Naming your new business in the state of Colorado isn’t as easy as it may sound. Your name shouldn’t only be catchy, it should be legally available to use in Colorado. So, before proceeding with the business registration in the state, it is important to do a Colorado business entity search and see if the name is associated with another registered business. To register an LLC or corp., your name also has to follow certain naming rules in Colorado.
Why Do Colorado Business Entity Search?
Your new business in Colorado cannot use a name that’s currently occupied by another registered business in the state. Doing a Colorado business entity search will make certain that your chosen name is different from other businesses. Alongside, you may also know more about a particular business in the state with a simple search. If your name is similar to another existing business, then you risk failing of registering your business in the first go.
Colorado LLC Naming Guidelines
You should be aware of the LLC naming rules before doing a Colorado LLC search to name an LLC.
- Your name has to have the phrase limited liability company or one of its abbreviations.
- The name should be unique from existing businesses in the state. Including reserved names and Trade names.
- It shouldn’t have words that would violate Colorado laws. Avoid obscenities or references to illegal activities.
- Your LLC shouldn’t have words that reflect that the LLC is associated with government agencies like the FBI, Colorado Police, etc.
- You may also refer to the Colorado state statute to know more about corporation naming guidelines.
Colorado Corporation Naming Guidelines
The following points will make it easy to name your business by doing the Colorado corporation search.
- The name has to include either of the following terms or its abbreviations – corporation, company, incorporated.
- The name should be unique from existing domestic or foreign businesses in the state, including reserved names.
- You cannot use any terms that have references to illegal activities.
- The name should reflect that your corporation is a state or federal government agency.
Colorado Business Entity Search Methods
You may perform a business search on the Colorado SOS website to get all the necessary details about registered entities in the state. Here are some ways you can search for businesses in Colorado.
1. Search Business Name – You may search your desired names to check whether it’s available to use or not. On the flip side, you can search existing businesses in the state (such as – Wendys) and get further information like – Registration date, states (withdrawal, delinquent, name change, etc.), id number, agent name, etc.
2. Search Trade Names (fictitious name, DBA name) – A business has to register a trading name if it’s using a name that’s different from its legal name. For instance, Nora’s Restaurant Co. could also be known by an official tradename “Nora’s Foodcourt”. You may search such tradenames to know more about a particular business.
3. Search the Document No. – Document no. is a unique number assigned by the Colorado SOS to all registered businesses. You may search this number to get more info. about a particular business associated with that number.
How to Run a Colorado Business Entity Search?
Now that you know the available options for doing a Colorado business search, let’s see how to perform a Colorado name search to see if a business is active with your preferred name.
1. List business names – You may surely have a list of names that you would want to use for your business. If not, list out all the names that you like.
2. Search the names – Go to the Colorado secretary of state business search page and search all names one by one to see if another business is using the name.
3. Review the result – If any business uses the same (or similar) name with a status of “Good Standing”, you must avoid that name. You should only finalize a name that shows no businesses with a similar name that you want to use.
4. Reserve your name (optional) – This is only necessary if you have a perfect name but you aren’t yet ready to register the business. You may easily reserve a name by filing a name reservation application with the Colorado SOS. You’ll have to pay a filing fee of $25 and it’ll reserve the name for 120 days.
5. Register the name – If you are ready with all necessary documents, then it’s better to register your business with the Colorado secretary of state. On approval of registration, the name becomes officially yours.
Other Considerations For Naming Your Business
After you find a perfect name by searching for a Colorado business entity, you need to be careful about a few more things to register the business.
1. Trademark search: Even if a name is available to use, there is a possibility that the term has a registered trademark in Colorado. This is why doing a Colorado trademark search for your name is important. If your name doesn’t have a registered trademark, you are good to go.
2. Domain name: If you want to build an online website for your business, its domain name has to be similar to your business name. This way people would be able to find you easily. Make sure that a similar domain name is available to use.
3. Social media: Ideally, your social media accounts should operate with a similar name to your business. So you may also have to check if the name is available to use on particular platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What's the cost of reserving a business name in Colorado?
A business name reservation in Colorado costs a filing fee of $25. This will secure your name for 120 days.
2. Is it necessary to register a trading name in Colorado?
If you're running a business in Colorado with a name that's different than your legal business name you'll have to register a trading name (DBA name) with the Colorado secretary of state.
3. How much does it cost to file a trademark in Colorado?
A trademark registeration in Colorado costs a $30 filing fee per class and it lasts for 5 years.
4. Ho do I check for business name availability in Colorado?
Contacting the Colorado secretary of state at 303-894-2200 is the most reliable option to check for name availability. If you have a few names in mind, then you can also do an online name search on the Florida SOS business search page.