How to Name Your Michigan LLC

Whether you’re searching for the right Michigan business name or registering your LLC with the Michigan LARA, we can help. We’ve got all the information you need on how to perform a business entity search in Michigan, LLC naming rules, assumed names and registering your business.

General Rules for LLC Names

These rules typically apply to all LLCs, no matter what state they are formed in.

Specific Rules for Michigan Business Names

The naming rules required by the Michigan Limited Liability Company Act closely follow the general guidelines all LLCs must adhere to.

How to Come Up with a Business Name

The perfect business name can be elusive. We have a complete guide to choosing the right business name, but essentially, you'll want to choose a name that will:

Need help coming up with business name ideas? Try our free name generator.

Michigan Business Entity Search

Once you have an idea of the business name you’d like to use, you’ll need to complete a Michigan business entity search to ensure no other business in the state is already using your chosen name. Bizee offers a fast, simple and convenient tool to look up your proposed business name. The Michigan LARA also offers a tool you can use to search the Michigan business registry to see whether someone has claimed your desired business name.

If the business name is already in use, you won’t be able to claim it. Try searching for a different business name instead. Note: While many states administer business creation and management through the Secretary of State office, the Michigan LARA is the organization that handles it in that state. If you’re looking to perform a Michigan Secretary of State business search, you’ll need to use the LARA’s business search tool.

Trademarks and Service Marks

You must be careful that your Michigan LLC name doesn’t infringe on the service mark or trademark of another business. The easiest way to make sure your proposed business name doesn’t engage in such a violation is to perform a trademark search through Bizee. If it's not in use, you may register it as a trademark yourself.

Michigan DBA or Assumed Name

You may do business under a name different form your llc's legal name. While many states refer to this as a trade name, fictitious name or "doing business as" (DBA), Michigan calls it an assumed name. You may decide to use a Michigan assumed name for a variety of reasons. For example, your primary business may be called Michigan Alternative Energy Company, LLC, and you have a chain called Residential Solar Power Systems. You could register an assumed name just for that brand. You'd do that with the Assumed Name Certificate form, or you can have Bizee do it on your behalf with our DBA service. Note: A trade name is not the same as a trademark. Learn more about trademark vs. DBA.

Register Your Business Name with the Michigan LARA

Once you’ve completed a Michigan business search, checked availability, followed the naming rules and decided whether you need an assumed business name, you can register your LLC name. There are a couple of ways to do this.