According to the state’s guidelines, all businesses are expected to perform a Wisconsin business search before forming an LLC.
This guide is intended to assist you to check the Wisconsin LLC name availability. While it is critical to select a business name in accordance with the state’s guidelines, make sure that no other entity in Wisconsin is using it other than your Wisconsin LLC.
1. Discover the Guidelines for Naming an LLC
Before making a final decision on your LLC name, our team strongly suggests that you ensure that your business entity name meets the state’s guidelines.
In fact, choosing a business name remains the first and most essential step in establishing an LLC. It’s important to note that you must pick a business name that satisfies the state requirements and can be easily searched by your potential clients online.
In summary, the naming guidelines are as follows:
- Your company's name should contain the abbreviations (LLC or L.L.C.) or "limited liability company."
- Be certain that your LLC's name does not include words that may cause confusion between your limited liability company and governmental institutions, such as the State Department or the FBI.
- If your name contains restricted words, such as Bank or University, additional paperwork or the services of a licensed individual, such as an attorney or doctor, may be necessary.
- Any Wisconsin company, limited liability partnership, or limited partnership must have a distinct name from yours.
For more information about the naming rules in Wisconsin, you may visit the Limited Liability Company Statute.
2. Conduct a Wisconsin LLC Name Search
For starters, you may use the Wisconsin Entity Search to make a Wisconsin LLC name availability check. As a result, it is critical to complete this step before you do an LLC name reservation request. In addition, the state offers a more specific LLC name availability search.
To conduct a Wisconsin business name search, enter your chosen name and leave out specific identifiers, including “LLC,” then leave the other boxes blank. As a result, you will recognize other Wisconsin businesses with the same or similar names. If you were unable to find your chosen business name then it is presumably available.
What To Do If Your Preferred Name Is Unavailable
After doing a comprehensive Wisconsin LLC search, it was found that your preferred name was already in use. So, what are your current plans?
Your only option is to create a new LLC name that is both legal and acceptable to the state. It should also be distinct from the one you previously selected.
This strategy may be tough for foreign companies looking to expand.
Whether or whether your LLC is recognized by its original name in other states, you must comply with the naming standards; you must change it if it is the same or too similar to an existing LLC name in Wisconsin.
3. Choose a Web Domain Name
Another critical factor is whether your chosen LLC name has an available domain name. For example, it is crucial to have a URL that obviously matches your LLC name. This small detail can have a significant impact on your potential clients’ ability to search your business online.
Furthermore, a common way to determine whether or not your chosen name is available is to search a domain registry like GoDaddy.
Find a Domain Now
4. Reserve Your LLC Name in Wisconsin
You can do a Wisconsin LLC name reservation for a period of 120 days with the Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate and Consumer Services. You must make an application by mail to reserve a company name. You must pay a filing fee while reserving your name.
It’s important to make checks payable to the Department of Financial Institution. Also, there will be an additional expedited services fee.
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Additional Considerations
Conducting a Wisconsin LLC lookup may appear simple, but there are a few things to consider when selecting the business name that best meets your needs. Additional research always comes in handy; therefore, our team recommends performing a Wisconsin LLC name check through Social Media and Trademarks to be sure that you are eligible to use your chosen LLC name.
Search for a Trademark
Searching for a trademark will assist you in developing several aspects of your business, including the name, logo, and even a slogan. It will also allow you to avoid costly and potentially costly litigation. As a result, discovering that other business entities have trademarked the name that you have chosen does not automatically preclude you from taking it.
However, determining the LLC that is using your chosen name, their industry, as well as their location is critical to ensuring that you do not inadvertently violate the business owner’s property rights.
The following are the steps to conducting a trademark search:
- Carry out a trademark search to see if your chosen name or associated slogan is already in use by another entity.
- Search the records of the United States Patent and Trademark Office to find local trademarks that are linked with your potential business entity name.
Search via Social Media
Lastly, it is crucial to have a doozy and available business name on social media networks. This can be done with the use of online tools like Namecheckr, which helps you to search all social media platforms simultaneously.
Conclusion
Choosing a Wisconsin LLC name may be both thrilling and difficult. You can proceed with the formation procedure as long as the name you choose is legal and distinct.
Following your Wisconsin entity search and selection of an LLC name, you may need to choose a domain name that correlates to it so that potential clients can quickly locate your LLC on the internet.
Finally, you may use a Wisconsin LLC name reservation form to be ahead of your competitors.
- Choose your LLC name. Before filing your documents, you must check that your selected LLC name conforms to the naming requirements.
- Assign a registered agent. In order to form an LLC, you must appoint a person or company as a registered agent to handle process serving. They must accept legal documents on your behalf.
- Submit the articles of organization. A Wisconsin LLC is formed by submitting an Articles of Organization (Form 502) to the Department of Financial Institutions.
- Draft an operating agreement. This is a contract that details the day-to-day operations of an LLC as well as the rights and responsibilities of each member. Although an operating agreement is not required by law for LLCs, we strongly advise you to create one.
- Get an EIN. Regardless of whether your LLC employs workers or not, it must get its own IRS Employer Identification Number (EIN). You may get an EIN by filling out an online application on the IRS website.
- File an annual report. All Wisconsin LLCs and Foreign LLCs that are allowed to conduct business in the state are required to file an annual report with the Department of Financial Institutions online.
It’s important to note that your desired LLC name must include these words:
- Limited Liability Company;
- LLC; or
- L.L.C.
In addition, your name should not include words that can confuse the public; it should clearly reflect the product or service you offer.
To modify the articles of organization of your Wisconsin LLC, submit Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions Form 504, Articles of Amendment – Limited Liability Company. The form is not required; you may write your own Articles of Amendment.
It is critical that the name of your LLC be distinct from the names of any existing businesses on file with the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions. To ensure that your preferred name is available, you may do a free name search on their website.
- The Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions charges $170 to file the Articles of Organization by mail and $130 if you choose to file online.
- The LLC name reservation fee is $15 before submitting your articles of organization.
Renewing the name of your LLC is not mandatory in Wisconsin, but it is strongly advised. For instance, if your LLC does not supply the same product or service as indicated in the certificate of formation, you must renew your LLC name to clearly represent the product or service you market.
When choosing a fictitious company name, Wisconsin law requires all enterprises to file a DBA. Despite the fact that it is the law, registering for a DBA permits the business to create bank accounts, issue contracts, and generally do business under a fictitious name.
What's Next?
Now that you have your entity name, it's time to take the next steps to establish your Wisconsin LLC. Check out our full guide on how to form an LLC in Wisconsin, where we can guide you every step of the way.
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