The official search
The registry is run by the Utah Department of Commerce, Division of Corporations and Commercial Code.
- Search page: https://commerce.utah.gov/corporations/searches/
- Cost: Free
- Login: None required to search (filing requires a UtahID account)
That searches page links two tools you need, and they do different jobs. Business Name Availability is the quick check: enter a name and see whether it appears to be available. Business Entity Search is the full records search, where you can inspect existing businesses, view the principal individuals associated with them, and get an official Certificate of Existence. The Division's own advice is to use both — the availability search for a first verdict, and the entity search to hunt for similar names yourself.
The database covers LLCs, corporations, limited partnerships, LLPs, assumed names (DBAs — Utah files these at the state level, unlike many states), and registered trademarks and service marks. Whatever the availability tool says, the Division is explicit: a name "is deemed available only upon final approval" of your filing.
An entity record shows the legal name, entity type, entity number, status, registration date, registered agent, and principal address. Unusually, Utah's public record also shows principal individuals associated with a business — there is even a separate Registered Principal Search that finds businesses by person.
Step by step
- Open the Division's Searches page and choose Business Name Availability. Enter your proposed name, with its designator, exactly as you would file it.
- Note the verdict — then don't stop there. The Division describes this tool as a basic search only. An "appears available" result is a starting point, not a clearance.
- Open the Business Entity Search and search the same name without "LLC." Compare every close match yourself: same words in a different order, creative spellings, and names in related fields.
- Search your most distinctive word on its own. This is how you catch conflicts built on the same key word with different filler around it.
- Run the Division's Trademark Search too. Because Utah tests LLC names against registered trademarks and service marks, a mark — not a company — can be the thing that blocks you.
- Check the assumed names in the results. DBA names are registered with the Division statewide and are part of the distinguishability test, so a sole proprietor's DBA can block your LLC name.
- If nothing conflicting appears, the name is probably available — but only the Division's approval of your Certificate of Organization is final.
Utah's name rules
The rules are in Utah Code § 48-3a-108, applied under the Division's published name-availability policies.
Designator — Utah is the most permissive state in the country. 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." So "L.C." is a complete, legal alternative to "LLC" here.
Distinguishable. The name must be distinguishable upon the Division's records from (1) the actual name, reserved name, or fictitious or assumed name of any entity registered with the Division, and (2) any tradename, trademark, or service mark registered with the Division. That second category is Utah's standout rule — in most states a trademark registration alone cannot block an LLC filing.
What counts as distinguishable. A name is distinguishable if it contains one or more different words, letters, or numerals. Under the Division's policies, that means a different key word (any word other than articles, prepositions, conjunctions, or entity identifiers), the same key words in a different order, a creative or unusual spelling, or key words with a markedly different meaning in context.
Differences that do not count. Swapping only the entity designator ("corp.," "corporation," "Inc.," "incorporated," and similar terms), changing articles, punctuation or special characters, capitalization, or singular/plural forms does not make a name distinguishable.
Consent exception. If the holder of a conflicting name consents in writing under § 48-3a-108(3), the Division can approve a name that would otherwise be too close.
Restricted words and banned implications. Some words need another agency's written consent before you can file — for example, Olympic-related terms require the U.S. Olympic Committee, and banking words require the Department of Financial Institutions. And the Division may not approve any name that falsely implies your LLC is a government agency.
Reserving a name. If you are not ready to file, the Division will reserve a name for 120 days through the business registration system (you will need a UtahID login). The reservation fee is reported as $22 — confirm it on the Division's current fee schedule before filing. Do not reserve if your formation papers are ready: the Division explicitly warns against filing a reservation in conjunction with the entity filing itself.
What the search can't tell you
- A final verdict. The availability tool is, in the Division's words, "just a basic search." Approval happens when the Division reviews your Certificate of Organization.
- Names that aren't in the system yet. The Division warns its check cannot reveal filings that are registered but not yet processed into the database — someone may have beaten you to the name yesterday — and unregistered users never appear at all.
- Federal trademarks and domains. Utah's check covers state-registered marks. It says nothing about USPTO trademarks or .com availability.
If the name looks available
File a Certificate of Organization with the Division of Corporations — note the document's name, because Utah does not use "Articles of Organization." File online through the state business registration system (UtahID login required) or on the Division's form.
- Cost: $59, nonrefundable, per the Division's official filing instructions and fee schedule.
Ongoing: the annual report / renewal.
- Fee: $18 per year — among the cheapest in the country.
- Due date: one year from your registration date, and every year after — in practice, during your anniversary month. The renewal window opens 60 days before the anniversary, and the Division mails a renewal-notice postcard to your registered agent.
- Late fee: $10. Miss the renewal and you will get a delinquency notice, then an expiration notice; continued failure leads toward administrative dissolution — the Division begins that process once a renewal is seriously overdue (reported at more than 60 days; confirm the current timeline with the Division). One money-saver: changes to your registration information are free when filed with your renewal, but cost $17 if filed at any other time of year.
FAQ
Is the Utah LLC name search free? Yes. Both the Business Name Availability search and the Business Entity Search are free and require no login. You need a UtahID account only when you file documents.
Who runs business filings in Utah — is there a Secretary of State? No. Utah business registrations are handled by the Department of Commerce, Division of Corporations and Commercial Code. Any guide sending you to a "Utah Secretary of State" is wrong.
Can a trademark block my Utah LLC name? Yes — at the state level. Utah Code § 48-3a-108 tests your name against tradenames, trademarks, and service marks registered with the Division, in addition to entity and assumed names. Run the Division's Trademark Search as part of your check.
How much does it cost to form a Utah LLC? The Certificate of Organization filing fee is $59. The annual renewal is $18 per year, due in your anniversary month, with a $10 late fee.
Can I use "LC" or "Ltd. Co." instead of "LLC" in Utah? Yes. Utah allows "limited company," "L.C.," and "LC" as full alternatives, and expressly permits "Ltd." for "Limited" and "Co." for "Company" — the broadest designator list of any state.
Sources
- Utah Division of Corporations — Searches (Business Entity Search & Business Name Availability): https://commerce.utah.gov/corporations/searches/
- Utah Division of Corporations — Business Name Information (reservations): https://commerce.utah.gov/corporations/business-entities/business-name-information/
- Utah Division of Corporations — Policies and Procedures for Administering Business Entity Name Availability and Standards: https://commerce.utah.gov/corporations/policies-and-procedures-for-administering-business-entity-name-availability-and-standards/
- Utah Division of Corporations — How to Renew a Business: https://commerce.utah.gov/corporations/faqs/how-to-renew-a-business/
- Utah Code § 48-3a-108 — Permitted names: https://codes.findlaw.com/ut/title-48-partnership-unincorporated-business-entities/ut-code-sect-48-3a-108/