How to search and claim an LLC name in Rhode Island
- Search Rhode Island's official entity records at no cost, leaving “LLC” off the name.
- Make sure the name ends with one of Rhode Island's accepted endings, such as “Limited Liability Company” or “L.L.C.”
- Hold the name with a $52.50 online ($50 by mail) reservation if you need time before filing.
- File the Articles of Organization with the Rhode Island Department of State for $156 online ($150 by mail).
- Note the recurring report so the LLC stays in good standing: $52.50 online ($50 on paper) each year (due February 1 to May 1).
What a Rhode Island LLC name must include
Rhode Island accepts these endings for a limited liability company:
- Limited Liability Company
- L.L.C.
Rhode Island publishes no general list of barred words for LLC names. Engineering is the exception it names: an entity offering engineering services needs the Board of Registration for Professional Engineers' approval first. The LLC endings are “Limited Liability Company”, “L.L.C.” and “LLC”, with or without punctuation in the letters.
How Rhode Island decides two names are the same
Rhode Island spells its test out with examples. An LLC name is unavailable if it differs from an active name only by “the” or another article, a plural (City Girl, City Girls), a deliberate misspelling (Boys, Boyz), an abbreviation (Rhode Island, RI), a variant of the same word (Possible, Impossible), its entity word, an added numeral unless the holder consents, punctuation (T-Bones, T*Bones), capitalization, spacing (TNT, T N T), or the way a number is written (2 Brothers, II Brothers, Two Brothers).
Where the rules are written. R.I. Gen. Laws ch. 7-16 (LLCs; § 7-16-6 articles of organization; § 7-16-9 LLC names and fictitious business names); R.I. Gen. Laws ch. 6-1 (trade names).
Searching for an LLC name in Rhode Island
Search the Corporate Database for free, and check the separate Trade Name Database too. Neither search is binding; the Department makes the final call when you file.
Open the official Rhode Island 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: Rhode Island LLC name reservation
Holding an LLC name for 120 days costs $50 on paper, or $52.50 online once the enhanced access fee is added; the form is Form 620.
File a Rhode Island name reservation
Forming the LLC in Rhode Island
Articles of Organization (Form 400) cost $150 on paper or $156 online, including a $6 enhanced access fee.
File the Articles of Organization online
This filing fee isn't on a current official fee page that we could find, so ask the Rhode Island Department of State to confirm it.
The yearly costs are larger than the filing fee. The annual report (Form 632) is due between February 1 and May 1, at $50 or $52.50 online, with a $25 penalty from June 1. On top of that, every Rhode Island LLC owes the Division of Taxation a $400 minimum annual tax, whether it does business or not, with no pro-rating. No newspaper notice is required. Good standing comes as a Certificate of Status, $22 online or $20 in person or by mail.
When the LLC trades under another name
An LLC trading under another name files a Fictitious Business Name Statement (Form 624B) with the Department of State: $50, plus $2.50 online, for a name that's distinguishable from the names already on file.
Sources
- Business forms fee schedule (PDF), docs.sos.ri.gov, checked 2026-10-07
- Name availability guidelines, sos.ri.gov, checked 2026-10-07
- Your name, sos.ri.gov, checked 2026-10-07
- Costs and fees, sos.ri.gov, checked 2026-10-07
- Costs and fees, sos.ri.gov, checked 2026-10-07
- File your annual report, sos.ri.gov, checked 2026-10-07
- Start your rhode island business, sos.ri.gov, checked 2026-10-07
- 400 articles of organization (PDF), docs.sos.ri.gov, checked 2026-10-07
- 100 articles of incorporation (PDF), docs.sos.ri.gov, checked 2026-10-07
- 624b fictitious business name statement limited liability company (PDF), docs.sos.ri.gov, checked 2026-10-07
- Ri trade names, sos.ri.gov, checked 2026-10-07
- Trade name online filing guide (PDF), docs.sos.ri.gov, checked 2026-10-07
- Claim your trade name (PDF), docs.sos.ri.gov, checked 2026-10-07
- Order certificates, sos.ri.gov, checked 2026-10-07
- Logs vs cogs (PDF), docs.sos.ri.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 Rhode Island have the same name?
No. Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island?
For a limited time (the official length couldn't be confirmed), for $52.50 online ($50 by mail).
Does a new Rhode Island LLC have to publish a notice?
No. Rhode Island has no newspaper publication requirement for LLCs.
How much is the Rhode Island LLC filing fee?
$156 online ($150 by mail), paid when you file the Articles of Organization.