One of the first and most important steps of any new business is finding the perfect name for your Nevada LLC.

Checking the LLC name availability in Nevada is an important step in the business formation process. It ensures your business name is distinguishable from the names of other Nevada businesses so that you do not violate anyone’s intellectual property rights.

Our Nevada LLC Name Search guide will show you how you can find available business names in Nevada, and how to reserve and register your business name.

How to Search for a Nevada LLC Name

Below are the four steps that you need to follow in order to conduct an LLC name search in Nevada.

Step 1: Follow the Nevada LLC Naming Guidelines

The first step is to ensure that your chosen name complies with the requirements of Nevada’s LLC naming guidelines as listed below:

• Your name must include the phrase “Limited-Liability Company,” “Limited Liability Company,” “Limited Company,” or “Limited” or the abbreviations “Ltd.,” “L.L.C.,” “L.C.,” “LLC,” or “LC.” The word “Company” may be abbreviated as “Co.”
• Your name must be distinguishable from all other company names held on record by the Nevada Secretary of State. If your name is found to be not distinguishable enough from an existing LLC name, your LLC formation documents will be returned to you.
• Your name cannot contain the words “accountant,” “accounting,” “accountancy,” “auditor,” or “auditing” unless you either have a license from the Nevada State Board of Accountancy or a written confirmation from the Board that your business is not engaged in accounting.
• You cannot name your business in a way that will imply that it is subject to supervision by the Commissioner of Insurance or by the Commissioner of Financial Institutions unless you obtain an approval from either of these bodies prior to filing your LLC name.
• Your name cannot include the words “engineer,” “engineered,” “engineering,” “professional engineer,” “registered engineer,” or “licensed engineer” unless certified by the State Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors. 
• You must not use the words “bank,” “trust,” or “trust company” unless approved by the Commissioner of Financial Institutions.
• You cannot include the words “architect,” “architecture,” “registered architect,” “licensed architect,” “registered interior designer,” “registered interior design,” “residential designer,” “registered residential designer,” “licensed residential designer,” or “residential design” unless certified by the State Board of Architecture, Interior Design and Residential Design.
• Your name cannot include the words “common-interest community,” “community association,” “master association,” “unit-owners’ association,” or “homeowners’ association” or imply that you’ll be operating as a unit-owners’ association.

Selecting a name is just one of the several requirements when forming an LLC. To avoid improper or incomplete LLC formation documents, we recommend using the assistance of an LLC formation service.

Step 2: Look Up Nevada LLC Name Search Availability

The next step is to conduct a Nevada LLC name search. Below are a few ways to do a business name search in Nevada.

• LLC Name Search: Search the Nevada Business Search tool on SilverFlume, the Nevada Business Portal website You may also try typing your business or trademark on any search engine to check businesses with similar names. This will also ensure your trademark is unique, meets the state’s requirements, and frees you from any legal hassles in the future.
• Domain Name Search: If your business name is still available, you must register for a domain name. Having a URL that matches your business name is important since this is how your potential and existing clients can find your business.

To determine the availability of your chosen URL, use a domain registrar, such as GoDaddy.

Step 3: Reserve Your Nevada LLC Name

You can request to reserve your LLC name with the Nevada Secretary of State by filling out and filing a Name Reservation Packet. The standard fee is $25. However, there are a number of expedited services available, including a 24-hour service (an additional $50 fee is applicable), a two-hour service (an additional fee of $500), and even a one-hour service (for an additional fee of $1,000).

You can reserve a business name for 90 days with the Nevada Secretary of State. You cannot renew your name reservation if you do not form your LLC within this time frame.

Using a Nevada DBA for Your LLC

In Nevada, a DBA (“doing business as”) name is known as a fictitious business name. Nevada requires all businesses operating under a name other than their full legal name to file a DBA.

Filing for a DBA does not prevent others from using the same business name as you, so it’s advisable to check if the name you’ve chosen is unique with your Nevada county clerk first. Each Nevada county has its own fictitious business name database; some are online. There is a list of contact details for all Nevada county clerks on the Nevada Secretary of State website. You will file a DBA directly with your county clerk.

LLC owners sometimes choose to brand their businesses with a DBA. Most sole proprietors and general partnerships use a DBA to create a brand other than their surnames.

Step 4: Register a Nevada LLC Trade or Service Mark

Doing a name search on the federal trademark database will tell you whether another business or person has already “marked” your name.

Once you verify the availability of your LLC name and secure it, you can choose to apply for a trade or service mark for your business.

Registering your LLC business “mark” (refers to trade and service marks) with the Nevada Secretary of State not only distinguishes the goods or services your business provides, but also creates a statewide notice that any entity or person cannot use any of your marks (such as brand name, slogans, and logos).

For these reasons, it is important for an LLC owner to register a mark with the Nevada Secretary of State. The filing fee for a Nevada Mark Registration is $100. Your mark will be registered for you to use for five years. The renewal fee is $50, and the amendment fee is $60.

Mark registration is done at the North Las Vegas Office via mail, fax, or drop-off.

Nevada Secretary of State Contact Information 

Mailing Address

North Las Vegas City Hall
2250 Las Vegas Blvd. N., Suite 400
North Las Vegas, NV 89030

Phone: (702) 486-2880 

Physical Address

Secretary of State
Nevada State Capitol Building
101 N. Carson St., Suite 3
Carson City, NV 89701

Phone:   (775) 684-5708

Email: sosmail@sos.nv.gov