How to Name Your LLC in Georgia

Filing fee: $100 (online Articles of Organization)

Processing time: Standard: ~7 business days online; expedited available for additional fee

State agency: Georgia Secretary of State, Corporations Division

Annual report due: April 1 each year (Annual Registration)

State tax rate: 5.49% flat corporate income tax rate (2024); LLCs taxed per federal classification

To name an LLC in Georgia, your business name must include an approved LLC designator, must be distinguishable from existing registered entities in the state, and cannot include language that implies a purpose your LLC isn't authorized to carry out. Georgia law sets these requirements through the Corporations Division of the Secretary of State.

The suffix requirement is the one that catches people off guard most often. Georgia accepts several forms — you're not locked into just one.

• LLC

• L.L.C.

• Limited Liability Company

• Limited Liability Co.

• LC

• L.C.

Any of these suffixes placed at the end of your business name satisfies Georgia's designator requirement. The name also can't be the same as — or confusingly similar to — a name already on file with the Corporations Division.

Before you file anything, search the Georgia Secretary of State's Corporations Division Business Search to see whether your proposed name is already taken. The tool lets you search by business name, control number, registered agent name, or officer name — and you can filter by "Starts With," "Contains," or "Exact Match" to catch close variations.

One thing worth knowing: the online search is a research tool, not an official availability determination. The state is clear that a name appearing available in the database doesn't guarantee it will be approved when you file. Run the search, note any conflicts, and adjust your name before submitting your Articles of Organization.

If you've found a name you want but aren't ready to file your Articles of Organization yet, Georgia lets you reserve it. A reservation holds the name exclusively for 30 days from the date the certificate is issued — and that window is nonrenewable, so you'll need to file within it.

When you file your Articles of Organization online, the state asks for either your proposed LLC name or a valid name reservation number. If you reserved the name, use that reservation number at filing.

Reserve online

Go to the Georgia Secretary of State's online services page, create an account, select the name reservation option, enter your information and up to 3 desired names in order of preference, and submit. The fee is $25, payable by Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover. Standard processing takes about 7 business days; expedited processing is available for an additional fee. The $25 fee is nonrefundable.

Reserve by mail

Download and complete the Name Reservation Request form from the Secretary of State's website. Mail it with a $35 fee (mail filings cost $10 more than online) to: Office of the Secretary of State, Corporations Division, Name Reservation Request, 2 Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. SE, Suite 313 West Tower, Atlanta, GA 30334.

Georgia will reject an LLC name that includes certain regulated words unless you get written approval from the relevant state agency first. The state can also reject a name that implies your LLC is organized for a purpose it isn't legally authorized to carry out, or that suggests it's a different type of entity.

• "Insurance," "assurance," "surety," "fidelity," "reinsurance," "reassurance," or "indemnity" — requires written approval from the Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner

• "Bank," "banc," "banque," "banker," "banking company," "banking house," "bancorp," "credit union," "savings & loan," "trust," or "trust company" — requires written approval from the Department of Banking and Finance

• "College" or "university" — requires written approval from the Georgia Nonpublic Postsecondary Education Commission

If your business name includes any of these terms, get the required approval letter before you file. Submitting without it will result in rejection.

Your LLC doesn't have to do business under its legal name. Georgia allows LLCs to operate under a fictitious name — also called a trade name, assumed name, or DBA (doing business as). This is useful if you want a customer-facing brand name that's different from the legal name on your formation documents.

To use a DBA in Georgia, you file a fictitious name registration with the Corporations Division of the Secretary of State. Keep in mind that registering a DBA doesn't protect the name from use by others — it only establishes that your LLC is operating under that name. If name protection matters to you, a trademark is the stronger option.

Registering your LLC name with the Georgia Secretary of State gives you the right to use that name as a legal entity in Georgia — it doesn't stop someone else from using a similar name in another state or in a different industry. For broader protection, you'd need a federal trademark through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Before you file, it's worth running a trademark search to make sure your proposed name doesn't conflict with an existing mark. Using a name that infringes on a registered trademark can mean rebranding after you've already built recognition — which is a much harder problem to fix than catching it early.