How to search and claim an LLC name in New York
- Search New York's official entity records at no cost, leaving “LLC” off the name.
- Make sure the name ends with one of New York's accepted endings, such as “L.L.C.” or “LLC”.
- Hold the name with a $20 reservation for 60 days (up to two 60-day extensions) if you need time before filing.
- File the Articles of Organization with the New York Department of State (Division of Corporations) for $200.
- Note the recurring report so the LLC stays in good standing: $9 biennial statement every two years.
What a New York LLC name must include
New York accepts these endings for a limited liability company:
- L.L.C.
- LLC
Expect to adjust if your name touches money, professions or schools. Financial and professional words, from annuity, bank and bond to insurance, mortgage, title and trust, need the Superintendent of Financial Services' approval; “doctor” and “lawyer” pass only where they plainly don't refer to practising medicine or law. Corporation, incorporated, partnership, chamber of commerce, board of trade and state trooper are among the words an LLC can't use at all, and education terms like school, kindergarten, college, university, museum and historical society are controlled by the education law (N.Y. LLC Law § 204). New York's endings are “Limited Liability Company”, spelled out, “L.L.C.” or “LLC”.
How New York decides two names are the same
The Department of State keeps one index for domestic entities, foreign entities authorized in New York and reserved names, and an LLC's name must be distinguishable from all of them (N.Y. LLC Law § 204).
Where the rules are written. N.Y. Limited Liability Company Law §§ 204 (name), 205 (reservation), 206 (publication).
Searching for an LLC name in New York
Search the free Corporation and Business Entity Database before anything else. New York's official sites refused direct reading while we researched, so the figures on this page come from search listings of the official pages; check fees with the Department before paying.
Open the official New York 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 4,294,014 New York names. When New York is selected, the LLC name check also looks your name up in our copy of “Active Corporations: Beginning 1800”, published by the New York Department 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: New York LLC name reservation
Reserving an LLC name costs $20 for 60 days, and you can extend it up to twice, 60 days and $20 at a time (§ 205), by filing form DOS-1233-f online, by mail or by fax.
File a New York name reservation
Forming the LLC in New York
Articles of Organization cost $200 to file with the Department of State, and you can file them online.
File the Articles of Organization online
Publication is New York's distinctive extra step. Within 120 days of the articles taking effect, the LLC must have its articles, or a notice of their substance, printed once a week for six weeks running in two newspapers, a daily and a weekly that the clerk of the county where the LLC's office is located designates. The newspapers' affidavits go to the Department of State with a Certificate of Publication and a $50 fee. Skip it and the LLC loses its authority to do business until it complies (§ 206). Every two years after that, in the month the articles were filed, the LLC owes a $9 biennial statement. A Certificate of Status costs $25. Taxes administered by the state's Department of Taxation weren't part of this research.
When the LLC trades under another name
To trade under another name, the LLC registers it with the Department of State on a Certificate of Assumed Name; the fee is $25, and LLCs owe no separate county fee.
Sources
- Forming limited liability company new york, dos.ny.gov, checked 2026-10-07
- Fee schedules, dos.ny.gov, checked 2026-10-07
- Limited liability company fees, dos.ny.gov, checked 2026-10-07
- nysenate.gov, checked 2026-10-07
- nysenate.gov, checked 2026-10-07
- nysenate.gov, checked 2026-10-07
- Biennial statements business corporations and limited liability companies, dos.ny.gov, checked 2026-10-07
- Certificate assumed name domestic and foreign limited liability companies 0, dos.ny.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.
A few were read from search results, not the page itself, because the site refused direct requests; treat the facts they back as provisional until the New York Department of State (Division of Corporations) confirms them.
Common questions
Can two LLCs in New York have the same name?
No. New York 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 New York?
60 days (up to two 60-day extensions), for $20.
Does a new New York LLC have to publish a notice?
Yes. New York requires newspaper publication after the LLC is formed; the section on forming the LLC has the details.
How much is the New York LLC filing fee?
$200, paid when you file the Articles of Organization.