North Dakota Business Name Checker
Check if your business name is available in North Dakota. Validate North Dakota naming rules instantly, then search state records free through the FirstStop portal — where $10 buys the longest name hold in the country: a full 12 months.
Validate the name format, then search the official North Dakota Secretary of State — FirstStop Business Search records.
1.Search the state registry (North Dakota Secretary of State — FirstStop Business 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
$10
Holds the name for
12 months
How to file
Online through the FirstStop portal at firststop.sos.nd.gov
The longest name hold in the country at the lowest fee — a full year for $10. The rules do not spell out renewal terms, so plan to form within the 12 months.
How Business Name Availability Works in North Dakota
North Dakota consolidated its business filings into FirstStop (firststop.sos.nd.gov), the Secretary of State's online portal, and its records search is free. FirstStop covers entities, trade names, and reservations in one search — the full set your proposed name is tested against.
The headline here is the reservation: $10 holds a name for 12 months — the longest reservation period in the country at the lowest fee. Most states charge two to four times as much for a third of the time. If your launch is quarters away rather than weeks, North Dakota is the rare state where reserving early is nearly free insurance.
One rule surprises multi-brand founders: a North Dakota trade name may not contain entity words like "company," "corporation," "incorporated," or "limited" — those belong to registered entities only. The trade name registration itself is $25 through FirstStop and lasts 5 years, with $25 renewals.
North Dakota Business Name Requirements
✓ Name Requirements
- • LLCs must include "LLC", "L.L.C." or "Limited Liability Company"
- • Corporations must include "Inc.", "Corp.", "Ltd." or "Incorporated"
- • Must be distinguishable on record from names already filed with the Secretary of State, per North Dakota Administrative Code chapter 72-03-02
- • Cannot suggest a government affiliation
- • Cannot be misleading about business purpose
- • Governed by North Dakota Century Code § 10-32.1-11 (LLCs) and § 10-19.1-13 (corporations)
✗ Restricted Words
- • "Bank" — requires approval from the North Dakota Department of Financial Institutions
- • "Trust" — implies trust-company powers — North Dakota Department of Financial Institutions review needed
- • "Insurance" — regulated by the North Dakota Insurance Department — extra wording or approval required
- • "Credit Union" — restricted to chartered credit unions under North Dakota financial-institution law
- • "Engineer" — implies licensed engineering services — North Dakota State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors rules apply
- • "Olympic" — federally protected under the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act
How to Check Name Availability in North Dakota
Use the tool above to open the North Dakota Secretary of State — FirstStop Business Search search and look up existing LLCs, corporations, and reserved names. North Dakota offers the best name-reservation deal in America — $10 for a 12-month hold via FirstStop. But its trade names come with a rare restriction: a registered trade name may not contain entity words such as "company" or "incorporated."
Search the USPTO database at uspto.gov — clearing the North Dakota 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.
North Dakota lets you reserve a name for 12 months for $10 — Online through the FirstStop portal at firststop.sos.nd.gov.
What Registering a Name Costs in North Dakota
| Filing | State Fee | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| LLC formation filing | $135 | One-time |
| Annual report / recurring fee | $50 | Yearly |
| Name reservation | $10 | Holds the name 12 months |
| Trade Name Registration | Filed with the Secretary of State through FirstStop for $25; the registration lasts 5 years and renews for $25. Note: North Dakota trade names may not contain entity words like "company," "corporation," "incorporated," or "limited." | |
State filing fees as of 2026. See the North Dakota 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 North Dakota?
Search free through FirstStop, the North Dakota Secretary of State's portal at firststop.sos.nd.gov. One search covers corporations, LLCs, registered trade names, and reserved names — everything your proposed name must be distinguishable from under the "distinguishable on record" standard in Administrative Code chapter 72-03-02. Search word variants too, since cosmetic changes do not make a similar name available.
How much does it cost to reserve a business name in North Dakota?
Just $10 — and the hold lasts a full 12 months, filed online through the FirstStop portal. That is the longest reservation period in the country at the lowest fee; most states offer 90-180 days for $25-$55. The rules do not spell out renewal terms, so aim to file your Articles of Organization ($135) within the year.
What suffix does a North Dakota LLC name need?
Under North Dakota Century Code § 10-32.1-11, an LLC name must contain "limited liability company" or the abbreviation "LLC" or "L.L.C." Corporations must include "company," "corporation," "incorporated," or "limited" or an abbreviation under NDCC § 10-19.1-13. Note that those same entity words are banned from registered trade names.
Why can't my North Dakota trade name include the word "Company"?
North Dakota reserves entity words — "company," "corporation," "incorporated," "limited," and their kin — for registered entities. A trade name (DBA) may not contain them, because a trade name is not an entity and the state does not want the public misled into thinking it is. If the brand needs "Company" in it, form the LLC or corporation under that exact name instead of registering it as a trade name.
How long does a North Dakota trade name registration last?
Five years. The Trade Name Registration is filed with the Secretary of State through FirstStop for $25, expires every 5 years, and renews for another $25. Registered trade names appear in the FirstStop records search alongside entities and reserved names, so your registration blocks later confusingly similar filings across the state.
How much does a North Dakota LLC cost to form and maintain?
Articles of Organization cost $135 through the FirstStop portal, and every North Dakota LLC then files an annual report for $50. Add the optional $10 name reservation — the country's cheapest — and the optional $25 trade name if you brand separately. All filings run through firststop.sos.nd.gov, which keeps the whole process in one account.
Related Tools
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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 North Dakota Names Through FirstStop
The FirstStop portal at firststop.sos.nd.gov is the Secretary of State's single system for searching and filing. The records search is free and spans corporations, LLCs, trade names, and reserved names — check all of them, because each category counts against availability.
North Dakota applies a "distinguishable on record" standard, detailed in Administrative Code chapter 72-03-02. As elsewhere, the test looks past cosmetics: punctuation, capitalization, spacing, and designator swaps do not distinguish a name; different key words do.
When the search is clear, the $10, 12-month reservation is the obvious move if you are not forming immediately. Otherwise, Articles of Organization cost $135 through FirstStop and secure the name outright.
A $10 Reservation That Lasts a Full Year
North Dakota's name reservation is the best deal in the country: $10 for 12 months, filed online through FirstStop. For comparison, most states hold a name for 120 days at $25-$55 — North Dakota gives triple the time at a fraction of the price.
Naming rules are conventional: under NDCC 10-32.1-11, an LLC name must contain "limited liability company," "LLC," or "L.L.C."; corporations use "company," "corporation," "incorporated," or "limited" or an abbreviation under NDCC 10-19.1-13. Restricted words — banking, insurance, professional titles — need the relevant North Dakota regulator's approval.
The rules do not spell out whether the reservation renews, so treat the 12 months as your window. With a $135 formation fee and a $50 annual report, the total cost of claiming and keeping a North Dakota LLC name stays modest.
North Dakota Trade Names Can't Say "Company"
North Dakota registers trade names at the state level through FirstStop: $25, valid for 5 years, renewable for $25. Registered trade names appear in the same search as entities and block later confusingly similar filings.
The catch is a restriction few states impose: a trade name may not contain entity words such as "company," "corporation," "incorporated," or "limited." Those designators are reserved for actual registered entities — "Prairie Sky Trading" registers fine as a trade name; "Prairie Sky Trading Company" does not.
If your brand genuinely needs "Company" in it, form the entity under that name instead of using a trade name. And as always, the registry gives no trademark rights — run a USPTO check before investing in the brand.
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