Key Takeaways
- Search tool: Corporations and Charities Filing System (CCFS) Advanced Business Search, free, run by the Washington Secretary of State, Corporations & Charities Division
- Search by business name, ubi (unified business identifier) number, entity type, status
- Name reservation available for $30 (180 days)
- Washington lists LLC members/owners in the public record
- New LLC names must include a designator such as "Limited Liability Company," "Limited Liability Co.," "LLC," or "L.L.C."
- Same-day name-availability confirmation and formation filing available through LLC Attorney at no markup on state fees
Searching Washington's CCFS for an LLC name is simple on its face, but Washington hides a genuine agency-split trap in its DBA system — trade names aren't filed through the Secretary of State at all.
This guide covers exactly how to search for a Washington business or check LLC name availability in 2026 — the CCFS Advanced Business Search, Washington's distinguishability standard, its unusually long 180-day (but non-renewable) name reservation, and why trade name registration lives with the Department of Revenue instead.
How to Search for a Business in Washington
Use the Washington Secretary of State, Corporations & Charities Division's Corporations and Charities Filing System (CCFS) Advanced Business Search to search for an existing business or check whether a new LLC name is available. Search by business name, ubi (unified business identifier) number, entity type, status. The search is free.
Search directly at ccfs.sos.wa.gov/#/AdvancedSearch.
Omit "LLC"/"L.L.C." and punctuation when searching, and try both the full name and its individual key terms separately, since CCFS's matching can miss close variants if you search too literally. Washington identifies entities by a UBI number rather than the "control number" or "file number" terminology used elsewhere — don't be thrown by the different label. "Inactive," "Voluntarily Dissolved," and "Administratively Dissolved" entities lose their name rights and become available for reuse; "Delinquent" status entities' names remain unavailable.
A CCFS result shows entity status, UBI number, formation date, principal office address, and registered agent name/address, along with filing history. It does not include downloadable filed-document images through the free search tier — those require a separate document request.
Checking Name Availability Before You File
Run the same CCFS Advanced Business Search before filing or reserving. A free CCFS account lets you test a proposed name against active and reserved records directly, though the Corporations Division ultimately confirms availability at filing time.
Washington's Distinguishability Standard
Washington applies a "distinguishable upon the records" test: designator differences (LLC vs. Inc.), filler words, singular/plural/possessive variations, punctuation/spacing/symbol differences, abbreviation-vs-full-word differences, and capitalization all fail to make two names distinguishable from each other.
Reserving a Name in Washington Before You Form
Name reservation available: For $30, you can reserve your chosen name for 180 days before filing.
File by mail with the Corporations & Charities Division in Olympia for $30, holding the name for 180 days — the longest reservation window of any state in this batch. The tradeoff: it cannot be renewed, unlike Virginia's indefinitely renewable reservation, so once it lapses you'll need to confirm availability and file fresh. Expedited processing is available for an added $100 (or $150 for same-day).
Searching for DBAs and Fictitious Names in Washington
Washington's biggest agency-split trap: what Washington calls a "trade name" (its version of a DBA) is filed with the Department of Revenue through the state's Business Licensing Service (My DOR) — not with the Secretary of State's CCFS at all. It costs $5 per trade name plus a $50 new-business processing fee (or just $10 if you're adding a trade name to an already-registered business). There's no expiration or renewal requirement for the trade name registration itself, though any associated state or city license endorsements still need annual renewal. Search the DOR's own Business Lookup tool (not CCFS) and the USPTO before registering.
Washington LLC Naming Requirements
Your new LLC's name must include a designator such as "Limited Liability Company," "Limited Liability Co.," "LLC," or "L.L.C.".
Banking-related terms ("banker," "banking," "trust," "cooperative") are restricted, and you can't combine "trust" with "loan," or combine two or more of "savings," "association," "society," "home," and "loan" in the same name.
An Available LLC Name Isn't the Same as a Trademark-Safe Name
The Washington Secretary of State runs a separate state-level trademark search and registration process, distinct from entity-name registration — contact the Corporations Division directly for current filing fees, since these are revised periodically and a business-entity search won't surface trademark-specific pricing.
CCFS only checks against other Washington-registered entities — it has no bearing on federal trademark rights. Search the USPTO's TESS database separately before committing to a name central to your brand.
What a Washington Business Search Reveals
Washington requires LLCs to name up to four "Governors" — its term for the members or managers who govern the business (an LLC itself can't serve as a Governor) — on the Annual Report, which is public record and carries a fee in the $60–$70 range depending on the source consulted. A passive, non-governing co-owner who isn't designated a Governor may not appear, so full membership isn't always disclosed even though the Governors who are named are fully public.
Washington lists LLC members/owners in the public record, so a search can reveal ownership information.
Getting a Washington Certificate of Good Standing
You can confirm an LLC's good standing status and request a Certificate of Good Standing through the same Corporations and Charities Filing System (CCFS) Advanced Business Search, for $20 (available online with paid expedite options).
How to Search and Reserve Your Washington LLC Name
If You Do It Yourself
Step 1 — Search the Corporations and Charities Filing System (CCFS) Advanced Business Search at ccfs.sos.wa.gov/#/AdvancedSearch.
Search by business name, ubi (unified business identifier) number, entity type, status to confirm your desired name isn't already taken.
Step 2 — Apply the state's distinguishability standard, not just an exact-match check.
