Corporations and LLCs need to ensure their legal business name complies with state naming rules in the states where they’ll be doing business – otherwise, a state might not accept the documents filed to form or qualify the company.
This all-states smart chart by CT Corporation's business experts summarizes the many variations among the 50 states and D.C. in the legal business name selection and protection process for LLCs and corporations – including name reservation time frames, name transferability guidelines, and the required (or prohibited) words in the name of a corporation or LLC. With this practical overview, you’ll have a useful, quick-reference summary of how name reservation, renewal, and transferability laws differ by state.