: https://sos.tn.gov/businesses/services/business-forms-fees
- Tennessee Secretary of State — Business FAQs (annual report fee): https://sos.tn.gov/businesses/faqs
- Tenn. Code Ann. §48-249-106 (LLC name rules): https://codes.findlaw.com/tn/title-48-corporations-and-associations/tn-code-sect-48-249-106/
- Form SS-4270 — Articles of Organization, Limited Liability Company (filing fee: $50 per member, $300 minimum, $3,000 maximum)