State Business Entity Search

Louisiana Secretary of State business entity search

Act 921 of the 2026 Regular Legislative Session raised the Commercial Division's fees in Louisiana effective October 1, 2026.

Check a name against Louisiana's naming rules

  • Type a business name above and press Check name. Its ending and any restricted words show here.

Get the matching domain name

Type a business name to check its .com, .net, .org and .us.

"Not registered" is the registry's answer at this moment. It is not a promise that the name can be bought at the standard price, since some unregistered names are reserved or sold at a premium. The buttons open Spaceship, a domain registrar, where the price is shown.

See an example check

Example: a check of "Blue Heron Bakery LLC" against Louisiana's rules.

  • Ends with "L.L.C.", an ending Louisiana lists for an LLC.
  • No ending from Louisiana's list for a corporation was found at the end of this name.

This checks the ending and the restricted words Louisiana publishes. It does not tell you whether another company already holds the name. Only the state's own search can show that.

A private website, not a government site. Every state entry links to that state's official search.

Louisiana's own search

Run by
Louisiana Department of State
Called
Louisiana Business Filings search
Search by
Entity Name, Charter Number, Trade Registration Number, or Name Reservation Number, Officer Name or Agent Name
Open Louisiana's official search

The state's search is the record that counts. State Business Entity Search is not a government site.

The Commercial Division of the Louisiana Department of State keeps the register, and its Business Filings search needs no login.

  • LLC filing fee $125
  • Name held 120 days
  • Register kept by Louisiana Department of State

By the State Business Entity Search team. Fees, endings and rules come from 9 official Louisiana sources, retrieved on November 13, 2026. Last updated November 13, 2026. How these facts are gathered.

Louisiana filing fees for a new business name

FilingState feeDetails
Form an LLC in Louisiana $125 Articles of Organization-Louisiana Limited Liability Company. Source: Louisiana Secretary of State, Commercial Division fee schedule effective October 1, 2026.
Form a corporation in Louisiana $95 Articles of Incorporation Louisiana Business. Source: Louisiana Secretary of State, Commercial Division fee schedule effective October 1, 2026.
Reserve a name in Louisiana $25 Held for 120 days. Source: Louisiana Secretary of State, Commercial Division fee schedule effective October 1, 2026.
Annual report for a Louisiana LLC $35 Every year. Source: Louisiana Secretary of State, Commercial Division fee schedule effective October 1, 2026.
Trade name registered with the Secretary of State in Louisiana $95 Source: Louisiana Secretary of State, Commercial Division fee schedule effective October 1, 2026.

Name endings Louisiana accepts

For an LLC (Louisiana Revised Statutes 12:1306)

  • limited liability company
  • L.L.C.
  • L.C.
  • low-profit limited liability company (L3C only)
  • L3C
  • l3c

For a corporation (Louisiana Revised Statutes 12:1-401)

  • corporation
  • incorporated
  • company
  • limited
  • corp.
  • inc.
  • co.
  • ltd.

The search page accepts an entity name, a charter number, a trade registration number, a name reservation number, or an officer or agent name. It is protected by reCAPTCHA. The state also sells a Commercial API subscription for searching business information from your own systems.

For a name check, the Secretary of State's FAQ says to enter the name without its corporate ending. The same FAQ calls these searches preliminary, because a more thorough search takes place once documents are submitted for filing.

What Louisiana compares a name against

R.S. 12:1306 requires an LLC name to be distinguishable on the Secretary of State's records from other organized entities. Reserved names and registered trade names count too. Written consent plus a name change by the other registrant is one of the listed exceptions.

Trade names do conflict with LLCs and corporations, so a registered trade name can block an LLC filing. A revoked company's name stays off limits for 3 years after the revocation date.

Words that need another office's approval

Louisiana is specific about who signs off. A name with "bank", "trust", "credit union" or similar words needs written approval from the commissioner of the office of financial institutions, dated at least fourteen days before the certificate issues.

"Insurance" is allowed only for an independent insurance agency or brokerage firm. Names with "engineer" or "surveyor" need written notice to the Louisiana Professional Engineering and Land Surveying Board at least ten days ahead. An "architect" name needs notice to the Louisiana State Board of Architectural Examiners ten days ahead, or a signed waiver.

The LLC endings by state covers "L.C." and the L3C form that Louisiana also accepts.

Fees after the October 2026 increase

The fee schedule lists $125 for LLC articles of organization and $95 for a corporation's articles of incorporation. A name reservation is $25 and is held for a nonrenewable 120 days under the reservation statute. An annual report is $35, and it is due every year.

Expedited service costs extra. The form lists routine expedite at $35 with 24 hour processing and priority expedite at $60 with 2-4 hour processing.

A trade name registered with the Secretary of State is listed at $95. A DBA goes to the parish Clerk of Court instead. The trade names and DBAs guide sorts out the two.

Filing online in 14 parishes

Business owners in 14 named parishes must file all available business documents online through geauxBIZ. East Baton Rouge and Orleans are two of them, and the form lists the rest.

Checking and claiming a name in Louisiana

  1. Search the name without its ending in the Louisiana Business Filings search.
  2. Check the result against trade names and reserved names as well as companies.
  3. Arrange any agency approval or notice before filing if the name uses a restricted word such as "bank" or "architect".
  4. Reserve the name for $25 if you need 120 days.
  5. File the articles of organization for $125, online if your parish requires it.

Louisiana name search questions

What does a Louisiana LLC pay each year to the Secretary of State?

The fee schedule effective October 1, 2026 lists annual reports at $35. The Secretary of State's FAQ says the yearly filing is a requirement.

Is a DBA filed with the Louisiana Secretary of State?

No. The FAQ says DBAs are filed at the parish level with the local Clerk of Court. A trade name registered with the Secretary of State is a separate filing, listed at $95.

How long can I hold a Louisiana LLC name?

The reservation statute holds a name for a nonrenewable period of one hundred twenty days, and the fee schedule puts the application at $25.

Which Louisiana parishes require online filing through geauxBIZ?

Fourteen parishes: Ascension, Bossier, Caddo, Calcasieu, East Baton Rouge, Jefferson, Lafayette, Livingston, Orleans, Ouachita, Rapides, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa and Terrebonne.

How soon can I use a name from a revoked Louisiana company?

Not for 3 years. The Secretary of State's FAQ says the name will not be available until 3 years after the revocation date.

After the Louisiana name check

9 official Louisiana sources
  1. Louisiana Secretary of State, Start a business, retrieved November 13, 2026.
  2. Louisiana Secretary of State, Search business filings, retrieved November 13, 2026.
  3. Louisiana Secretary of State, Louisiana Business Filings search, retrieved November 13, 2026.
  4. Louisiana Secretary of State, Commercial Division fee schedule effective October 1, 2026, retrieved November 13, 2026.
  5. Louisiana Secretary of State, Business services frequently asked questions, retrieved November 13, 2026.
  6. Louisiana Secretary of State, Form 365 Articles of Organization for a Louisiana limited liability company, retrieved November 13, 2026.
  7. Louisiana Revised Statutes 12:1306, limited liability company names, retrieved November 13, 2026.
  8. Louisiana Revised Statutes, reservation of limited liability company names, retrieved November 13, 2026.
  9. Louisiana Revised Statutes 12:1-401, corporate names, retrieved November 13, 2026.