LLC Name Reservation Requirements in Rhode Island
At a glance
| Governing law and optional reservation scope | Optional Rhode Island domestic/foreign LLC name hold under current § 7-16-10; enacted replacement ch. 7-16.1 starts Jan. 1, 2028 (2026 P.L. ch. 247) |
|---|---|
| Who may apply and for which LLC or series name | Four routes: prospective domestic LLC; domestic or registered foreign LLC changing name; foreign LLC seeking registration; person organizing foreign LLC for registration. No registered-series route in § 7-16-10(a) |
| Name availability, designator, distinguishability, and consent | Secretary must find name available; articles name needs LLC designator and record distinguishability, with court-decree and older revoked-name exceptions (§§ 7-16-9(a), 7-16-10(b)) |
| Application, signer, form, and filing office | Signed application filed with Secretary of State; § 7-16-10(b) states no further application fields or prescribed medium |
| Reservation, renewal, transfer, and cancellation fees | $50 for initial reservation application, transfer notice, or cancellation notice (§ 7-16-65(8)); no separately named renewal fee |
| Term, start date, and statutory exclusive use | If available, Secretary reserves name for applicant’s exclusive use for 120 days; no separate start-date formula (§ 7-16-10(b)) |
| Renewal, filing window, and repeat limits | Section 7-16-10 states no renewal procedure, window, or repeat limit; new application after expiration is subject to current availability |
| Transfer notice, signer, and transferee details | Applicant for whom name was reserved signs transfer notice filed with Secretary, stating transferee name/address (§ 7-16-10(c)) |
| Cancellation, withdrawal, revocation, and scope of name rights | Fee statute expressly prices cancellation notice at $50, but § 7-16-10 gives no cancellation method or revocation route. Hold concerns state entity name only (§§ 7-16-10, 7-16-65(8)) |
Requirements one by one
Who may apply and what name qualifies
Current § 7-16-10(a) lists four eligible applicants: a person intending to organize a Rhode Island LLC; a domestic or registered foreign LLC proposing a name change; a foreign LLC intending to register; and a person intending to organize a foreign LLC, register it in Rhode Island, and adopt the name. It lists no registered-series reservation route.
The Secretary must find the name available before reserving it (§ 7-16-10(b)). Under § 7-16-9(a), an LLC's articles name needs an LLC designator and record distinguishability from specified existing, filed, reserved, and registered names. Its court-decree and older revoked-name exceptions are conditional; the Secretary's live records determine whether a proposed name qualifies.
Application, fee, and hold
Section 7-16-10(b) requires a signed application filed with the Secretary of State. It does not specify additional application fields or a required medium. If the name is available, the Secretary reserves it for the applicant's exclusive use for 120 days. The section does not give a separate formula for the start date.
Under § 7-16-65(8), the Secretary charges $50 for accepting the reservation application or filing a transfer or cancellation notice. Neither that fee item nor § 7-16-10 sets out a renewal procedure, filing window, repeat limit, or separate renewal fee. A later new application depends on availability at that time.
Transfer and cancellation
The person for whom the name was reserved must sign a transfer notice filed with the Secretary and stating the transferee's name and address (§ 7-16-10(c)). Section 7-16-65(8) expressly prices a cancellation notice, while § 7-16-10 gives no cancellation mechanics or agency revocation route. A filer should confirm the Secretary's current notice procedure before relying on cancellation.
What trips people up
A replacement act is enacted but not yet effective. 2026 R.I. Public Laws ch. 247 § 4 makes its new Chapter 7-16.1 effective January 1, 2028. Its new § 7-16.1-113 permits a person to reserve a compliant name by an application stating the applicant's name and address and proposed name; the owner may transfer by signed notice. The current four-category eligibility list and original-applicant transfer wording govern until that date.
Common questions
Does a 120-day reservation authorize use of the name in commerce?
Section 7-16-10 grants an exclusive reservation for state LLC-name purposes. It does not decide trademark rights, trade names, actual use, or infringement.
May I simply pay for a renewal before the hold expires?
Current § 7-16-10 states no renewal filing process or priority-preserving extension. A later application requires a fresh availability decision; do not assume the old hold continues.
Statutes and sources
The current official § 7-16-9, § 7-16-10, and § 7-16-65 supply the name, reservation, and fee rules. 2026 R.I. Public Laws ch. 247 supplies the enacted replacement and effective date. All were 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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