How to search and claim an LLC name in Alabama
- Search Alabama's official entity records at no cost, leaving “LLC” off the name.
- Make sure the name ends with one of Alabama's accepted endings, such as “Limited Liability Company” or “L.L.C.”
- Hold the name with a $28 online ($25 by mail) reservation for 1 year, which Alabama requires before the LLC is formed.
- File the Certificate of Formation with the Alabama Secretary of State for $200.
- Note the recurring report so the LLC stays in good standing: business privilege tax return each year (no separate report).
What an Alabama LLC name must include
Alabama accepts these endings for a limited liability company:
- Limited Liability Company
- L.L.C.
- LLC
Some words bring paperwork with them. An LLC whose name signals banking files with a letter from the Alabama Banking Commissioner's office; for insurance, the letter comes from the Insurance Commissioner's office. Professional words like “engineering” or “attorney” call for a copy of an Alabama license held by a member or officer, or a letter from the agency that oversees the profession.
How Alabama decides two names are the same
The Secretary of State sets the ending aside when it compares, so an LLC can't take a name that differs from an existing entity's only by “LLC”, “Inc.” or a similar term (Ala. Code § 10A-1-5.03).
Where the rules are written. Ala. Code Title 10A, Chapter 1, Article 5 (§ 10A-1-5.06 LLC names; § 10A-1-5.04 corporations; § 10A-1-5.03 distinguishability).
Searching for an LLC name in Alabama
Alabama's Business Entity Records search costs nothing to use. Follow the Secretary of State's own advice: enter just the name, with no LLC and no punctuation.
Open the official Alabama entity search
Leave the ending off when you search, so every version of the name shows up, then compare each result word by word. If one matches apart from spacing, punctuation or a plural, change a real word in your name.
Live from Alabama's records. Pick Alabama in the LLC name check and it runs your words through the Alabama Secretary of State's Business Entity Records when you submit, then lists the registered names that share them, longer ones that open with them, and those starting with the same two words.
Holding the name: Alabama LLC name reservation
Every new Alabama LLC starts with a reserved name: the Certificate of Name Reservation must exist before the Certificate of Formation is filed (Ala. Code § 10A-1-4.02(f)). Expect $28 online, processed in real time by credit card, or $25 by mail or courier. The hold lasts a year, and a $25 renewal filed before it lapses extends it by another year.
File an Alabama name reservation
Forming the LLC in Alabama
The Certificate of Formation costs $200 (Ala. Code § 10A-1-4.31), and the reservation fee comes on top of it, since the reserved name has to exist first.
File the Certificate of Formation online
Alabama doesn't ask LLCs for an annual report to the Secretary of State. The yearly filing goes to the Department of Revenue: the Business Privilege Tax Return and Annual Report (Form PPT), due with the federal income tax return. The very first return is Form BPT-IN, filed no later than two and a half months after the LLC is organized. The privilege tax is figured on net worth, and for tax years beginning after December 31, 2023, an amount of $100 or less is exempt with no return to file.
When the LLC trades under another name
There's no assumed-name filing for an Alabama LLC to make. The closest option is registering the second name as a trade name under state trademark law with the Secretary of State, which costs $30 and lasts five years.
Sources
- Llcs, sos.alabama.gov, checked 2026-10-07
- Business entity records, sos.alabama.gov, checked 2026-10-07
- Fee schedule (PDF), sos.alabama.gov, checked 2026-10-07
- Domestic entity name reservation (PDF), sos.alabama.gov, checked 2026-10-07
- Name reservation renewal (PDF), sos.alabama.gov, checked 2026-10-07
- Certificateof existence (PDF), sos.alabama.gov, checked 2026-10-07
- Trademarks, sos.alabama.gov, checked 2026-10-07
- Domestic business entities brochure 2022 (PDF), sos.alabama.gov, checked 2026-10-07
- Alabama business privilege tax and corporate share tax, revenue.alabama.gov, checked 2026-10-07
These are the official pages behind every fact above. If one of them now says something different, it's right and this page is out of date.
Common questions
Can two LLCs in Alabama have the same name?
No. Alabama accepts a new LLC name only if it can be told apart from every name on its record. Adding or changing an ending such as “LLC” doesn't make a name different.
How long can I hold an LLC name in Alabama?
1 year, for $28 online ($25 by mail). In Alabama the reservation comes first: it's required before the LLC is formed.
Does a new Alabama LLC have to publish a notice?
No. Alabama has no newspaper publication requirement for LLCs.
How much is the Alabama LLC filing fee?
$200, paid when you file the Certificate of Formation.