Business name search · Colorado

How to check and reserve a business name in Colorado

Colorado runs its business filings entirely online, and it gives you two different official searches that answer two different questions, one tells you if an exact name is available, the other shows you what similar names exist. Use both. Here's how the distinguishability rule works, and how to hold a name for 120 days.

The rule Colorado applies

An entity name must be distinguishable, different, from the entity names already on record with the Secretary of State; the standard lives in §7-90-601, C.R.S.¹ Colorado's FAQ is unusually concrete about what counts:¹

• These differences DO distinguish: articles of speech ("the," "a"), a different entity term or abbreviation (ABC LLC vs. ABC Limited Liability Company vs. ABC INC), spacing and hyphens (ABC LLC vs. A B C LLC vs. A-B-C LLC), and parentheses ((ABC) LLC).
• These do NOT: periods, commas, underscores, apostrophes and inverted apostrophes, and letter case, ABC Inc, abc inc, A.B.C. Inc, and ABC, Inc. are all the same name.

Most entity types must include a term or abbreviation identifying the entity type (the designator, "LLC," "Inc," and so on). The Secretary of State will not add one for you, and because the designator itself affects distinguishability, decide your structure before you reserve.¹ Names can only use the state's acceptable characters.¹

How to check availability: two searches, two questions

1. The Name Availability Search, "is this exact name free?"

The Name Availability Search gives a yes/no answer for the exact name you enter. It will not show you similar names, and it excludes trade names and trademarks from the check.^1,2 If the name is available, the result page lets you proceed straight into filing.²

2. The Business Database Search, "what's already out there?"

The Business Database Search is the reverse: it displays similar names but does not rule on availability.¹ The Secretary of State's own search tip: enter a few key words and leave out designators ("LLC," "Corp," "Inc"), articles, and small words, you'll get better results.¹

One Colorado quirk worth knowing: when an entity goes delinquent, dissolves, or withdraws, the state appends status words like "Delinquent" or "Dissolved" to its name in the record, and the original name becomes available for someone else to use.¹

Reserving a name before you file

• A Colorado name reservation holds a name for 120 days, filed online with the Secretary of State.¹
• It's renewable, file a Statement of Renewal of Reservation of Name before it lapses.¹
• In the state's own words, "a reserved name is merely held; reserving a name does not start a business."¹ When you're ready, you claim the reservation by selecting your entity type and entering the reserved name on the Entity Name screen of the formation filing.¹
• Include the designator in the reservation itself ("ABC LLC," not "ABC"), the designator affects distinguishability, so reserve the name exactly as you'll file it.¹
• Colorado business filings are made online through the Secretary of State's site; check the current fee there when you file rather than trusting a number from anywhere else.

Operating under a different name (DBA)

Colorado’s DBA is the trade name, registered with the Secretary of State. Identical trade names can coexist on the record; another business does not have to dissolve or change its name before you file the same trade name.¹ Releasing an entity name through a name change or dissolution is a different procedure. Check the state’s FAQ for the filing that fits your situation.