Missouri Business Name Checker
Check if your business name is available in Missouri. Validate state naming rules instantly, then search the Secretary of State's records free at bsd.sos.mo.gov — home of America's cheapest DBA at $7.
Validate the name format, then search the official Missouri Secretary of State — Business Entity Search records.
1.Search the state registry (Missouri Secretary of State — Business Entity Search) for existing LLCs, corporations, and reserved names
2.Check federal trademarks at USPTO.gov — state approval does not protect you from trademark claims
3.Verify the .com domain is available for your name
4.Grab matching social media handles (Instagram, X, LinkedIn, Facebook)
5.Lock the name in by filing your formation documents — or reserve it first (details below)
Fee
$25
Holds the name for
60 days
How to file
Online at bsd.sos.mo.gov or by written application (§ 351.115 RSMo)
Renewable for two additional 60-day periods (180 days total). After the third period expires, Missouri permanently bars that party from re-reserving the same name.
How Business Name Availability Works in Missouri
Missouri's business records live with the Secretary of State, searchable free through the Business Services portal at bsd.sos.mo.gov. The search covers LLCs, corporations, reserved names, and fictitious names, and the same portal handles online filings — from name reservations to Articles of Organization.
The availability standard is broad: a Missouri name must be distinguishable from the name of any other foreign or domestic business entity registered under any law of this state. LLC designators come from § 347.020 RSMo — "limited company," "limited liability company," or the abbreviations LC, L.C., LLC, or L.L.C. — while corporations must include "corporation," "company," "incorporated," or "limited" or an abbreviation.
Missouri's costs are among the friendliest anywhere: $50 to file an LLC online, no annual report for LLCs, and a $7 fictitious name — the cheapest DBA in the country. The one rule with teeth is the reservation clock: $25 buys 60 days, renewable twice for 180 days total, and once that third period lapses, you are permanently barred from re-reserving that specific name.
Missouri Business Name Requirements
✓ Name Requirements
- • LLCs must include "LLC", "L.L.C.", "LC", "L.C.", "Limited Liability Company" or "Limited Company"
- • Corporations must include "Inc.", "Corp.", "Co." or "Ltd."
- • Must be distinguishable from the name of any other foreign or domestic business entity registered under any law of Missouri
- • Cannot suggest a government affiliation
- • Cannot be misleading about business purpose
- • Governed by § 347.020 RSMo (LLCs) and § 351.110 RSMo (corporations)
✗ Restricted Words
- • "Bank" — banking terms generally require approval from the Missouri Division of Finance
- • "Trust" — implies trust-company powers — Missouri Division of Finance review is generally required
- • "Credit Union" — restricted to chartered credit unions overseen by the Missouri Division of Credit Unions
- • "Insurance" — insurance-related names are typically reviewed under Missouri Department of Commerce and Insurance rules
- • "Engineer" — professional designations generally require licensure through the Missouri board that licenses architects, professional engineers, and land surveyors
- • "Olympic" — federally protected under the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act
How to Check Name Availability in Missouri
Use the tool above to open the Missouri Secretary of State — Business Entity Search search and look up existing LLCs, corporations, and reserved names. Missouri is a bargain state — $50 online LLC filing, no annual report for LLCs, and a $7 fictitious name — but its reservation rule has teeth: burn through three 60-day reservation periods and you are permanently barred from reserving that name again.
Search the USPTO database at uspto.gov — clearing the Missouri registry does not protect you from a federal trademark claim.
Check that the matching .com domain is available before you commit — renaming an LLC later means an amendment filing and new bank paperwork.
Confirm your name is free on Instagram, X, Facebook, and LinkedIn so your branding stays consistent everywhere.
Missouri lets you reserve a name for 60 days for $25 — Online at bsd.sos.mo.gov or by written application (§ 351.115 RSMo).
What Registering a Name Costs in Missouri
| Filing | State Fee | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| LLC formation filing | $50 | One-time |
| Annual report / recurring fee | $0 | — |
| Name reservation | $25 | Holds the name 60 days |
| Fictitious Name Registration | Missouri's state-level fictitious name filing costs just $7 (Form Corp. 56 or online) — the cheapest DBA in the country. It expires every 5 years and grants no exclusive rights to the name. | |
State filing fees as of 2026. See the Missouri LLC tax and fee calculator for the full annual cost picture.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I check if a business name is taken in Missouri for free?
