Verify Your Business Name With a Colorado Business Name Search

Your Colorado business name defines your brand and how your consumers recognize you. However, it also must be unique and unlike any other entity name in the State of Colorado.

To ensure this, you’ll have to do more than come up with a company name you think best represents your brand. You need to fulfill certain conventions required by the Colorado Secretary of State, including finding a name that no existing business within this state owns.

This might sound like a daunting task but don’t worry. Our Colorado business name search is an easy and comprehensive tool that checks the names of all Colorado corporations, limited liability companies, and other business entity types. The process is relatively simple.

1. Provide your name, email, location, and the corporation or LLC name you want to check

2. Receive your results in about one hour via email

3. Reserve your future Colorado business name right away, or go through the process again with another name option

Whether you’re a small business owner seeking to find your place in the market or you’re establishing a large company that will conduct business across the country, the Colorado business name search can save you a lot of trouble. Read on to find out how.

Key Takeaways

• The state of Colorado only registers business names that comply with its clearly defined conventions.

• A Colorado business name entity search can benefit you and your company in many ways, including saving time and money.

• Once you’ve found a business name that suits your brand and is available in Colorado, you can reserve it, establish a website, or immediately file your LLC name online.

Colorado’s Business Name Conventions

Before you start brainstorming ideas for your business name, you should consider Colorado’s business name conventions. There are specific rules for each business entity you must abide by if you want your registration process to be successful in Colorado, as well as general requirements that apply in all states.[1]

• Business names must be distinguishable from other entity names and names that the Colorado Secretary of State has reserved for these entities (differences include the article, business identifier, symbol, similar-sounding words, punctuation marks, etc.)

• Corporations in Colorado must contain business identifiers like “corporation,” “company,” “incorporated,” “limited,” or any of their abbreviations

• Nonprofit Colorado organizations can contain “corporation,” “company,” “incorporated,” or “limited,” or their abbreviations, but it’s not necessary

• Limited liability companies in Colorado must contain “limited liability company“ or have any or all of its parts abbreviated with “ltd.”, ”co.“, “LLC,” “L.L.C.,” or “Ltd.”

• Limited liability partnerships in Colorado need to contain “limited liability partnership,” “registered limited liability partnership,” or “limited” in their name or their abbreviations

Benefits of a Colorado Entity Search

Apart from ensuring that your name can be registered with the Colorado Secretary of State, conducting a Colorado business entity search has numerous other benefits.

• Avoid legal disputes by ensuring that no other Colorado LLC, corporation, or business entity of any type has the same or a similar business name as your startup, which can cost money and possibly tarnish the reputation of your new business

• Get business licenses and necessary permits faster, as well as secure documents like a Certificate of Good Standing

• Draw inspiration for your new business in Colorado by simultaneously checking which names are being used and which are available that could become yours

• Gain insight into other businesses and save details about businesses similar to yours that might become useful later

Next Steps

Deciding on your Colorado business name is only one of the first steps to complete to get your business going. There are a few more recommended steps to complete.

Complete Your Name Reservation

The next step in your LLC or corporation formation is reserving your chosen name. Nothing is more frustrating than spending hours thinking about which name would suit your brand best, confirming its availability, and then coming back later to find that someone else has already snatched it.

To file a reservation for your Colorado business name, do the following steps:

1. Go to the Colorado Secretary of State website’s Business Forms List[2]

2. Navigate to the “Reserved names” section

3. Open the “File online” link next to “Statement of Reservation of Name”

4. Follow the on-screen prompts to complete your Colorado business name reservation

The filing fee for your Colorado business name reservation is $25. Renewals carry the same charge, and the fee needs to be paid once 120 days pass after the initial reservation.[3] 

While your reservation is active, you can complete other steps of the business formation and file the necessary documents, such as the Articles of Organization or the Articles of Incorporation, depending on the entity type you opted for.

Choose a Domain Name

In today’s digital era, your online presence might mean more than you think, and your domain name is your ticket to online brand success. However, to ensure that success, you’ll have to be careful when choosing the domain name for your Colorado business.

Here’s some tips to keep in mind when choosing your domain name:

• Ensure your domain name is unique and doesn’t match any existing domain name

• Make it memorable and catchy so people remember it and recognize your products right away

• Buy your domain name to show that you’re serious about what you do and build trust with your consumers

• Use your domain name as a marketing tool to reach audiences outside Colorado 

Consider a DBA

A DBA, or “doing business as” designation, is a solution you can use in case your desired Colorado business name isn’t available. As an owner of a Colorado business of any type, you can also create as many DBAs as you need to spread your brand into different markets and reach audiences of various interests and needs.

Sole proprietorships or general partnerships must include their business owners’ name(s) in their business name, so they frequently use DBAs to operate under a name other than their own. In addition, some banks in Colorado require their clients to create a DBA before opening a bank account with them.

Fill out the Statement of Trade Name of a Dissolved or Delinquent Reporting Entity, a Non-Reporting Domestic Limited Partnership or a Converted Entity form and send it electronically to the Colorado Secretary of State to register your DBA.

The filing fee for a DBA in Colorado is $20, while the renewal is $5, and the withdrawal is $10. Correcting or changing a DBA for your Colorado business will incur an extra $10 fee for each DBA.

File Your LLC Online

Provided that you’ve completed all the above-described steps, you are now ready to file your LLC. The easiest way to do it is online through Swyft Filings, a document filing service that assists you during every step of your Colorado business formation.

Our expert business specialists offer personalized services that match your needs. We’ve helped over 300,000 businesses since 2015, and your Colorado business can be the next. Just provide information about your business by filling out a short form, and let us do all the work. 

FAQs

How do I find out if a business name is available for an LLC in Colorado?

To find out whether a business name is available for your Colorado business, you can conduct a business name availability search through Swyft Filings’ free business name search tool.

What is the Colorado Secretary of State Business Entity Search?

The Colorado Secretary of State Business Entity Search is a business database that allows you to see what businesses exist in the state and its detailed information.[4] You can search businesses by name, similar names, trade name, trademark, ID number, or document number, or go to the advanced search option and search by registered agent, reserved name holder, trade name registrant, and trademark registrant.

How do I find a business entity in Colorado?

Whether you want to find a Colorado LLC, a Colorado corporation, or another type of business entity, you can achieve that through the Colorado business entity name search too on the Colorado Secretary of State website.

How much does a Colorado business entity search cost?

Our business entity name search is completely free.

What are some of the benefits of a business entity search?

Doing a business entity search can benefit your Colorado business in many ways, both immediately and in the long run. You’ll save time you can spend on more important business aspects. You’ll prevent unnecessary costs and avoid legal disputes with companies that might already hold the name you want for your company. You might also get some ideas for your own business plans and name by scrolling through Colorado’s large database.

How can I find an address for a business in Colorado?

To find an address of a business operating in Colorado, you can conduct a business entity search. This search usually provides the business owner’s name, the company’s physical address, and contact information like an email or a phone number.

Bibliography

1. Colorado Secretary of State. “Colorado Corporations and Associations Act.” Accessed May 18, 2023.

2. Colorado Secretary of State. “Business Forms List.” Accessed May 18, 2023.

3. Colorado Secretary of State. “Fee Schedule.” Accessed May 18, 2023.

4. Colorado Secretary of State. “Name Availablity Search.” Accessed May 18, 2023.