How to Name Your Arizona LLC

Whether you’re searching for the right business name or registering your LLC with the AZ Corporation Commission, we can help. We’ve got all the information you need on how to perform an Arizona corporation search, plus LLC naming rules, trade names and registering your business.

General Rules for LLC Names

These rules typically apply to all LLCs, no matter what state they are formed in.

Specific Arizona Rules for Business Names

In addition to the general rules listed above, the AZ Corporation Commission has some specific business naming rules for your LLC. You must follow these rules if you want to name your business appropriately. Here are some direct quotes from the Arizona State Legislature, Section 29-3112:

E. The name of a limited liability company or foreign limited liability company may not contain the words "association", "corporation" or "incorporated" or an abbreviation of these words. The name of a limited liability company or foreign limited liability company may not contain the words "bank", "deposit", "credit union", "trust" or "trust company" separately or in combination to indicate or convey the idea that the company is engaged in banking, credit union or trust business unless the company is to be and becomes actively and substantially engaged in the banking, credit union or trust business or the company is a holding company holding substantial interest in companies actively and substantially engaged in the banking, credit union or trust business.

How to Come Up with a Business Name

The perfect business name can be elusive. We have a complete guide to choosing the right business name, but essentially, you'll want to choose a name that will:

Need help coming up with business name ideas? Try our free Business Name Generator.

Arizona Corporation Search

Once you have an idea of what business name you’d like to use, you’ll need to perform an Arizona business entity search to make sure it’s available.

Incfile offers a fast, simple and convenient tool to look up your proposed business name. The AZ Corporation Commission also has a tool that lets you search the State of Arizona business registry to see whether someone already has your desired business name.

Trademarks and Service Marks

You must be careful that your Arizona LLC name does not infringe on the trademark or service mark of another business. The easiest way to make sure your proposed business name doesn’t do that is to complete a trademark search through Incfile. If no one else is using it, you can even register it as a trademark yourself.

Arizona DBA or Trade Name

You may do business under a different name from your legal LLC name. In some states, this is called a DBA (doing business as) or assumed name. In Arizona, it’s known as a trade name. You may choose to use a trade name for a variety of reasons.

For example, your business might be called Phoenix Property Development Holding Company, LLC, and you have a chain called Desert Rose Apartments. You should file for a trade name to let the AZ Corporation Commission know. In Arizona, you do that with the Trade Name Registration Application, or you can have Incfile do it on your behalf through our Trade Name service.

Note: A trade name is not the same as a trademark. Learn more about trademark vs. DBA.

Register Your Business Name with the ACC

Once you’ve performed an Arizona business entity search, checked availability, followed the naming rules and decided whether you need a trade name, you can register your LLC name. There are a couple of ways to do this.