In accordance with Iowa Administrative Code Section 721-40.3, it is required that every LLC or corporation registered in the state has a unique business name, or is “distinguishable” from others. If you are interested in forming an LLC or corporation in Iowa, one of the first things you should do is double-check to see if the name you want is available. The Iowa Secretary of State website has a Business Entity Search that allows individuals to check and see if the business name you want is available. In addition, when you begin the process of forming an entity on Fast Track Filing, there will be a section within the application that you can use to test if your name is available.
In the chance that your entity name is already taken in Iowa, there are ways you can make your name distinguishable. For a better understanding of the name availability rules in Iowa, click here.