Before founding a Kentucky LLC, all companies should do a Kentucky business search.
In this KY Secretary of State Business Search tutorial, we’ll teach you how to verify LLC name availability.
Go Ahead:
Use the Kentucky Naming Guidelines.
Perform a Kentucky Business Name Search and Look for Available Domain Names
Make a Reservation for Your Kentucky Business Entity Name
Table of Contents
1. Follow Kentucky Naming Guidelines for Entities
Before finishing your business name search, we suggest double-checking that your company name complies with the standards.
The first and most significant step in forming your LLC is deciding on a name. Make sure your name conforms with Kentucky naming regulations and is readily searched by prospective customers.
Please adhere to the following naming guidelines:
The word “limited liability corporation” or one of its acronyms must be in your name (LLC or L.L.C.).
Your LLC’s name cannot include terms that may be confused with a government organisation (FBI, Treasury, State Department, etc.).
Restricted terms (e.g., bank, attorney, university) may need extra documentation and the participation of a licenced professional, such as a doctor or lawyer, in your LLC.
2. Conduct a search for Kentucky business names.
Before submitting your name reservation request, you may verify the availability of your selected name using the Kentucky Business Name Search. Enter the entity name you want to use, avoiding identifiers like “LLC,” to conduct the most successful search. This will return any entities with names that are the same or similar.
If your corporate entity name is more than two words long, you may limit your search to the first two words to guarantee you find all potential comparable names.
3. Look for Available Domain Names
Another crucial factor to consider when choosing a company name is if the desired web domain name is available. It is critical to have a URL that properly reflects your company name. This apparently little activity may have a significant impact on how potential clients locate your company.
4. Reserve the name of your Kentucky business entity.
All LLC name inquiries and requests are handled by the Kentucky Secretary of State’s Business Services Division. Business names may be reserved for a period of 120 days.
You must complete an application by mail to reserve a business organisation name. There is no possibility to order online. To prevent rejection, undertake a thorough search before submitting your application.
You must pay a filing fee while reserving your name. To file, checks must be made payable to the “Kentucky State Treasurer.”
Other Factors to Consider
While reserving the name for your Kentucky LLC is simple, there are a few additional factors to consider while deciding on the right name for your company. You should do a Trademark and Social Media search for your name to check whether it is available for usage on the internet. This can assist guarantee that you have complete and unlimited usage of your company’s name.
Search for a Trademark
Before registering your company name and related slogans or emblems, do a trademark search to avoid potential expensive lawsuits. The discovery that another entity has trademarked your company name does not immediately exclude you from utilising it.
However, it is critical to understand who is using the name, what sector they are in, and where they are situated in order to avoid unwittingly infringing on anyone’s intellectual property rights.
To finish this step:
Search Kentucky’s trademark records to determine whether your company’s name or any related slogans, logos, or other identifiers are already in use by another company in your state.
Search the digitised records of the United States Patent and Trademark Office for any federally registered trademarks linked with the name of your business organisation.
Search on Social Media
Finding a domain name that matches your company is just as vital, if not more important, than assuring the availability of your business name for usage across social media platforms. Simply search your company name on each major website, or use a service like Namecheckr to search across all platforms at once online.
In conclusion
Choosing a name for your company is a vital first step in forming a successful Kentucky LLC, and it is a simple process. You’ll want to acquire your domain name after you’ve discovered your desired name utilising the Kentucky Secretary of State Business Search so that your consumers can find you online. Using an Application for Reservation of Name to reserve your entity name can help you stand out from the crowd. With your name acquired, you may proceed to the following stages in forming your Kentucky LLC.
