A Virginia LLC name must include limited company, limited liability company, LC, L.C., LLC or L.L.C., must not suggest a corporation or limited partnership, and must be distinguishable on the SCC's records from every other registered business name (§ 13.1-1012). The SCC ignores the entity ending when it compares names. You can reserve a name for 120 days for $10.
Code of Virginia § 13.1-1012Code of Virginia § 13.1-1013Code of Virginia Title 13.1 and SCC Clerk's Office fee and FAQ pages reviewed November 10, 2026. Confirm current fees with the State Corporation Commission before filing.
Heads up: we are an independent company that prepares and submits Virginia filings for owners. We are not the Virginia State Corporation Commission and we do not give legal advice. Every state charge passes through at the exact amount billed, shown separately from our service fee.
- Filed with the Virginia State Corporation Commission
- We track your $50 annual registration fee
- Cited to the Code of Virginia, Title 13.1
- Talk to a filer: (386) 465-3937
The forks in the road.
Required ending
"Limited company" or "limited liability company", or LC, L.C., LLC or L.L.C. (§ 13.1-1012(A)).
Code of Virginia § 13.1-1012Forbidden signals
No word or abbreviation implying a corporation, limited partnership, registered limited liability partnership or protected series (§ 13.1-1012(B)).
Code of Virginia § 13.1-1012Distinguishable test
Compared against every corporation, LLC, business trust and limited partnership name and reservation on file, ignoring required endings (§ 13.1-1012(C), (F)).
Code of Virginia § 13.1-1012Reservation
$10 reserves a name for 120 days, renewable in the 45 days before it expires (§§ 13.1-1005, 13.1-1013).
Code of Virginia § 13.1-1013Consent route
An indistinguishable name can be used if the other entity consents in writing and undertakes to change its own name (§ 13.1-1012(D)).
Code of Virginia § 13.1-1012What to have ready
- Search the exact name and close variants on the SCC entity records
- Strip LLC, Inc. and similar endings before comparing
- Check that no word implies a corporation
- Decide whether to reserve the name for 120 days
- Pick a backup name
- Plan any brand name as an assumed name filing
Virginia LLC Name Requirements and How the SCC Compares Names
Virginia LLC Name Requirements and How the SCC Compares Names
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Why the SCC ignores LLC and Inc. when it compares
Subsection F of § 13.1-1012 tells the SCC not to consider required or permitted endings such as LLC, Inc., Corp. or LP when it decides whether two names are distinguishable. In practice that means the test is on the words that come before the ending. "Chesapeake Marine Services LLC" and "Chesapeake Marine Services Corporation" look different to a customer but are the same name on the SCC's records, and the second one to file is rejected.
Run your search on the core words, then on obvious variants, before you commit to signage or a domain. If the core words are already on file for any corporation, LLC, limited partnership or business trust, plan for a different name or a written consent.
Source: law.lis.virginia.gov
What else is off limits
Beyond the ending, a Virginia LLC name cannot contain any word or abbreviation suggesting it is a corporation, a limited partnership, a registered limited liability partnership or a protected series (§ 13.1-1012(B)). "Smith & Partners LLP LLC" fails, and so does a name with "Incorporated" in the middle. Any word or phrase whose use the law prohibits for that company is barred as well (§ 13.1-1012(B)(2)).
If the exact name you want belongs to an existing company, subsection D allows it with that company's written consent and its undertaking to change its own name, which is how many reorganizations and buyouts handle naming.
Source: law.lis.virginia.gov
Reserving a name while you plan
For $10 the SCC will reserve a distinguishable name for 120 days, and you can renew for another 120 days by filing during the last 45 days of the reservation (§ 13.1-1013). A reservation can also be transferred to another person by notice, which helps when a founder reserves a name and a newly formed holding company will use it.
Reserving is optional. If you are ready to file the articles now, filing them is the strongest reservation there is.
Source: law.lis.virginia.gov
Brand names and assumed names
Many Virginia businesses trade under a shorter brand than their legal name. That brand is an assumed or fictitious name, filed with the SCC for $10 under § 59.1-70. Unlike the LLC name, a fictitious name does not need to be unique and does not have to include LLC. It also gives no exclusive rights, so a brand you care about should be checked for trademark conflicts too.
Source: law.lis.virginia.gov
Virginia law and SCC rules behind this.
| Topic | Virginia rule | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Required ending | "Limited company" or "limited liability company", or LC, L.C., LLC or L.L.C. (§ 13.1-1012(A)). | Code of Virginia § 13.1-1012 |
| Forbidden signals | No word or abbreviation implying a corporation, limited partnership, registered limited liability partnership or protected series (§ 13.1-1012(B)). | Code of Virginia § 13.1-1012 |
| Distinguishable test | Compared against every corporation, LLC, business trust and limited partnership name and reservation on file, ignoring required endings (§ 13.1-1012(C), (F)). | Code of Virginia § 13.1-1012 |
| Reservation | $10 reserves a name for 120 days, renewable in the 45 days before it expires (§§ 13.1-1005, 13.1-1013). | Code of Virginia § 13.1-1013 |
| Consent route | An indistinguishable name can be used if the other entity consents in writing and undertakes to change its own name (§ 13.1-1012(D)). | Code of Virginia § 13.1-1012 |
Related Virginia reading.
Heads up: we are an independent company that prepares and submits Virginia filings for owners. We are not the Virginia State Corporation Commission and we do not give legal advice. Every state charge passes through at the exact amount billed, shown separately from our service fee.
What Virginia owners ask us
Generally no. Because the SCC disregards the endings, the two names are the same on its records.
Code of Virginia § 13.1-1012No. Fictitious names do not have to be unique and do not reserve anything.
Virginia State Corporation CommissionOnly if the law permits that company to use the word. Section 13.1-1012(B)(2) bars any word or phrase whose use is prohibited by law for the company, so check the industry rules first.
Code of Virginia § 13.1-1012Yes. Corp USA prepares and submits your Virginia filing with the State Corporation Commission for you. The state fee is passed through at cost and our service fee is shown separately at checkout, so you never have to work through the state's filing system yourself.
Virginia State Corporation Commission