LLC name rules compared (2026)
Nearly every state wants “Limited Liability Company”, “LLC” or “L.L.C.” in the name and a name that is distinguishable from others on file. Mainstay Filing, our best overall pick, checks your name against the state’s rule first.
| State | The rule (first sentence) | Read |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Must contain "Limited Liability Company" or "L.L.C." or "LLC" (10A-1-5.06); must be distinguishable on the records (10A-1-5.03, cited on the reservation form). | October 1, 2026 |
| Alaska | Must contain "limited liability company" or "L.L.C." or "LLC" | October 1, 2026 |
| Arizona | "shall contain the words 'limited liability company' or 'limited company' or the abbreviations 'L.L.C.', 'L.C.', 'LLC', or 'LC' AND shall not contain the words 'association', 'corporation', 'incorporated', or an abbreviation"; words like Bank, Credit Union… | October 1, 2026 |
| Arkansas | "Must contain the words 'Limited Liability Company,' 'Limited Company,' or the abbreviation 'L.L.C.,' 'L.C.,' 'LLC,' or 'LC. | October 1, 2026 |
| California | "shall contain the words 'limited liability company,' or the abbreviation 'L.L.C.' or 'LLC.' 'Limited' may be abbreviated as 'Ltd.,' and 'company' may be abbreviated as 'Co.'"; must not "mislead the public" and must be "distinguishable in the records" | October 1, 2026 |
| Colorado | "Must be distinguishable" | October 1, 2026 |
| Connecticut | Must contain "limited liability company" or "L.L.C." or "LLC" | October 1, 2026 |
| Delaware | Must "contain the words 'Limited Liability Company' or the abbreviation 'L.L.C.' or the designation 'LLC'" and "must be such as to distinguish it upon the records in the office of the Secretary of State" (§ 18-102). | October 1, 2026 |
| Florida | Must contain "limited liability company" or "L.L.C." or "LLC". | October 1, 2026 |
| Georgia | Must be "distinguishable upon the records of the Secretary of State". | July 16, 2026 |
| Hawaii | Must contain "limited liability company" or "L.L.C." or "LLC" | October 1, 2026 |
| Idaho | Must contain "Limited Liability Company", "Limited Company" or "L.L.C.", "L.C.", "LLC" or "LC" (form instruction, citing 30-21-301). | October 1, 2026 |
| Illinois | Must contain "limited liability company", "L.L.C." or "LLC" | October 1, 2026 |
| Indiana | "The name must include the words Limited Liability Company or an abbreviation thereof. | October 1, 2026 |
| Iowa | Must contain "limited liability company" or "limited company" or "L.L.C.", "LLC", "L.C.", or "LC" | October 1, 2026 |
| Kansas | Must contain "limited liability company" or "limited company" | October 1, 2026 |
| Kentucky | "must contain the words 'limited liability company' or 'limited company' or the abbreviation 'LLC' or 'LC. | October 1, 2026 |
| Louisiana | Must contain "limited liability company", "L.L.C." or "L.C."; distinguishable on the records; no "doing business as"/"d/b/a"; can't imply a state agency | October 1, 2026 |
| Maine | "must contain the words 'limited liability company' or 'limited company' or the abbreviation 'L.L.C.,' 'LLC,' 'L.C.' or 'LC'" and "must be distinguishable on the records of the office of the Secretary of State". | October 1, 2026 |
| Maryland | Must include "limited liability company", "L.L.C.", "LLC", "L.C." or "LC". | October 1, 2026 |
| Massachusetts | Must contain "limited liability company", "limited company", or "L.L.C.", "L.C.", "LLC" or "LC". | October 1, 2026 |
| Michigan | Must contain "limited liability company" or "L.L.C." or "L.C.", with or without periods. | September 30, 2026 |
| Minnesota | Must contain "limited liability company" or "LLC"; must not contain "corporation" or "incorporated" or their abbreviations; no implied non-permitted purpose; distinguishable on the Secretary's records unless consent or another listed exception is filed. | October 1, 2026 |
| Mississippi | "Must contain the words 'limited liability company' or the abbreviation 'L.L.C.' or 'LLC'"; must be distinguishable on the Secretary's records | October 1, 2026 |
| Missouri | Must contain "limited company" or "limited liability company" or "LC", "LLC", "L.C." or "L.L.C. | October 1, 2026 |
| Montana | Must contain "limited liability company" or "limited company" or "l.l.c.", "l.c.", "llc" or "lc" | October 1, 2026 |
| Nebraska | "must contain the words limited liability company or limited company or the abbreviation L.L.C., LLC, L.C., or LC. | October 1, 2026 |
