How to Check Business Names in Pennsylvania

If you are starting a business in Pennsylvania, you need to have a name for it. In Pennsylvania, if you choose a name for your business that does not contain your last name and a description of the business, then it is considered a fictitious name. Fictitious business names in Pennsylvania are governed by the Fictitious Names Act and must be registered with the Pennsylvania Department of State. When choosing a name, you must pick one that can be distinguished from existing business names. In order to do so, you can check business names in Pennsylvania with the Department of State.

Instructions

1. Navigate to the Pennsylvania Department of State Corporations Bureau website. Click the link for "Corps Menu Page," then click "Corporation Name Search" under the menu.

2. Select how you would like to search for business names. The search options provided are: "Starting With," "All words," "Any words," "Corporate Name Availability," "Sounds Like," "Exact Match," and "Only Active Corporations."

3. Enter business names in the search field and click "Search." Enter a variety possible spellings for your name, and also search using the "Sounds Like" feature to make sure that the name you have chosen can be distinguished from other existing business names.

Tips & Warnings

• You can also call the Pennsylvania Department of State Corporations Bureau at 717-787-1057 to check business names.

References

• Pennsylvania Department of State: Corporations
• onecle: 54 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 301