LLC Name Reservation Requirements in Alaska
At a glance
| Governing law and optional reservation scope | Optional Alaska LLC-name hold under AS 10.50.030-.038; name test in §§ 10.50.020-.025; separate company-name registration renewal under § 10.50.053 |
|---|---|
| Who may apply and for which LLC or series name | Four routes: prospective domestic LLC; prospective foreign LLC for Alaska registration; domestic or registered foreign LLC changing name; foreign LLC seeking registration (§ 10.50.030). No separate registered-series route stated |
| Name availability, designator, distinguishability, and consent | LLC name needs prescribed designator and record distinction from organized entities and reserved/registered names; department checks both availability and § 10.50.025 distinction (§§ 10.50.020, .025, .035) |
| Application, signer, form, and filing office | File application with Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development; § 10.50.035 states no specific application fields, signer, or medium |
| Reservation, renewal, transfer, and cancellation fees | $25 initial reservation and renewal under 3 AAC 16.010(a)-(b); transfer/cancellation fall under $25 other-document fee in 3 AAC 16.065(b), authorized by AS 10.50.850(7) |
| Term, start date, and statutory exclusive use | If available and distinguishable, applicant receives exclusive name hold for 120 days; § 10.50.035 states no separate first-day formula |
| Renewal, filing window, and repeat limits | Reservation renewal costs $25; if renewed more than twice in 12 months, submit statement of intent to start business. Regulation states no filing window or renewed term (3 AAC 16.010(b)-(c)) |
| Transfer notice, signer, and transferee details | Holder signs and files transfer notice with department, specifying transferee name/address (§ 10.50.038) |
| Cancellation, withdrawal, revocation, and scope of name rights | AS 10.50.850(7) lists cancellation as fee event, but §§ 10.50.030-.038 state no cancellation or agency revocation method; reservation does not settle registration, trademark, or formation |
Requirements one by one
Who may reserve a name
AS § 10.50.030 lists four routes: a person planning to organize a domestic LLC; a person planning a foreign LLC that will register in Alaska; a domestic or registered foreign LLC intending to change its name; and a foreign LLC intending to register and adopt the name. The section states no distinct registered-series route. This is a preliminary hold; § 10.50.053 governs renewal of a separate name-registration filing.
Availability and application
The department must find the name available and distinguishable under § 10.50.035. Under § 10.50.020, an LLC name needs a designator and must not misleadingly imply a municipality. Under § 10.50.025, it also needs record distinction from other organized entities and reserved or registered names. The department's current records, not this page, determine a particular name's availability.
The applicant files an application with the Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development (§ 10.50.035). The section does not specify particular application fields, a signer, or a filing medium. A transfer has its own signature rule, described below.
Fee, term, and renewal
AS § 10.50.850(7) authorizes departmental fees for accepting a reservation application and filing transfer or cancellation notices. Under 3 Alaska Admin. Code § 16.010(a)-(b), initial reservation and renewal each cost $25. The residual other-document fee under 3 Alaska Admin. Code § 16.065(b) is also $25 and covers the transfer and cancellation filings named in the statute.
Under § 10.50.035, the department reserves a qualifying name for the applicant's exclusive use for 120 days; the section gives no separate first-day formula. The reservation sections do not prescribe a renewal filing window or renewed term, but 3 Alaska Admin. Code § 16.010(b)-(c) expressly provides for reservation renewal. If a name reservation is renewed more than twice within a 12-month period, the applicant must provide a statement of intent to start a business with the renewal application. The October–December annual rule in § 10.50.053 belongs to the separate name-registration process.
Transfer and cancellation
Under § 10.50.038, the holder may transfer the reserved name to another person by filing a signed transfer notice with the department that gives the transferee's name and address. Section 10.50.850(7) names a cancellation notice as a fee event, but §§ 10.50.030-.038 give no cancellation or agency revocation mechanics. Confirm the office's current cancellation process before relying on one.
What trips people up
The annual October–December renewal window belongs to name registration under § 10.50.053, while reservation renewal carries the more-than-two-in-12-months statement condition in 3 Alaska Admin. Code § 16.010(c). The regulation supplies no protected advance filing window for a reservation renewal. The record hold also does not determine trademark rights, actual use, a domain, or whether the LLC was formed or qualified.
Common questions
Can the reservation be assigned to another person?
Yes. Section 10.50.038 requires the current holder's signed notice and the transferee's name and address.
Must a foreign LLC already be registered to reserve a name?
No. Section 10.50.030 includes a foreign LLC intending to register, and separately includes a person intending to organize a foreign LLC and register it in Alaska.
Statutes and sources
The official Alaska Legislature AS 10.50.020-.055 print range supplies the name, reservation, transfer, and separate registration rules. The AS 10.50.840-.850 print range, 3 AAC 16.010-.020 print range, and 3 AAC 16.030-.070 print range supply the fee and renewal rules. All text was accessed September 23, 2026; the operative passages are quoted in the source records above.
Source links
Every statute quoted above, linked, with the date we checked it.
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