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Reserve an LLC name in California

Sun Document Filings is able to perform a LLC name search with the California Secretary of State's office. If a Limited Liability Company's (LLC) name is available, we are able to reserve the California LLC name. All California LLC name availability searches are considered preliminary and are conducted by California Secretary of State's LLC name search unit. In most cases, we can check the California LLC name availability and/or reserve an LLC name within 4 business hours or less. Questions? 888 595-2747

Step 1: Choose a LLC name - Have your client provide you with their first LLC name choice, a second LLC name choice, and a third LLC name choice.

FAQ: My client really wants their first LLC name choice. Why do I have to provide a second and third LLC name choice?

You are not required to provide a second or third LLC name choice, just keep in mind that many times, the first LLC name choice will already be taken by another LLC or the first name choice is considered by the California Secretary of State name reservation unit as "deceptively similar to an existing LLC" and the California Secretary of State will not allow your client to file their Articles of Organization if they attempt to use the name. Secondly, we charge a service fee per phone call. If you only provide us with one LLC name choice and it is not available, you will be charged another name availability service fee for the second phone call to the Secretary of State. Therefore, it is important to have a second and third LLC name choice just in case.

NOTE: The most common names include initials such as ABC LLC or MLD LLC. Changing the ending (LLC, L.L.C., Limited Liability Company) or adding punctuation or making the name plural will not make your name different. The Secretary of State considers ABC LLC, ABC, LLC, A&BC LLC, A-B-C LLC as the exact same name.

Step 2: Complete the California LLC Name Reservation form - Download and open our order form.You may type on the form using Adobe Acrobat or you may print it out and type it. If you must handwrite the form, please write as neat as possible.

Download the California LLC Name Reservation form

Step 3: Send us the form - Fax the form to 888 955-2747 or e-mail the completed and signed form to order@sundocumentfilings.com

Step 4: Please allow at least 4 business hours for a response. If we receive the request after 4:30PM PST Monday thru Friday, the name will not be checked until the following day. Under those circumstances, 4 business hours will start as of 9:00AM PST on the following day. If you faxed or e-mailed the form, we will fax the results back to you so please provide a fax number. Please be aware that there are times when the Secretary of State's name reservation unit's phones or computers may be down. Under those circumstances, we are unable to honor the 4 business hour turnaround time. However, as soon as regular services resume, we will do our best to check you name as soon as possible.

Step 5: Form a California Limited Liability Company (LLC) For fees, forms, and instructions, please click here to form a California LLC with the Secretary of State in Sacramento. We offer routine and 24 hour rush services.

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Our Fees

To check LLC name availability and/or reserve an LLC name, our fee is $30.00 per entity, per phone call. Our $30.00 fee includes checking up to 3 name choices for per phone call, per entity.

If the 1st name choice is available, the remaining names will not be researched. Secretary of State Fees: Name availability for each name checked: $4.00. Reservation Fee: $10.00 per name (plus $4.00 to check name availability). If the first name is available and reserved the total is $44.00.

Once we check name availability or reserve the LLC name, we can file your Articles of Organization with the California Secretary of State on an expedited basis. Click here for more information.

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CALIFORNIA SECRETARY OF STATE LLC NAME RESERVATION/ AVAILABILITY GUIDELINES

The following is general information about name availability and name style requirements relating to limited liability companies.

Proposed limited liability company names are checked only against currently reserved limited liability company names and active limited liability companies of record in the California Secretary of State's office. Since there is no legal requirement that limited liability company names be checked against other business entity names, limited liability company names are not checked against general partnership, limited partnership, limited liability partnership or corporate names, nor are names checked against trademarks, service marks or local fictitious business names filed at the county level.

The Secretary of State's office cannot file a document which contains a name that is "likely to mislead the public or which is the same as, or resembles so closely as to tend to deceive," the name of a domestic or foreign (out-of-state or country) limited liability company that has registered with this office or a name which is under reservation for another limited liability company. (California Corporations Code section 17052.)
A limited liability company may adopt a name that is similar to, but not the same as, the name of an existing domestic or foreign (out of state or country) limited liability company if the existing limited liability company consents in writing to the use of the name and the Secretary of State's office finds that under the circumstances the public is not likely to be misled. The consent letter should be submitted on the letterhead of the consenting limited liability company, signed by an authorized officer of that company. If a proposed name is reserved utilizing consent, a currently dated consent must accompany each renewal request.
The limited liability company name may not falsely imply governmental affiliation.

All names must use the English alphabet or Arabic numerals (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9) or a combination thereof. Roman numerals are treated as letters and not translated into their numeric equivalent. Symbols are not allowed in an entity name; except, an ampersand & may be used in an entity name as a conjunction in place of the word "AND".
There is no distinction between upper and lower case letters, typeface or font.
The name of a limited liability company cannot include the words "bank," "trust," "trustee," "incorporated," "inc.," "corporation," or "corp.". (California Corporations Code section 17052(d).)

The name of a limited liability company cannot include the words "insurer" or "insurance company" or any words suggesting that it is in the business of issuing policies of insurance and assuming insurance risks. (California Corporations Code section 17052(d).)
The name of a limited liability company must end with the words "Limited Liability Company", "Ltd. Liability Co." or the abbreviation "LLC" or "L.L.C." (California Corporations Code section 17052(a).)

Fictitious business names filed with the county cannot include word(s) indicating corporate or limited liability company status unless organized as such pursuant to the laws of the State of California. (Business and Professions Code section 17910.5.)

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NOTE: We hope you find our LLC name availability/LLC name reservation steps useful and easy to follow. Nothing contained in our steps should be construed as giving legal or financial advice. Our intended audience is attorneys and accountants. Therefore, if you are not an attorney or accountant, you should contact an attorney or accountant for specific legal or tax questions regarding your LLC. Please be aware that the Franchise Tax Board and Secretary of State are government agencies and can change their fees/procedures/forms/turnaround times without notification. Although we do our best to update our steps and stay current, we shall not be held liable for any omissions or errors contained. We do not profess to be giving legal or financial advice to the general public as we are a typing and filing agency.

We can perform an LLC name search in California. California LLC name search provided fast. We can reserve a California LLC name for 60 days. Let Sun
Document Filings perform a California LLC name availability check with the California Secretary of State on a rush. We check California LLC name availability and we can reserve a California LLC name.