Connecticut business name search starts with the entity register at the Secretary of the State, because that register decides whether a proposed name is available for an LLC, a corporation, or a partnership. A name is available when it is distinguishable from every name already on file, and the state applies a normalization rule that ignores punctuation, suffixes, and designators before it compares. The same query also shows which names are already in use and whether the entity that holds a name is still active.
This page covers the naming rules, the reservation process, the difference between an entity name and a trade name, and the offices that hold each record. It is written for founders choosing a name, owners changing one, and buyers checking whether a business legally holds the name it uses. Fees appear in the table only.
How to search Connecticut business names
The Business Records Search is the first stop for an entity name, but it is not the only register that matters. Trade names sit with town clerks, trademarks sit with the Secretary of the State in a separate search, and assumed names used by individuals can appear only in local records. A complete check touches more than one place.
Search the entity register
Enter the distinctive word from the proposed name and review every result. Connecticut matches on words, so a query for “Hartford” returns every entity with that word in its name, including active, forfeited, and dissolved companies. Read the status before you treat a name as taken, because a forfeited entity still blocks a new filing until it is reinstated or the office releases the name.
Compare the normalized forms rather than the display forms. “North Star Consulting LLC”, “NorthStar Consulting L.L.C.”, and “North-Star Consulting Limited Liability Company” are treated as the same name for availability purposes even though they look different on the page.
Search trade names
Trade name certificates are filed with the town clerk where business is principally transacted, and the state runs a separate trade name search that collects many of those local filings. A trade name search tells you whether a business already uses a name in a town, but it does not create an exclusive right to that name statewide.
Search trademarks
Connecticut registers trademarks and service marks with the Secretary of the State, and the federal register sits with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. A state trademark search covers marks used in Connecticut, while the federal search covers marks used in interstate commerce. Check both before you print signage or packaging.
Check the web and the domain
The state register does not know about a business that operates online without a Connecticut filing. Search the name in a major search engine, check the matching domain, and look at the social handles before you commit. A name that is free at the state level can still be unusable because a national brand already holds it.
Business name search and reservation:
https://service.ct.gov/business/s/onlinebusinesssearch
What makes a Connecticut name distinguishable
Connecticut does not ask whether two names sound alike in conversation. It applies a written test that strips punctuation, case, and entity designators, then compares the remaining words. That test accounts for most rejections and most surprises.
Required words by entity type
An LLC name must contain “Limited Liability Company”, “L.L.C.”, or “LLC”. A corporation name must contain “Corporation”, “Incorporated”, “Corp.”, or “Inc.”. A limited partnership must contain “Limited Partnership” or “L.P.”, and a limited liability partnership must contain “Limited Liability Partnership” or “LLP”. The designator is part of the legal name, and it appears on every filing.
Suffixes and punctuation
The state ignores periods, commas, ampersands, hyphens, and capitalization when it compares names. It also ignores the designator, so “Bluebird LLC” and “Bluebird Inc.” collide for availability purposes even though they are different entity types. Add a distinguishing word rather than changing punctuation when a name is already taken.
Names that are too similar
Connecticut treats names as the same when they differ only by a designator, an article, a conjunction, a plural, or a small variation in spelling. “The Hartford Bakery LLC” and “Hartford Bakery LLC” collide. “Hartford Bakery’s LLC” also collides. A genuinely new word, a distinct location, or a different order of words usually clears the test.
Restricted and prohibited words
Some words need approval or are barred outright. Bank, trust, insurance, and credit union suggest regulated activity and usually require a consent from the regulating agency. Words that imply a government connection are restricted. A name that suggests a professional license, such as “engineering” or “medical”, may need a license before the state accepts the filing.
Reserving a business name
A reservation holds a name for a set period while the owner prepares the formation filing. Connecticut reserves a name for 120 days, and the reservation can be transferred to another person or entity. A reservation is optional, and most founders simply file the formation document with the name they want.
When a reservation makes sense
A reservation helps when a lease, a loan, or a franchise agreement depends on the name, or when the owner needs time to raise capital before filing. It also helps when several people are negotiating over a name and one of them needs to lock it. For a single founder filing within a week, the reservation adds a fee without adding much protection.
Reservation does not create a business
A reservation does not form an entity, does not create liability protection, and does not give the owner a trademark. It only stops the state from accepting the same name from someone else during the reservation period. The business still needs a formation filing, a registered agent, and its tax registrations.
