LLC Name Reservation Requirements in Colorado

At a glance

Requirements one by one

Name and applicant

Under C.R.S. § 7-90-602(1), any person may apply for an entity-name reservation; the section does not require that an LLC already exist. The Secretary of State must find the name available under § 7-90-601. That section checks distinguishability against other entity names and names reserved for other people, and its subsection (3)(c) lists the terms allowed in an LLC entity name. The reservation provision does not create separate applicant categories for foreign LLCs, later name changes, or registered series.

Application and filing

The statement must give the applicant's name and mailing address, say that it seeks an entity-name reservation, and identify the proposed name (§ 7-90-602(1)). General § 7-90-301(8) also calls for the true name and mailing address of at least one individual causing delivery; § 7-90-302(1) permits a required form or cover sheet. Under § 7-90-301(2), a signature is not a filing condition. The Secretary of State may require an acceptable electronic medium under § 7-90-301(4).

Fee

C.R.S. § 7-90-303(1)(f) authorizes a processing fee but does not set its amount. The Secretary of State's current business-fee schedule lists $25 online each for a reservation, renewal, and transfer, with no paper fee option shown. C.R.S. § 7-90-303(5) says a document is not successfully filed if its payment is not successfully processed, even if it initially bears a filing timestamp.

Term and renewal

If the name is available, § 7-90-602(1) gives the applicant exclusive use of the reserved entity name for 120 days and permits successive 120-day renewals. It gives no specific renewal window or numerical renewal cap. A reservation statement may not state a delayed effective date; § 7-90-304(1) ordinarily makes a filed document effective at filing if it states no later time.

Transfer

The holder may transfer the reservation to another person by filing a statement that identifies the reserved name, the holder, and the transferee's name and mailing address (§ 7-90-602(2)). General § 7-90-301(2) removes a signature as a filing condition. The schedule lists a separate $25 online transfer fee.

What trips people up

A delayed-effective constituent filing that states a new domestic entity name is itself treated as reserving that name until the filing becomes effective (§ 7-90-602(3)). That temporary effect is distinct from a 120-day reservation statement. Section 7-90-602 describes no applicant cancellation, withdrawal, or agency revocation route. A state entity-name hold does not itself create an LLC or determine trademark, domain, or actual-use rights.

Common questions

Can I reserve before forming the LLC?

Yes. Section 7-90-602(1) says any person may apply. The name still must pass the Secretary of State's availability check.

Does filing the statement guarantee a full 120-day hold if payment fails?

No. C.R.S. § 7-90-303(5) says a document is not successfully filed if payment is not successfully processed. The 120-day hold depends on a successful filing and the Secretary of State's availability determination under § 7-90-602(1).

Statutes and sources

The 2026 Colorado Revised Statutes, Title 7, accessed September 22, 2026, supply the quoted §§ 7-90-301, -302, -303, -304, -601, and -602. The Secretary of State's current business filing fee schedule, accessed the same day, lists the reservation, renewal, and transfer charges.