Washington applies a "distinguishable upon the records" test: designator differences (LLC vs. Inc.), filler words, singular/plural/possessive variations, punctuation/spacing/symbol differences, abbreviation-vs-full-word differences, and capitalization all fail to make two names distinguishable from each other.
Step 3 — Check your name against restricted/regulated words.
Banking-related terms ("banker," "banking," "trust," "cooperative") are restricted, and you can't combine "trust" with "loan," or combine two or more of "savings," "association," "society," "home," and "loan" in the same name.
Step 4 — Confirm your name includes a required LLC designator.
Your name must include a designator such as "Limited Liability Company," "Limited Liability Co.," "LLC," or "L.L.C.".
Step 5 — Reserve your name for $30 if you're not ready to file yet.
File by mail with the Corporations & Charities Division in Olympia for $30, holding the name for 180 days — the longest reservation window of any state in this batch. The tradeoff: it cannot be renewed, unlike Virginia's indefinitely renewable reservation, so once it lapses you'll need to confirm availability and file fresh. Expedited processing is available for an added $100 (or $150 for same-day).
Step 6 — Run a separate USPTO trademark search before you commit.
CCFS only checks against other Washington-registered entities — it has no bearing on federal trademark rights. Search the USPTO's TESS database separately before committing to a name central to your brand.
Step 7 — File your formation documents promptly once you've confirmed availability.
If you didn't reserve the name, nothing holds it for you — another filer could take it first.
Step 8 — Watch for Washington-specific search quirks.
The single biggest Washington trap for a search-focused reader is that trade names/DBAs are not filed through the same portal as entity search — they go through the Department of Revenue's business licensing system, a completely separate state agency from the Secretary of State's CCFS. This is conceptually similar to Texas's SOSDirect/Comptroller split, except in Washington it's the DBA filing (not tax status) that lives with the second agency. Washington's 180-day name reservation is also the longest of any state studied here, but it can't be renewed — plan your filing timeline accordingly.
If LLC Attorney Does It for You
- Submit your desired business name at llcattorney.com along with one or two backup options.
- LLC Attorney runs the Washington name-availability search, checks it against restricted-word rules, and confirms your designator is correctly formatted before filing.
- Receive confirmation once your name is filed, plus access to flat-fee attorney consultations (no retainer) if a trademark conflict or distinguishability question comes up.
When Should You Talk to an Attorney About Your Washington LLC Name?
Consult an attorney if you're not sure whether a co-owner needs to be named as a Governor on your Annual Report — Washington's four-Governor cap and its distinction between governing and passive owners is a genuine judgment call. Also worth a consult if you're planning to operate under a trade name and want to make sure both the DOR trade name filing and any required city/state license endorsements are coordinated correctly.
Is Washington a State Where Name Clearance Complexity Matters More?
Washington's search itself is simple, but its DBA regime is a genuine trap: trade names are filed through the Department of Revenue's business licensing system, an entirely separate agency from the Secretary of State's CCFS that handles entity search and formation. Anyone who assumes CCFS is a one-stop shop for everything Washington business-related will search the wrong database when looking up a trade name.
What You Actually Get With LLC Attorney's Washington Name Search
A clean CCFS search doesn't cover your trade name — that's a separate filing with a separate agency entirely. LLC Attorney handles both the entity search and the trade name coordination so you're not caught filing in the wrong place.
- A Washington name-availability search run for you before you pay any state filing fee.
- Restricted-word and distinguishability screening, so your filing isn't rejected for a naming issue you didn't know about.
- Formation starting at $49, with your confirmed name filed the same day where the state allows it.
- Access to professionally trained Business Success Advisors at no charge, plus flat-fee attorney consultations (no retainer) for trademark-conflict questions.
Washington's DOR/SOS split catches a lot of filers off guard — LLC Attorney knows exactly which agency handles which filing, so your entity and your trade name both get registered correctly the first time.
Ready to Form Your Washington LLC?
Once you've confirmed your name is available, LLC Attorney can handle the rest of your Washington LLC formation, starting at $49. See our full pricing for all service tiers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Washington's CCFS Advanced Business Search is free, with no account required for basic searches.
Search CCFS before filing or reserving. Washington's distinguishability test excludes designator swaps, filler words, plurals, punctuation, and capitalization differences from counting as making two names distinguishable — a free CCFS account also lets you test a name directly against active and reserved records.
Yes. File by mail for $30 to hold your name for 180 days — the longest window of any state in this batch — but the reservation cannot be renewed, so plan to file before it expires.
Yes, to a point. Washington requires up to four "Governors" (its term for managers/members who govern the LLC) to be named on the public Annual Report, but a passive co-owner who isn't designated a Governor may not appear — so full membership isn't always disclosed even when the named Governors are public.
Order a Certificate of Existence for $20 through the Secretary of State's online system, with paid expedite options available.
Washington calls it a "trade name," and it's filed with the Department of Revenue — not the Secretary of State — for $5 per trade name plus a $50 new-business processing fee ($10 if adding it to an existing registered business).
Your Washington LLC name must include "Limited Liability Company," "LLC," or a similar approved designator. Banking-related terms and certain combinations of "savings," "association," "society," "home," and "loan" are restricted.
No. CCFS only checks against Washington-registered entities. Washington does offer its own state trademark registration through the Secretary of State, separate from entity search, but you should also check the USPTO's TESS database for federal trademark clearance.
Yes. LLC Attorney runs a Washington name-availability search as part of every formation order, and flags any restricted-word or distinguishability issue before you pay a filing fee.