Trade names and assumed names
A trade name, also called an assumed name or a DBA, is the name a business uses in public when it differs from its legal name. Connecticut files trade name certificates with the town clerk rather than the Secretary of the State, which is why a trade name never appears in the entity search.
Filing with the town clerk
The certificate is filed in the town where business is principally transacted, and it must be notarized. The town clerk charges a filing fee, listed in the table below, and some offices charge a small additional amount to notarize the signature on the spot. The certificate names the owner and the trade name, and it becomes a public record in that town.
Renewal
A Connecticut trade name certificate is valid for five years. It must be renewed before it lapses, and a lapsed certificate weakens a claim that the business holds the name. A business with several locations may need a filing in each town where it transacts business, even when the trade name is identical.
Trade name and trademark are different
A trade name identifies the business, while a trademark identifies a product or service and its source. A trade name filing is a local disclosure, not a grant of exclusive rights. A trademark registration is a state or federal right that can be enforced against later users, and the two processes run in different offices.
Changing a business name
An existing entity changes its legal name by filing a certificate of amendment with the Secretary of the State. The amendment is a state filing with a fee that depends on the entity type, and it takes effect when accepted. The ALEI stays the same, which keeps the entity’s history and contracts intact.
What the change touches
A name change usually requires a new bank signature card, an update to the tax accounts, a new trade name certificate if the old one no longer matches, and a notice to customers and vendors. The state filing is the easy part. The follow-up work is what keeps a contract enforceable when the counterparty still has the old name on file.
Name change and the record
The filing history keeps both names, and the current record shows the new one. A buyer who searches the old name may find nothing, so a seller should disclose the former name in a contract or a due diligence package. The Connecticut filing history page covers how the amendment appears in the record.
Naming a Connecticut LLC
An LLC name needs the required designator and must be distinguishable from every name on the register. The name cannot suggest a regulated activity without approval, and it cannot use a word the state reserves for government bodies. Once the name is accepted, the LLC can file trade names in the towns where it operates.
An LLC does not need a name that matches its owners, its brand, or its website. A holding company can carry a neutral legal name and trade under the brand through a trade name certificate. The Connecticut LLC lookup page covers the rest of the LLC record.
Naming a Connecticut corporation
A corporation name needs “Corporation”, “Incorporated”, “Corp.”, or “Inc.”, and it follows the same distinguishability test. A stock corporation and a non-stock corporation can hold different names with the same distinctive word only if the rest of the name differs. The type designator alone does not create a difference.
A nonprofit corporation often wants a name that describes its mission, which increases the chance of a collision. Add a location or a specific word rather than a generic descriptor. The Connecticut corporation records page describes their filing rules.
Names for nonprofit and membership organizations
A nonprofit corporation follows the corporate naming rules, and it may not use a name that implies an official connection with a government agency. A membership organization may add “Association” or “Society” if the word is not restricted for the activity. Federal tax exemption has its own naming expectations, and a name that misleads donors can complicate the exemption application.
A nonprofit that intends to raise funds nationally should check the federal trademark register and the charity registration rules in the states where it solicits. Connecticut registration is only one layer, and a name that is clear here can still conflict elsewhere.
Checking a name before you file
A practical check takes a few minutes and prevents a rejected filing and a lost fee. Work through the list in this order so that a clear result at the state level is not wasted by a conflict later.
- Entity register. Search the distinctive word and read the status of every match.
- Trade name search. Check the state trade name index and the town clerk where you will operate.
- Trademark search. Check the Connecticut register and the federal register.
- Domain and web. Check the matching domain, the search results, and the social handles.
- Restricted words. Confirm whether the name needs a consent or a license.
Connecticut name and filing fees
The fees below come from the Secretary of the State schedule and the town clerk trade name fee. Priority handling is available at an additional amount for each transaction. Figures come from the published schedule and can change, so confirm before you pay.
| Filing | Fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Reservation of name | $60.00 | Held 120 days, transferable |
| Foreign LLC registration of name | $60.00 | Application for registration |
| Foreign corporation registration of name | $60.00 | Application for registration |
| LLC certificate of amendment | $120.00 | Name change or other amendment |
| Corporation certificate of amendment | $100.00 | Name change or other amendment |
| LLC Certificate of Organization | $120.00 | Includes registered agent |
| Stock corporation Certificate of Incorporation | $250.00 | Domestic stock corporation |
| Non-stock Certificate of Incorporation | $50.00 | Domestic non-stock corporation |
| Trade name certificate | $20.00 | Paid to the town clerk |
| Trademark or service mark | $50.00 | State registration, five years |
| Certificate of legal existence, LLC | $50.00 | Short form |
| Certificate of legal existence, corporation | $80.00 | Short form |
| Expedited service | $50.00 | Per transaction |
Name conflicts and how they resolve
The state decides availability, but it does not decide who owns a name in the marketplace. A conflict between two businesses is a private dispute unless one of them holds a trademark registration. A trademark owner can send a demand letter, oppose a registration, or sue, and the state filing does not settle the question.
