Can I reserve a business name in Michigan before I file?

Yes. The Michigan Department of Licensing (LARA) charges $25 to reserve a name for 180 days. A reserved name shows as taken to everyone else's search.

How much does it cost to register a business name in Michigan?

The name itself is free to search. Filing the entity is what costs money: $50 for an LLC and $60 for a corporation, then annual statement, $25 (llc) / annual report $25 (corp), due february 15 (llc) or may 15 (corp).

Are there words I can't use in a Michigan business name?

Words that imply a regulated business need consent first. In Michigan that includes Bank, Trust, Insurance, Engineer and Architect. Names that suggest a government agency are refused outright.

How many new businesses start in Michigan each year?

The Census Bureau counted 168,867 business applications in the twelve months to August 2026, +23.2% on the year before. Not every application becomes a registered entity, but each one is a name someone intends to use.

Does a Michigan registration protect my name in other states?

No. It protects the name inside Michigan's registry only. Nationwide protection comes from a federal trademark, which is why the checker runs the USPTO search alongside the Michigan lookup.

What does a Michigan LLC name have to end with?

One of the state's accepted designators — LLC, L.L.C., L.C. and Limited Liability Company. The checker searches the name with and without the suffix, because the suffix alone never makes a name distinguishable.

Michigan Secretary of State business search — LLC name check, trademark & domain lookup

Michigan's name reservation runs a full six months, twice the length most states offer, and LARA checks a proposed name against every entity type at once — an LLC can't take a name a corporation already holds. Formation is inexpensive ($50), and the state's search covers assumed names too.

Run the Michigan check — One search covers the Michigan registry, federal trademarks and the domain. Free, no signup.

Check this name →

How to check a business name in Michigan

Start with the registry. Search the Michigan registry for the exact name; it's the check that decides whether you can file at all.
Then the two checks the state doesn't do. A federal trademark reaches across state lines, and the .com decides whether customers find you — both run here automatically.
Lock it in. Michigan will hold it for 180 days for $25. The system of record is the Michigan Department of Licensing (LARA); confirm there before paying a filing fee.

Michigan naming rules: what the Michigan Department of Licensing (LARA) will and won't accept

The rule that matters most in Michigan is distinguishable from names on LARA's records (applies across entity types). In practice that means a name that differs from an existing one only by punctuation, spacing, capitalization or the entity suffix will be refused. Designators are fixed: LLC, L.L.C. and L.C. for an LLC, Corporation, Corp. and Incorporated for a corporation.

A few words are gated. In Michigan that list includes Bank, Trust, Insurance, Engineer, Architect, Surveyor and Cooperative — using one implies a regulated activity and the filing will be held until the relevant regulator consents.

What it costs: forming an LLC costs $50, a corporation $60 and a name reservation is $25 and holds the name for 180 days. Online filings 3-5 business days; 24-hour, same-day and 1-hour expedited services.

Keeping it: Annual statement, $25 (LLC) / annual report $25 (corp), due February 15 (LLC) or May 15 (corp). An entity that stops filing loses good standing, and with it the exclusive claim to its name.

As published by the Michigan Department of Licensing (LARA), (517) 241-6470 — official website (fee schedule). Fees change; confirm before filing.

How busy is Michigan right now?

Businesses in Michigan filed 168,867 new business applications in the twelve months to August 2026 — +23.2% on the year before, the 10th-highest total of any state and 16.7 per 1,000 residents (ranked 25th per person). July was the busiest month with 17,957 applications, and Michigan accounts for 2.7% of all U.S. filings.

Each application is a competitor for the same short, natural-sounding names, so the more active the state, the less a week-old search result is worth.

Where America starts businesses — all 50 states ranked →

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Formation Statistics (monthly, not seasonally adjusted). 2019 comparison: 94,532 applications in calendar 2019.

What people are checking in Michigan

32 Michigan names were checked on this site in the past 90 days, and 88% of them came back clear at the state level. The words that came up most: Shucks, Detailing, Care, Sisters and Daughters. (Aggregate figures only — we don't publish individual searches.)

How Michigan decides whether a name is taken

Three things the Michigan Department of Licensing (LARA) looks at, and one it doesn't:

Status. Only entities in an active status hold their names. Dissolved, revoked and withdrawn registrations release the name — with the caveat that a very recent lapse can still be reinstated, which our result notes when it applies.
Distinguishability. Your name must differ from every active Michigan name by more than punctuation, spacing, capitalisation or the entity designator. Two names that read the same aloud are usually treated as the same name.
Designator. The recorded name of an LLC ends in an LLC designator and a corporation's in Inc., Corp. or an accepted equivalent; leave it off and the filing is returned.
Not trademarks. The registry never checks the USPTO. A name can be free in Michigan and still infringe a federal mark, so run both — the checker on this page does.

Naming rules, fees and reservation windows come from Michigan statute and change; treat the Michigan Department of Licensing (LARA)'s current guidance as final before you file. This is a practical guide, not legal advice.

About the Michigan Department of Licensing (LARA)

The Michigan Department of Licensing (LARA) maintains Michigan's registry of corporations, LLCs, and other registered entities — it is the system of record for Michigan business names. Useful official resources:

Official Michigan business entity search — the state's own lookup.
Michigan Department of Licensing (LARA) — official website — filings, forms, fees, and contact details.

Using the official Michigan search

Search here first. The checker above covers the Michigan registry plus federal trademarks and domains in one pass — most dead-end names are eliminated in seconds.
Open the official Michigan entity search and look up your shortlisted name exactly as you plan to file it, including the entity suffix.
Review matching records — check each match's status (active registrations block a name; dissolved ones usually don't) and how close the spelling is to yours.
File or reserve promptly. Availability is first-come-first-served; a name that's clear today can be registered by someone else tomorrow.

Frequently asked questions

Can I reserve a business name in Michigan before I file?: Yes. The Michigan Department of Licensing (LARA) charges $25 to reserve a name for 180 days. A reserved name shows as taken to everyone else's search.
How much does it cost to register a business name in Michigan?: The name itself is free to search. Filing the entity is what costs money: $50 for an LLC and $60 for a corporation, then annual statement, $25 (llc) / annual report $25 (corp), due february 15 (llc) or may 15 (corp).
Are there words I can't use in a Michigan business name?: Words that imply a regulated business need consent first. In Michigan that includes Bank, Trust, Insurance, Engineer and Architect. Names that suggest a government agency are refused outright.
How many new businesses start in Michigan each year?: The Census Bureau counted 168,867 business applications in the twelve months to August 2026, +23.2% on the year before. Not every application becomes a registered entity, but each one is a name someone intends to use.
Does a Michigan registration protect my name in other states?: No. It protects the name inside Michigan's registry only. Nationwide protection comes from a federal trademark, which is why the checker runs the USPTO search alongside the Michigan lookup.
What does a Michigan LLC name have to end with?: One of the state's accepted designators — LLC, L.L.C., L.C. and Limited Liability Company. The checker searches the name with and without the suffix, because the suffix alone never makes a name distinguishable.

Still choosing a name? Try the Michigan business name generator — every idea checked against the same registry.

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