How to search and claim an LLC name in Minnesota
- Search Minnesota's official entity records at no cost, leaving “LLC” off the name.
- Make sure the name ends with one of Minnesota's accepted endings, such as “Limited Liability Company” or “LLC”.
- Hold the name with a $35 reservation for 1 year if you need time before filing.
- File the Articles of Organization with the Minnesota Secretary of State for $135.
- Note the recurring report so the LLC stays in good standing: free annual renewal each year (by Dec 31).
What a Minnesota LLC name must include
Minnesota accepts these endings for a limited liability company:
- Limited Liability Company
- LLC
Leave corporate words out of a Minnesota LLC name: “corporation”, “incorporated” and their abbreviations are barred, as is any word suggesting a purpose that isn't permitted. It also has to use English, or at least the English alphabet (Minn. Stat. § 322C.0108 subd. 1). Minnesota's LLC endings are “limited liability company” and “LLC”, and professional firms follow § 319B.05.
How Minnesota decides two names are the same
The comparison is wide. Your LLC's name must be distinguishable from every LLC, LLP, corporation and limited partnership on file, domestic or foreign, profit or nonprofit, and from reserved names and assumed names and marks, with the Secretary of State as the judge (§ 322C.0108). A clash isn't always final: the holder's written consent, a court judgment, or a sworn statement that the holder hasn't filed anything in three years and was sent notice by certified mail can clear it. A dissolved entity's name stays held for a year if it was dissolved for not renewing (§ 5.35).
Where the rules are written. Minn. Stat. § 322C.0108 (LLC name); § 322C.0109 (reservation); § 333.01 et seq. (assumed names).
Searching for an LLC name in Minnesota
Minnesota's online business filings search is free. Read beyond LLCs: corporations, partnerships and assumed names all count against a new LLC name.
Open the official Minnesota 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: Minnesota LLC name reservation
A reservation holds an LLC name for a full year (§ 322C.0109). We could confirm only the general $35 filing fee, not a reservation-specific fee.
This fee couldn't be matched to a current official fee page, so ask the Minnesota Secretary of State to confirm it before paying.
File a Minnesota name reservation
Forming the LLC in Minnesota
Articles of Organization carry a $135 statutory fee (Minn. Stat. § 322C.0201(a)); what the online portal charges in total, with any handling fee, couldn't be confirmed.
File the Articles of Organization online
Minnesota's yearly filing is a free annual renewal, due by December 31 starting the year after formation (§ 322C.0208). There's no franchise tax and no newspaper notice for forming an LLC. A Certificate of Good Standing can be ordered through the Secretary of State's online portal.
When the LLC trades under another name
To trade under another name, an LLC files a certificate of assumed name with the Secretary of State ($30 under § 333.055 subd. 3), then publishes it for two successive issues in a qualified newspaper in the county of its principal or registered office. The assumed name must be renewed each year at no charge; reinstatement costs $25.
Sources
- revisor.mn.gov, checked 2026-10-07
- revisor.mn.gov, checked 2026-10-07
- revisor.mn.gov, checked 2026-10-07
- revisor.mn.gov, checked 2026-10-07
- revisor.mn.gov, checked 2026-10-07
- revisor.mn.gov, checked 2026-10-07
- revisor.mn.gov, checked 2026-10-07
- revisor.mn.gov, checked 2026-10-07
- Forming a limited liability company, sos.mn.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 Minnesota have the same name?
No. Minnesota 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 Minnesota?
1 year, for $35.
Does a new Minnesota LLC have to publish a notice?
No. Minnesota has no newspaper publication requirement for LLCs.
How much is the Minnesota LLC filing fee?
$135, paid when you file the Articles of Organization.