A business that adopts a name already used by a national brand can face a demand even when the state accepted its filing. The cost of a rebrand usually exceeds the cost of a search, which is why a trademark check belongs in the naming process rather than after the signage is printed.
When Connecticut rejects a name
A rejection is not final. The usual reason is that the proposed name is not distinguishable from one already on file, and the fix is a new word rather than a new form. Read the rejection notice before filing again, because the notice names the conflicting entity and the filing that created it.
Some rejections come from a restricted word that needs a consent from another agency. A bank or trust name needs a letter from the Department of Banking, and an insurance name needs a letter from the Insurance Department. The consent is obtained first and attached to the filing, which means the delay sits with the other agency rather than with the Secretary of the State.
A rejected filing usually costs the filing fee again, so a pre-check is cheaper than a resubmission. Keep the rejection notice with the new filing, since it shows that the change responds to a specific objection. If the conflict is a forfeited entity, the office may still hold the name, and a reinstatement by the other owner can block the filing after the fact.
Names and the federal register
Connecticut clears a name against its own register, not against the federal one. A name that is available in Connecticut can still infringe a registered federal mark, and the state will not check that for you. The United States Patent and Trademark Office keeps a free search, and the relevant question is whether a similar mark is registered for similar goods or services.
Federal marks are organized by class, so the same word can be registered by two companies in unrelated industries. A bakery and a software company can both use a name when their classes do not overlap, and the state filing has no view on the question. A trademark attorney reads the classes and the goods descriptions rather than the name alone.
Use in commerce also creates rights without a registration. A business that has traded under a name for years may hold unregistered rights that a new registrant cannot brush aside. That is one reason a search that stops at the state register is only a first filter rather than a clearance.
What the name search cannot tell you
The register confirms whether the state will accept a name. It does not confirm that the name is free of trademark rights, that the domain is available, or that another business in another state is not using it. It also does not protect the name: a Connecticut filing creates no exclusive right beyond the register.
The search also does not show unregistered rights. A business that has used a name for years without a trademark registration may still have rights under state law, and a new registrant can be forced to stop using the name. A search is a screening tool, not a clearance opinion.
Frequent naming mistakes
Most rejected filings come from a few habits that are easy to correct. The state compares normalized names, requires the correct designator, and checks restricted words. A filing that ignores those rules is returned, and the fee is not always refunded.
- Changing only punctuation. Periods, hyphens, and ampersands are ignored in the comparison.
- Changing only the designator. “LLC” and “Inc.” are treated as the same name.
- Skipping the trade name search. A local trade name can conflict with a new entity name.
- Ignoring restricted words. Bank and trust names need a consent before filing.
- Skipping the trademark check. The state register does not clear a national brand.
Frequently asked questions
The questions below come from founders choosing a name and from owners changing one. Each answer points to the office or the rule that settles the question.
How do I check if a business name is available in Connecticut?
Search the Secretary of the State’s Business Records Search for the distinctive word, then check the trade name index and the trademark register. A name is available when no existing record is distinguishable and no restricted word requires a consent.
How long does a Connecticut name reservation last?
A reservation holds a name for 120 days and can be transferred. It does not create an entity or a trademark, and it does not stop another business from using the name in commerce.
Can two Connecticut businesses have the same name?
Not on the entity register. The state rejects a name that is distinguishable only by punctuation, a designator, or a small variation. Two businesses can use the same trade name in different towns, and a trade name does not create statewide exclusivity.
Where do I file a DBA in Connecticut?
With the town clerk in the town where business is principally transacted. The certificate must be notarized, and it is valid for five years before renewal. It does not appear in the state entity search.
Does a Connecticut trade name protect my brand?
No. A trade name certificate is a local disclosure, not an exclusive right. Protection comes from a trademark registration and from actual use in commerce, and the two are separate from the town clerk filing.