| Nevada | Must contain "Limited-Liability Company," "Limited Liability Company," "Limited Company," or "Limited" or "Ltd.," "L.L.C.," "L.C.," "LLC" or "LC" | October 1, 2026 |
| New Hampshire | Must contain "limited liability company" or "L.L.C." or "LLC" or a similar abbreviation (form: "Limited Liability Company, L.L.C., L. | October 1, 2026 |
| New Jersey | "shall contain the words 'limited liability company' or the abbreviation 'L.L.C.' or 'LLC'. 'Limited' may be abbreviated as 'Ltd.', and 'company' may be abbreviated as 'Co.'"; must be "distinguishable in the records of the filing office". | October 1, 2026 |
| New Mexico | Must contain "limited liability company" or "limited company" or "L.L.C.", "LLC", "L.C." or "LC" | October 1, 2026 |
| New York | Must include "Limited Liability Company" or "LLC" or "L.L.C."; distinguishable from LLCs, corporations and limited partnerships on file; § 204 lists prohibited or restricted words, some needing another agency's consent. | October 1, 2026 |
| North Carolina | Must contain "limited liability company" or "L.L.C." or "LLC", or "ltd. liability co.", "limited liability co." or "ltd. liability company" (G.S. 55D-20(a)(2)); can't imply a purpose other than permitted (55D-20(c)); must be distinguishable (55D-21, cited in… | October 1, 2026 |
| North Dakota | Must contain "limited liability company", "L.L.C." or "LLC". | October 1, 2026 |
| Ohio | Must contain "limited liability company" or "L.L.C.", "LLC", "limited", "ltd." or "ltd". | October 1, 2026 |
| Oklahoma | "SHALL contain either the words limited liability company or limited company or the abbreviations LLC, LC, L.L.C. or L.C.", "limited" may be "Ltd." and "company" "Co." (Title 18, § 2008). | October 1, 2026 |
| Oregon | Must contain "limited liability company" or "L.L.C." or "LLC"; may not contain "cooperative", "corporation", "corp.", "incorporated", "Inc.", "limited partnership", "L.P.", "LP", "Ltd.", "limited liability partnership", "L.L.P." or "LLP" or derivations; must… | October 1, 2026 |
| Pennsylvania | Must contain "the term 'company,' 'limited' or 'limited liability company' or an abbreviation of one of those terms" | October 1, 2026 |
| Rhode Island | "Shall end with either the words 'limited liability company' or the upper or lower case letters 'l.l.c.' with or without punctuation"; must be distinguishable on the Secretary of State's records, disregarding the words required to identify the entity type. | October 1, 2026 |
| South Carolina | Must contain "limited liability company" or "limited company" or the abbreviation "L.L.C.", "LLC", "L.C.", or "LC" ("Limited" may be "Ltd.", "company" may be "Co."). | October 1, 2026 |
| South Dakota | Must contain "limited liability company, or limited company, or the abbreviation, L.L.C., LLC, L.C., or LC. | October 1, 2026 |
| Tennessee | "each Limited Liability Company name must contain the words 'Limited Liability Company' or the abbreviation 'LLC' or 'L.L.C.'" (T.C.A. § 48-249-106). | October 1, 2026 |
| Texas | "The name must contain the words 'limited liability company,' 'limited company,' or an abbreviation of one of these phrases. | October 1, 2026 |
| Utah | Must contain "limited liability company" or "limited company", or "L.L.C.," "LLC," "L.C.," or "LC" | October 1, 2026 |
| Vermont | Must contain "limited liability company" or "limited company" or "L.L.C.", "LLC", "L.C." or "LC" | October 1, 2026 |
| Virginia | Must contain "limited company" or "limited liability company" or "L.C.", "LC", "L.L.C." or "LLC". | October 1, 2026 |
| Washington | Must include "Limited Liability Company," "Limited Liability Co.," "L.L.C.," or "LLC" (RCW 23.95.305); must not contain "Bank", "banking", "banker", "trust", "cooperative" and certain combinations (industrial + loan… | October 1, 2026 |
| West Virginia | Must end with "limited liability company," "limited company," "L.L.C.," "LLC," "L.C.," or "LC" | October 1, 2026 |
| Wisconsin | Must contain "limited liability company" or "limited company" or "LLC" or "LC" (capitalization/punctuation variations allowed) | October 1, 2026 |
| Wyoming | Must include "limited liability company," "LLC," "L.L.C.," "limited company," "LC," "L.C.," "Ltd. liability company," "Ltd. liability co." or "limited liability co."; may not imply a purpose not in the Articles or that it is a corporation; must be… | October 1, 2026 |