How to Name Your Nevada LLC

Filing fee: $75 (Articles of Organization, standard)

Processing time: Varies; expedited options available through SilverFlume (24-hour: $125 additional; 2-hour: $500 additional; 1-hour: $1,000 additional)

State agency: Nevada Secretary of State — SilverFlume Business Portal (nvsilverflume.gov)

Annual report due: Annual List of Managers/Members due by the last day of the LLC's anniversary month

State tax rate: No state corporate income tax; Commerce Tax applies to businesses with Nevada gross revenue over $4 million

Naming your Nevada LLC involves 3 steps: confirm your name meets state requirements, search the Nevada Secretary of State's database to check availability, and include the approved name in your Articles of Organization. You can also reserve the name for 90 days for a $25 fee if you're not ready to file right away.

Nevada LLC naming requirements

Every Nevada LLC name must meet a few baseline rules set by Nevada Revised Statutes Chapter 86. The name must be distinguishable from all other business entities already on file with the Nevada Secretary of State, and it must include a proper LLC designator.

Accepted designators are "Limited-Liability Company," "Limited Liability Company," "LLC," or "L.L.C." — one of these must appear in your official name. The state treats the hyphenated and non-hyphenated versions as interchangeable, so either works.

• The name cannot imply a government affiliation — words like "FBI," "Treasury," or "State Department" are off-limits without proper authorization

• Regulated terms — things like "Bank," "Trust," "Credit Union," "Insurance," "Engineer," "Architecture," and "Accountancy" — require a license and, in some cases, approval from the relevant Nevada regulatory board before you can use them

• Homeowners' association terms such as "Homeowners Association" or "Common-Interest Community" may require approval from the Nevada Office of the Ombudsman

The restricted-term list catches people off guard more often than the designator rule does. If your business name touches a licensed profession or financial services, check with the relevant Nevada board before filing.

Nevada business entity search

Before you file anything, search the Nevada Secretary of State's business entity database to confirm your name isn't already taken. The search is free and available through the SilverFlume portal at esos.nv.gov.

The search tool supports several modes: Starts With, Contains, Exact Match, and All Words. A practical approach is to search the core phrase of your name without the LLC designator — that surfaces related matches you might otherwise miss.

If the search returns an entity with the same or a confusingly similar name, that name isn't available. Nevada's standard is distinguishability, not just exact duplication — so a name that's nearly identical to an existing one will likely be rejected at filing.

How to reserve a Nevada LLC name

Name reservation is optional in Nevada — you don't need to reserve a name before filing your Articles of Organization. But if you're not ready to file right away, a reservation holds your name for 90 days.

To reserve a name, file a Name Reservation Request with the Nevada Secretary of State. The base fee is $25. You can file online through SilverFlume, or by mail, email, or in person at a Secretary of State office. Mail and in-person submissions require a Customer Order Form alongside the reservation request.

Expedited processing is available for an additional fee: $50 for 24-hour processing, $500 for 2-hour processing, and $1,000 for 1-hour processing — all on top of the $25 base fee. The reservation is effective for 90 days from the date the Secretary of State approves it.

Nevada DBA (fictitious firm name)

If you want to run your Nevada LLC under a name other than its legal name, you need to register a fictitious firm name — Nevada's term for a DBA. Unlike many states, Nevada handles fictitious firm name registration at the county level, not through a state filing.

For example, if your LLC is registered in Clark County, you'd file with the Clark County Clerk. Washoe County has its own process through the County Clerk's office. Check with the county where your business operates for the specific form and fee.

• The fictitious name cannot include "Corporation," "Corp.," "Incorporated," or "Inc." unless the filer is actually that type of entity

• The name cannot mislead the public into thinking the business is a government agency or tribal nation

• The name cannot appear to be a person's name without additional distinguishing words

Trademarks and service marks

Clearing your name with the Nevada Secretary of State confirms it's available in the state database — it doesn't mean the name is free from trademark conflicts. A name can pass the state search and still infringe on a federally registered trademark.

Before settling on a name, search the USPTO's Trademark Electronic Search System (TESS) at uspto.gov to check for existing federal trademarks. If you plan to operate across state lines or want to protect your brand, talk to a legal professional about whether federal trademark registration makes sense for your business.

How to register your Nevada LLC name

Your LLC name is officially registered when you file your Articles of Organization with the Nevada Secretary of State. There's no separate name registration step — the name you list in the Articles becomes your legal business name once the state approves the filing.

File your Articles of Organization through SilverFlume at nvsilverflume.gov. The standard filing fee is $75. Before you submit, confirm the name is available in the state database and that it meets all naming requirements — the Secretary of State can reject a filing if the name isn't distinguishable from an existing entity.

If you need to change your LLC's name after formation, file an Amendment to Articles of Organization through SilverFlume. The proposed new name must be available and distinguishable, and it must include a valid LLC designator. The IRS also requires a separate notification of a business name change — a tax professional can help you figure out the right process for your situation.