How to search and claim an LLC name in Delaware
- Search Delaware's official entity records (free to search; $10 for current status or $20 for status with filing history), leaving “LLC” off the name.
- Make sure the name ends with one of Delaware's accepted endings, such as “Limited Liability Company” or “L.L.C.”
- Hold the name with a $75 reservation for 120 days if you need time before filing.
- File the Certificate of Formation with the Delaware Division of Corporations for $110.
What a Delaware LLC name must include
Delaware accepts these endings for a limited liability company:
- Limited Liability Company
- L.L.C.
- LLC
The one word Delaware keeps out of LLC names is “bank”, in any variation, unless the LLC is a supervised bank or bank-related company or the word plainly has nothing to do with banking (6 Del. C. § 18-102(5)). The statute expressly allows several words that might look off limits: an LLC name may include Company, Association, Club, Foundation, Fund, Institute, Society, Union, Syndicate, Limited, Public Benefit or Trust, and the name of a member or manager.
How Delaware decides two names are the same
On the state's records, an LLC name has to be told apart from every corporation, partnership, limited partnership, statutory trust, LLC and registered series, including foreign ones qualified in Delaware. There's a way around a clash: with the other entity's written consent on file, an indistinguishable name can be used (6 Del. C. § 18-102(3)).
Where the rules are written. 6 Del. C. § 18-102 (LLC); 8 Del. C. § 102(a)(1) (corporations).
Searching for an LLC name in Delaware
The free search gives the basics only: name, file number, formation date and registered agent. Current status costs $10, and $20 adds the last 5 filings and the tax assessment. To test a name you haven't filed, use the free name availability check instead.
Open the official Delaware 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.
Holding the name: Delaware LLC name reservation
Holding a Delaware LLC name for 120 days costs $75; moving the reservation to someone else or cancelling it is another $75. File it through the online name reservation application or the Document Filing and Certificate Request Service.
File a Delaware name reservation
Forming the LLC in Delaware
The Certificate of Formation costs $110, plus $50 for 24-hour or $100 for same-day handling if you need it sooner. Delaware takes it as an uploaded document through its Document Filing and Certificate Request Service, not as an online form.
File the Certificate of Formation online
Delaware asks no annual report of an LLC. It does charge an annual LLC tax, now $400 (it used to be $300), payable by June 1 for the year before, with a $200 penalty and 1.5% monthly interest if late, and no proration for part years. No newspaper publication is required. A Certificate of Good Standing is $50 in short form, or $175 in long form for a domestic LLC.
When the LLC trades under another name
An LLC that trades under another name now registers it with the Division of Revenue on Delaware One Stop, the single statewide DBA system in place since February 2, 2026. The registration is $25 and needs a Delaware business license.
Sources
- corp.delaware.gov, checked 2026-10-07
- August fee2026 (PDF), corpfiles.delaware.gov, checked 2026-10-07
- Alt entitytaxinstructions, corp.delaware.gov, checked 2026-10-07
- Onlinestatus, corp.delaware.gov, checked 2026-10-07
- delcode.delaware.gov, checked 2026-10-07
- delcode.delaware.gov, checked 2026-10-07
- Trade names faqs, revenue.delaware.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 Delaware have the same name?
No. Delaware accepts a new LLC name only if it can be told apart from every name on its record.
How long can I hold an LLC name in Delaware?
120 days, for $75.
Does a new Delaware LLC have to publish a notice?
No. Delaware has no newspaper publication requirement for LLCs.
How much is the Delaware LLC filing fee?
$110, paid when you file the Certificate of Formation.