LLC Name Reservation Requirements in Georgia

At a glance

Requirements one by one

The application and name check

O.C.G.A. § 14-11-208 permits a person to apply for a name “for the purpose of forming a limited liability company.” The Secretary of State reserves it only after finding it available. Section 14-11-207 requires an LLC designator, record distinguishability from the listed entity and reserved names, and a name of no more than 80 characters. The reservation section gives no itemized application contents or applicant-signature rule; the general filing rule in § 14-11-206 addresses documents filed under the chapter, including paper originals and copies and authorized electronic filings. LLC formation itself requires separate articles under § 14-11-203.

Fee and rejected names

The fee table in § 14-11-1101 lists $25 for an “Application for reservation of a name.” If the Secretary finds the proposed name insufficiently distinguishable, § 14-11-208 lets the applicant submit another request within ten days after the rejection notice without an additional reservation fee. That is a replacement after rejection, not an extra ten days on an approved hold.

The 30-day hold and another application

Under § 14-11-208, an approved name is reserved for the applicant's use for 30 days or until articles of organization are filed, whichever happens sooner. If the 30 days expire without articles, the same or another applicant may reserve the name again for another 30 days under the same rules. The section describes a new application after expiration; it gives no preexpiration renewal window.

Transfer

A person with a reservation still in effect may transfer it by delivering a signed notice to the Secretary of State stating the transferee's name and address (§ 14-11-208). The cited fee schedule separately prices the reservation application, but does not label a transfer charge.

What trips people up

A reservation holds a name only for the statutory filing period. The chapter's name rule, § 14-11-207, says issuance addresses distinguishability in the Secretary's records and “does not affect the commercial availability of the name.” The reservation section does not supply a separate cancellation or revocation procedure; filing articles or the 30-day expiration are its stated end events. A foreign LLC's qualification and a name change are separate filings, so this formation-purpose reservation provision should not be read as a special route for either.

Common questions

Does a rejected name consume another $25 if I respond promptly?

Section 14-11-208 allows another reservation request without an additional reservation fee if submitted within ten days after the Secretary's rejection notice.

Can someone else seek the name after my hold expires?

Yes. Section 14-11-208 expressly permits “the same or another applicant” to reserve it again after a 30-day expiration without articles, subject to the same availability review.

Statutes and sources

The public Code Revision Commission Title 14 text, accessed September 22, 2026, supplies the quoted statutory text of O.C.G.A. §§ 14-11-203, 14-11-206–208, and 14-11-1101. Post-release legislative revision acts were checked for amendments to those sections.