Pennsylvania lesson 1 of 6
Name your Pennsylvania LLC
The Department of State will not accept a Certificate of Organization if the name is not distinguishable from an existing business name on file. Check availability before you pay the $125 fee.
Required wording
A Pennsylvania LLC name must include Company, Limited or Limited Liability Company, or an abbreviation such as Co., Ltd. or LLC. In practice almost every filer uses LLC or L.L.C.
- Acceptable: Keystone Supply LLC, Keystone Supply Company
- Not acceptable: wording implying the entity is a corporation, bank or government agency
- Certain regulated words require consent from the relevant state agency before use
Checking the name is free
Search the Department of State's business entity search before you file. Pennsylvania compares names for similarity, not only exact matches, so test a couple of variations if your first choice is close to something already registered.
If you plan to trade under a name different from the LLC's registered name, that is a fictitious name in Pennsylvania and is registered separately with the Department of State.
🇺🇸 Check United States company name availability
Search the official United States state registry before you file. Opens the government portal in a new tab.
Tip: also confirm the .com domain and matching social handles are free before you commit.
Key takeaways
- End the name with LLC, L.L.C., Company or the words in full.
- Search the Department of State's business entity search before filing.
- A different trading name is registered separately as a fictitious name.
Official sources
Or let us file your Pennsylvania LLC for you
Everything above is yours to use for free. If you would rather hand it over, we prepare and file the Certificate of Organization Domestic Limited Liability Company (DSCB:15-8821), act as your registered agent, and track your ongoing deadlines.
Last reviewed: September 2026 - reviewed by Gullia Filing Legal & Formation Team