LLC Name Reservation Requirements in Tennessee
At a glance
| Governing law and optional reservation scope | Optional reservation under Tennessee Revised LLC Act, T.C.A. § 48-249-107, for domestic/foreign LLC or assumed name; separate from entity formation and foreign-name registration |
|---|---|
| Who may apply and for which LLC or series name | Any person may apply for domestic or foreign LLC name, including assumed name; no separate organizer, name-change, or registered-series route specified (§ 48-249-107(a)) |
| Name availability, designator, distinguishability, and consent | Secretary must find proposed name compliant with § 48-249-106 and available; LLC wording, record distinguishability, and written-consent/undertaking, judgment, or shared-agent exception (§§ 48-249-106–107) |
| Application, signer, form, and filing office | File with Secretary of State; state applicant name/address and proposed name; document signed by submitting person or authorized representative, with name/capacity; current SS-9425 asks email (§§ 48-249-107(a), -1005) |
| Reservation, renewal, transfer, and cancellation fees | $20 application; $20 transfer or cancellation notice (§ 48-249-1007(a)(4), (6)); current Secretary forms confirm |
| Term, start date, and statutory exclusive use | If compliant and available, applicant gets exclusive use for four months; § 48-249-107(a) gives no separate start-time formula |
| Renewal, filing window, and repeat limits | After four-month expiration, same or any other party may reapply; no pre-expiry renewal or advance priority stated (§ 48-249-107(a)) |
| Transfer notice, signer, and transferee details | Holder files signed transfer notice with Secretary naming reserved name and transferee name/address; $20 (§§ 48-249-107(b), -1007(a)(6)) |
| Cancellation, withdrawal, revocation, and scope of name rights | Holder may cancel by executed notice naming reserved name and holder name/address; $20; § 48-249-107 has no agency-revocation procedure; unfair-competition and mark rights preserved by § 48-249-106(h) |
Requirements one by one
Applicant and name check
T.C.A. § 48-249-107(a) permits any person to seek a hold for a domestic or foreign LLC name, including an assumed name. The Secretary must find that the name is available and meets § 48-249-106. That section requires LLC wording and record distinguishability, while allowing specified written-consent, final-judgment, or shared-registered-agent routes for a conflicting name. The reservation section does not identify a separate series route.
Application and fee
The § 48-249-107(a) application states the applicant's name and address and proposed name. Under § 48-249-1005(f)–(g), the filing is signed by the submitting person or an authorized representative with the signer's name and capacity. Section 48-249-1007(a)(4) charges $20 for an application. The Secretary's current SS-9425 also requests an email address and a signature date.
Exclusive hold, reapplication, and transfer
An available name is held for the applicant's exclusive use for four months under § 48-249-107(a). After expiration, the same applicant or someone else may apply for that name. Under subsection (b), the holder transfers the reservation by a signed notice to the Secretary stating the reserved name and transferee's name and address; § 48-249-1007(a)(6) sets a $20 notice fee.
What trips people up
Section 48-249-107(a) provides reapplication after expiration, not a pre-expiry renewal or continuing priority. A holder can instead cancel the reservation during its term by an executed notice that identifies the name and holder's name and address (§ 48-249-107(c)); the same $20 notice fee applies. Tennessee separately regulates assumed-name use and foreign-name registration, and § 48-249-106(h) preserves unfair-competition and trademark law.
Common questions
Can I reserve an assumed LLC name?
Yes. Section 48-249-107(a) expressly includes an assumed name in the reservation route.
Does transfer grant a new four-month period?
Section 48-249-107(b) transfers the existing reservation; it does not say a new term begins.
Statutes and sources
The official 2005 public act, chapter 286, which enacted the quoted provisions, was checked against the later code transform and the Secretary's current SS-9425 and SS-4406 forms, accessed September 22, 2026.
Source links
Every statute quoted above, linked, with the date we checked it.
What does Tennessee law mean for your facts?
You just read the general rule. Ask your own question and see which parts of current Tennessee law apply to your situation, with citations you can check.
Opens in Ezel Pro.
- Starts from the statutes this survey is built on
- Cites every source it relies on, so you can verify it
- Chat, drafting and research in one workspace