How to search and claim an LLC name in Iowa
- Search Iowa's official entity records at no cost, leaving “LLC” off the name.
- Make sure the name ends with one of Iowa's accepted endings, such as “Limited Liability Company” or “Limited Company”.
- Hold the name with a $10 reservation for 120 days if you need time before filing.
- File the Certificate of Organization with the Iowa Secretary of State for $50.
- Note the recurring report so the LLC stays in good standing: $30 online every two years ($45 on paper).
What an Iowa LLC name must include
Iowa accepts these endings for a limited liability company:
- Limited Liability Company
- Limited Company
- L.L.C.
- LLC
- L.C.
- LC
If a word in your LLC's name can only be used with another Iowa agency's approval, that approval has to be obtained and certified to the Secretary of State before the name is accepted (Iowa Code § 489.112(5)). A professional LLC chooses from its own endings: Professional Limited Company, Professional Limited Liability Company, P.L.C., PLC, P.L.L.C. or PLLC. Within the regular endings, “Ltd.” may be used for “Limited” and “Co.” for “Company”.
How Iowa decides two names are the same
Iowa looks past the ending and words like LLC, Inc. or cooperative. Your LLC's name then has to differ from every entity on record, and that includes companies administratively dissolved in the past five years. It also has to differ from LLPs, foreign businesses registered in Iowa, names that are reserved or registered, and fictitious names on file with the Secretary of State (Iowa Code § 489.112(2), (4)).
Where the rules are written. Iowa Code § 489.112 (permitted names); § 489.113 (reservation); § 490.401 (corporations).
Searching for an LLC name in Iowa
Searching Iowa's business entity records is free online. Read every result, including dissolved companies: a name dissolved administratively stays off limits for five years afterward.
Open the official Iowa 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.
Checked against 348,441 Iowa names. When Iowa is selected, the LLC name check also looks your name up in our copy of “Active Iowa Business Entities”, published by the Iowa Secretary of State and last updated October 7, 2026. Matches come back in three lists: the same words, longer names that open with yours, and names starting with the same two words. Each shows the entity's type, status and number. The state's own search is still the final word, since its records move ahead of our copy.
Holding the name: Iowa LLC name reservation
To hold an LLC name, pay $10 for a 120-day reservation (Iowa Code § 489.113), filed through Fast Track Filing online or on paper. Iowa doesn't require a reservation before forming, so this step is only for when you need time.
Forming the LLC in Iowa
File a Certificate of Organization to form the LLC; the fee is $50, and Fast Track Filing takes it online.
File the Certificate of Organization online
Iowa LLCs report every two years, in odd-numbered years, between January 1 and April 1: $30 when filed online, $45 on paper. There's no franchise tax and no newspaper notice. A Certificate of Existence, sometimes called a Certificate of Standing, costs $5 and prints online.
When the LLC trades under another name
To trade under a fictitious name, the LLC adopts it by a resolution of its members or managers and files a certified copy of that resolution with the Secretary of State (Iowa Code § 489.112(8)). Sole proprietors are different: their trade names are generally filed with a county recorder, although no official page we checked confirmed that.
Sources
- Business entity forms and fees, sos.iowa.gov, checked 2026-10-07
- legis.iowa.gov, checked 2026-10-07
- legis.iowa.gov, checked 2026-10-07
- legis.iowa.gov, checked 2026-10-07
- legis.iowa.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 Iowa have the same name?
No. Iowa 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 Iowa?
120 days, for $10.
Does a new Iowa LLC have to publish a notice?
No. Iowa has no newspaper publication requirement for LLCs.
How much is the Iowa LLC filing fee?
$50, paid when you file the Certificate of Organization.