Utah Business Name Checker
Check if your business name is available in Utah. Validate Utah naming rules instantly, then confirm availability free at businessregistration.utah.gov — where a name reservation and a DBA each cost just $22.
Validate the name format, then search the official Utah Division of Corporations & Commercial Code — Business Search records.
1.Search the state registry (Utah Division of Corporations & Commercial Code — 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
$22
Holds the name for
120 days
How to file
Online at businessregistration.utah.gov, or by paper with the Division of Corporations and Commercial Code
Renewal terms are not clearly published — confirm with the Division of Corporations and Commercial Code if you need to hold the name past 120 days.
How Business Name Availability Works in Utah
Utah is one of the cheapest states in the country to name and form a business: the LLC filing fee is $59, the annual report is $18, and both a name reservation and a DBA cost $22 each. Everything runs through businessregistration.utah.gov, the online portal of the Division of Corporations and Commercial Code, where the name search is free.
Utah also tells you exactly how it judges name conflicts — a rarity. Under the state's published key-word test, a name is distinguishable if a key word differs, if the same key words appear in a different order, if it uses a creative or artistic spelling, or if its meaning differs markedly in context. If your name fails all four prongs against an existing record, expect a rejection.
Watch the prohibited words: under Utah Code § 48-3a-108(8), an LLC name may not contain "association," "corporation," "incorporated," or "limited partnership" (or their abbreviations) — terms that imply a different entity type. It is one of the more explicit prohibition lists in any state's LLC act.
Utah 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 "Incorporated"
- • Distinguishable under Utah's key-word test: a differing key word, the same key words in a different order, a creative or artistic spelling, or a markedly different meaning in context
- • Cannot suggest a government affiliation
- • Cannot be misleading about business purpose
- • Governed by Utah Code § 48-3a-108 (LLCs) and § 16-10a-401 (corporations)
✗ Restricted Words
- • "Bank" — typically requires approval from the Utah Department of Financial Institutions
- • "Trust" — implies trust powers — Utah Department of Financial Institutions review typically required
- • "Insurance" — regulated by the Utah Insurance Department
- • "University" — implies an educational institution — clearance from the Utah System of Higher Education is typically required
- • "College" — same educational-institution review applies as for "University"
- • "Credit Union" — restricted to chartered credit unions
- • "Olympic" — federally protected under the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act — especially sensitive in Utah, a Winter Games host
How to Check Name Availability in Utah
Use the tool above to open the Utah Division of Corporations & Commercial Code — Business Search search and look up existing LLCs, corporations, and reserved names. Utah charges the same $22 for a name reservation and a DBA — and publishes an unusually detailed key-word test for what counts as a distinguishable name.
Search the USPTO database at uspto.gov — clearing the Utah 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.
Utah lets you reserve a name for 120 days for $22 — Online at businessregistration.utah.gov, or by paper with the Division of Corporations and Commercial Code.
What Registering a Name Costs in Utah
| Filing | State Fee | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| LLC formation filing | $59 | One-time |
| Annual report / recurring fee | $18 | Yearly |
| Name reservation | $22 | Holds the name 120 days |
| Assumed Name (DBA) registration | Filed statewide with the Division of Corporations and Commercial Code — not with counties — for $22, the same price as a name reservation. The term is roughly three years; confirm the current term with the Division. | |
State filing fees as of 2026. See the Utah 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 Utah for free?
Search the Division of Corporations and Commercial Code's records free at businessregistration.utah.gov. Then apply Utah's published key-word test: your name is distinguishable if a key word differs, the same key words appear in a different order, it uses a creative spelling, or the meaning differs markedly. Designators like LLC never distinguish a name, so compare the substantive words only.
How much does it cost to reserve a business name in Utah?
A Utah name reservation costs $22 and holds the name for 120 days. File online at businessregistration.utah.gov or by paper with the Division of Corporations and Commercial Code. Renewal terms are not clearly published, so confirm with the Division if you need a longer hold. Since Utah's LLC filing fee is only $59, many founders skip the reservation and simply form the company.
What suffix does a Utah LLC name need?
