LLC Name Reservation Requirements in Washington
At a glance
| Governing law and optional reservation scope | General entity-name reservation under RCW 23.95.310 applies to LLCs; optional filing separate from LLC formation under RCW 25.15.071 |
|---|---|
| Who may apply and for which LLC or series name | Any person may apply for entity name, including foreign entity alternate name under RCW 23.95.525; § 23.95.310 has no separate registered-series or name-change applicant category |
| Name availability, designator, distinguishability, and consent | Secretary must find name available; record distinguishability from existing domestic, registered foreign, reserved, and registered names; LLC designator/restricted words and separate consent or final-judgment use paths (§§ 23.95.300, .305(5), .310) |
| Application, signer, form, and filing office | Deliver application to Secretary of State stating applicant name/address and proposed name; general entity-filing execution, medium, fee, and possible conformed-copy rules apply (§§ 23.95.200, .310) |
| Reservation, renewal, transfer, and cancellation fees | RCW 23.95.260 delegates fee schedule to Secretary of State rules; current official schedule lists $30 reservation filing, with no separate transfer price displayed there |
| Term, start date, and statutory exclusive use | Secretary reserves available name for applicant’s exclusive use for 180 days; § 23.95.310 gives no separate start-date formula |
| Renewal, filing window, and repeat limits | § 23.95.310 states no renewal, reapplication window, or repeat limit; separate foreign-name registration renewal under § 23.95.315 is a different filing |
| Transfer notice, signer, and transferee details | Owner delivers executed notice in a record to Secretary; transferee must be a person that is not an individual; notice states transferee name/address (§ 23.95.310(2)) |
| Cancellation, withdrawal, revocation, and scope of name rights | § 23.95.310 states no applicant cancellation or agency revocation procedure; chapter separately leaves assumed/trade names outside its control (§ 23.95.300(5)) |
Requirements one by one
Applicant and availability
Wash. Rev. Code § 23.95.310(1) allows a person to apply to reserve an entity name, including an alternate name adopted under § 23.95.525 by a foreign entity whose own name does not comply with Washington's name rule. The Secretary must find the name available. § 23.95.300 and § 23.95.305(5) supply record distinguishability, LLC designator, and restricted-word rules. Section 23.95.300 separately permits use of a nondistinguishable name with the specified consent and name-change undertaking or final court judgment; those are use rules, not a substitute for the reservation application's availability finding.
Filing and fee
The application must state the applicant's name and address and the name to reserve (§ 23.95.310(1)). The general filing rule in § 23.95.200 governs authorized execution, tangible or permitted electronic delivery, fee payment, and any required conformed copy. § 23.95.260 sets the fee by Secretary of State rule rather than a statutory dollar line. The Secretary's current fee schedule lists “Reservation of Name $30” for LLCs; it does not separately price a transfer. LLC formation requires a separate certificate under § 25.15.071.
Term, renewal, and transfer
If the name is available, § 23.95.310(1) requires a hold for the applicant's exclusive use for 180 days. It gives no separate start-date formula or renewal procedure. Section 23.95.315 has a renewal process for foreign-entity name registration, a different filing. For a reservation transfer, § 23.95.310(2) requires an executed notice in a record delivered to the Secretary, stating the transferee's name and address. It expressly permits transfer only to a person “that is not an individual.”
What trips people up
An individual may apply for the initial hold, but the transfer provision excludes an individual recipient. The registration renewal in § 23.95.315 should not be applied to a reservation under § 23.95.310. That reservation section states no applicant cancellation or agency revocation process. Section 23.95.300(5) also says the chapter does not control assumed or trade names; a record hold does not resolve those separate rights.
Common questions
Can I transfer the reservation to another individual?
No. Section 23.95.310(2) limits the transferee to a person that is not an individual. The notice must also be executed and identify the transferee by name and address.
Does reserving the name create the LLC?
No. Section 25.15.071 describes formation through a certificate filed with the Secretary of State. Section 23.95.310 describes a separate name hold.
Statutes and sources
The official RCW chapter 23.95, accessed September 22, 2026, supplies the quoted text of §§ 23.95.200, .260, .300, .305, .310, .315, and .525. The official RCW chapter 25.15 supplies § 25.15.071. The Secretary of State fee schedule, accessed the same day, supplies the current $30 filing charge.
Source links
Every statute quoted above, linked, with the date we checked it.
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