Stack of documents with a paperweight on a leather desk pad, Missouri Business Name Search: How to Check and Reserve a Name

Missouri Business Name Search: How to Check and Reserve a Name

Last verified: November 4, 2026

Before you file your LLC or corporation, you need a name that's actually available. Missouri's business entity search is free, takes minutes, and can save you from the frustration of discovering your chosen name is already taken after you've announced it to everyone. This guide walks you through searching for an available business name in Missouri and reserving it so no one else can claim it while you're getting your paperwork together.

Why Check Your Name Before You File

Search first, file second. Under RSMo 347.020, an LLC name must be distinguishable "upon the records of the secretary" from every corporation, LLC and limited partnership that is licensed, organized, reserved or registered in Missouri, whether domestic or foreign. Corporations face the same test under RSMo 351.110. Note the word "reserved": a name someone has on hold counts as taken, even though it will not show up as a company.

Our advice: pick three candidate names before you start, search all three, and only then spend money on anything (domain, logo, filing fee). The search is free; the LLC filing fee is $50 online or $105 on paper, per the Secretary of State fee schedule.

Step 1: Run the Missouri Business Entity Search

Use the Secretary of State's Missouri Business Entity Search. It is the same system the Secretary of State links from its Corporations Division page, and you do not need an account to look up a name.

Search the core words of the name rather than the full legal name. A search for "Midwest Marketing Solutions LLC" can miss "Midwest Marketing Solutions Inc" or "Midwest Marketing Solution", and those are exactly the neighbors a filing clerk will compare yours against. Search the distinctive words alone, then again with the most likely endings.

Step 2: Read the Results

No match is a good sign, not a guarantee. The search shows what is on the records today; it does not tell you whether someone has the name on a pending filing or reserved for 60 days.

For every close match, open the record and check the entity type and the status. An active entity with your name, or one that differs only in punctuation or an ending such as "LLC" versus "L.L.C.", is a conflict. Treat anything that is a one-letter or one-ending difference as a conflict too, because the statutes require your name to be distinguishable, not merely different. We are not aware of an official list of what counts as distinguishable beyond that statutory wording, so the safe move is to add a real, distinctive word.

Missouri Naming Rules by Entity Type

EntityName must includeName must not includeSource
LLC"limited company" or "limited liability company," or LC, LLC, L.C. or L.L.C."corporation," "incorporated," "limited partnership," "limited liability partnership," "limited liability limited partnership" or "Ltd."; any wording suggesting a government agencyRSMo 347.020
Corporation"corporation," "company," "incorporated" or "limited," or an abbreviation of one of themAny word or phrase that implies a government agencyRSMo 351.110

Both statutes also let you use a name that conflicts with another holder's if that holder consents in writing and changes its own name, or if you file a certified copy of a court decree that establishes your prior right to the name (the LLC statute states both routes). In practice, treat this as a legal matter and talk to a Missouri attorney before you rely on it.

Step 3: Handle Dissolved Names Carefully

A dissolved entity is not automatically a free name. The Secretary of State states on its general services page that a dissolved corporation's name cannot be used by another entity until one year has passed from the date of dissolution, and points to RSMo 351.462 to 351.483. That sentence is written about corporations. If the match is a dissolved LLC, call the Corporations Division before you build a brand on its name.

Step 4: Reserve the Name if You Are Not Filing Yet

Reserve only if there is a real gap between choosing the name and filing. If you can file this week, go straight to filing your Missouri LLC or corporation; a reservation is an extra $25 you do not need.

ItemDetailSource
Reservation fee$25 (the fee schedule's "all others" line; limited liability partnerships pay $30)Secretary of State fee schedule
LengthUp to 60 days, renewable for two additional 60-day periods (180 days at most)Secretary of State FAQ
After 180 daysThe name leaves reserved status, and the same applicant may never reserve it againSecretary of State FAQ

The consequence of that last row is easy to miss: if you let a 180-day reservation run out and someone else files the name, you cannot reserve it again, and the name is open to anyone. If you are still not ready at day 150, file your formation documents instead of letting the reservation lapse. Find the reservation application on the Secretary of State's fees and forms page.

What a Name Search Does Not Cover

  • Trademarks: A name that clears the Secretary of State can still infringe a registered mark. Search the USPTO trademark database before you print anything with the name on it. A local business with a common word in its name carries less risk, but a name that is distinctive nationally deserves a real search.
  • Fictitious names: If you will operate under a name other than the legal one, you register that separately. The Secretary of State charges $7 to create a fictitious name registration, according to the fee schedule, and its FAQ says registering does not give you exclusive rights to the name.
  • Domains and social handles: The state registry knows nothing about these. Check them the same day.

Save a screenshot of your search with the date visible. If a later dispute turns on whether the name was available when you filed, you will want that record.

Next Steps

Once the name is clear, the order is: file the entity, get a registered agent with a Missouri address in place, then apply for an EIN. Our Missouri LLC guide walks through the filing, and if you would rather hand off the paperwork, you can compare Missouri LLC formation services.

Disclaimer

This article is general information, not legal advice. Naming rules, fees and procedures can change, and a name dispute can turn on facts this page cannot see. For a name you are worried about, talk to a Missouri business attorney. The Secretary of State's Corporations Division is the official source for current fees and filing procedures.

Sources

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