Under Utah Code § 48-3a-108, an LLC name must contain "limited liability company" or "limited company," or the abbreviation L.L.C., LLC, L.C., or LC. It may not contain "association," "corporation," "incorporated," or "limited partnership" or their abbreviations — § 48-3a-108(8) prohibits words implying a different entity type, even alongside a valid LLC suffix.
What is Utah's key-word test for business names?
Utah publishes a four-prong test for when a name is distinguishable from an existing record: (1) a key word differs, (2) the same key words appear in a different order, (3) the name uses a creative or artistic spelling, or (4) the meaning differs markedly in context. Passing any prong clears the name. It is one of the most detailed distinguishability standards any state publishes, and it makes rejections predictable.
How does a DBA work in Utah?
Utah DBAs (assumed names) are registered with the Division of Corporations and Commercial Code at the state level — not with counties — for $22, the same price as a name reservation. The registration runs for roughly a three-year term; confirm the current term with the Division when you file. File online at businessregistration.utah.gov, and renew before expiration to keep the name registered.
How much does a Utah LLC cost to form and maintain?
Utah is among the cheapest states: the Certificate of Organization costs $59 and the annual report is just $18. Optional extras are equally modest — $22 to reserve a name for 120 days, $22 to register a DBA. All filings go through businessregistration.utah.gov or the Division of Corporations and Commercial Code on paper. Total first-year cost for a standard LLC can stay under $100.
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Checking a Name in Another State?
Utah's Key-Word Test: How the State Decides Distinguishability
Most states say "distinguishable upon the records" and leave you guessing. Utah publishes the actual test. A proposed name is distinguishable if (1) a key word differs, (2) the same key words appear in a different order, (3) it uses a creative or artistic spelling, or (4) the meaning differs markedly in context. Key words are the substantive words — designators like LLC and generic articles do not count.
The test cuts both ways. "Wasatch Peak Consulting LLC" and "Peak Wasatch Consulting LLC" are distinguishable in Utah (different order) even though the same words appear in both — an arrangement many states would reject. But "Wasatch Peak Consulting LLC" versus "Wasatch Peak Consultants LLC" is a closer call, since a minor word-form change may not register as a differing key word.
Run the free search at businessregistration.utah.gov and apply the four prongs yourself before filing. If the result is borderline, the Division of Corporations and Commercial Code can give a read before you spend the fee — and creative spelling (prong 3) is often the easiest legitimate fix.
Utah LLC Naming Rules — Required and Prohibited Words
Under Utah Code § 48-3a-108, an LLC name must contain "limited liability company" or "limited company," or the abbreviation L.L.C., LLC, L.C., or LC. Corporations follow § 16-10a-401 and use "corporation," "incorporated," or "company" — or corp., inc., or co.
Utah is unusually explicit about what an LLC name may not contain: § 48-3a-108(8) bars "association," "corporation," "incorporated," and "limited partnership" — and their abbreviations — because they imply an entity type the company is not. A brand like "Canyon Corporation Services LLC" fails even with the LLC suffix attached.
Regulated industries add their own gates: "bank" and "trust" typically need the Utah Department of Financial Institutions, and "insurance" falls to the Utah Insurance Department. And in the state that hosted the Winter Games, remember that "Olympic" is federally protected under the Ted Stevens Act.
Reservations and DBAs Both Cost $22 in Utah
Utah prices its two name tools identically: $22 reserves a name for 120 days, and $22 registers an assumed name (DBA). Both are filed with the Division of Corporations and Commercial Code — online at businessregistration.utah.gov or on paper — and notably, Utah DBAs are state-level, not county filings.
Which to choose? The reservation is a pure hold — nothing operates under it, and renewal terms past 120 days are not clearly published, so confirm with the Division if you need longer. The DBA registers a name you actually trade under and runs for roughly a three-year term (confirm the exact term with the Division when you file).
With formation at just $59, Utah's cheapest hold is often the formation itself: file the Certificate of Organization, secure the name permanently, and pay the modest $18 annual report to keep it. Few states make skipping the reservation this economical.
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