Search the Missouri Secretary of State's Business Services portal at bsd.sos.mo.gov — it is free and covers LLCs, corporations, reserved names, and state-registered fictitious names in one database. Missouri's standard requires your name to be distinguishable from any entity registered under any law of the state, so search your key words in several combinations and review close variants before concluding the name is available.
How much does it cost to reserve a business name in Missouri?
A Missouri name reservation costs $25 and holds the name for 60 days — file online at bsd.sos.mo.gov or by written application under § 351.115 RSMo. You can renew twice, for two more 60-day periods, reaching 180 days in total. Be aware of the unusual endgame: after the third period expires, that party is permanently barred from reserving the same name again.
What suffix does a Missouri LLC name need?
Under § 347.020 RSMo, a Missouri LLC name must contain "limited company" or "limited liability company," or one of the abbreviations LC, L.C., LLC, or L.L.C. Corporations follow § 351.110 RSMo and must include "corporation," "company," "incorporated," or "limited," or an abbreviation of one of those words. The rest of the name must be distinguishable from every entity registered in Missouri.
How much does a DBA (fictitious name) cost in Missouri?
Just $7 — the cheapest DBA in the country. File the Fictitious Name Registration with the Missouri Secretary of State using Form Corp. 56 or the online equivalent at bsd.sos.mo.gov. The registration is valid for five years and must then be renewed. Every person or entity operating in Missouri under a name other than its legal name is required to register it.
Does a Missouri fictitious name protect my business name?
No. Missouri accepts fictitious name registrations without checking them for conflicts, several filers can register identical names, and the registration grants no exclusive rights whatsoever — it exists so the public can find out who is behind a trade name. For actual protection, form an entity under the name (the entity name is checked for distinguishability) or register a state or federal trademark.
Does Missouri require an annual report for LLCs?
No. Missouri LLCs file no annual report and owe no recurring report fee to the Secretary of State — after the $50 online formation filing, state-level maintenance is essentially free. Corporations are different: they file annual registration reports. The combination of cheap formation, no LLC annual report, and the $7 fictitious name makes Missouri one of the least expensive states to run a small business entity.
Related Tools
MO LLC Tax & Fee Calculator
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Missouri Quarterly Tax Calculator
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Name taken? Generate unique, memorable alternatives for your Missouri business with AI.
Business Entity Search Directory
Official Secretary of State search portals for all 50 states — look up any registered company.
Checking a Name in Another State?
Searching Missouri Business Names at bsd.sos.mo.gov
The Secretary of State's Business Services search at bsd.sos.mo.gov is free and comprehensive: entities, reserved names, and state-registered fictitious names all appear in the same system, with statuses and filing histories. Because Missouri registers fictitious names at the state level, you will not need to canvass county offices the way you would in county-DBA states.
Missouri's distinguishability language is unusually sweeping — your name must differ from any entity registered under any law of the state, foreign or domestic. Search your key words in multiple orders and check close variants before treating a name as clear.
Registry clearance is not brand clearance: a fictitious name in Missouri is explicitly registered without any check for conflicts, and none of these filings create trademark rights. Add a web and USPTO search before committing.
Missouri's 60-Day Reservations and the Permanent Re-Reservation Bar
A Missouri name reservation costs $25 and holds the name for 60 days — file online at bsd.sos.mo.gov or by written application under § 351.115 RSMo. You can renew for two additional 60-day periods, taking the total to 180 days.
Then comes the unusual part: once that third 60-day period expires, the statute bars the same party from reserving that name ever again. Missouri designed the rule to stop indefinite name squatting, and it works — but it means the reservation is a countdown, not a parking space.
The practical play: reserve only when formation is genuinely imminent. If you are still months away, keep checking availability for free instead of starting a clock you cannot restart — or simply form the LLC for $50 online, which secures the name outright.
The $7 Fictitious Name: America's Cheapest DBA
If your Missouri business will operate under any name other than its legal one, register a Fictitious Name with the Secretary of State — Form Corp. 56 on paper or the same filing online — for $7, the lowest DBA fee in the country. The registration lasts five years, then renews.
Missouri is unusually candid about what the filing does: nothing protective. Fictitious name registrations are accepted without any distinguishability check, multiple filers can register identical names, and the statute grants no exclusive rights. It is consumer-disclosure paperwork, full stop.
That is why the entity name is where protection actually lives in Missouri. Forming the LLC ($50 online) subjects the name to the distinguishability test and blocks later confusingly identical registrations — and with no annual report required of Missouri LLCs, keeping it alive costs nothing in state fees.
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