How to Conduct a New Jersey Business Search

One of your first steps as a budding entrepreneur is to name your business. Whether you knew instantly what name you wanted or you spent countless hours brainstorming, the first thing you need to do is find out if the name you want is available.

Each business in the state of New Jersey must have a unique name. This ensures that customers aren’t confused between two similarly named businesses. Plus, a unique identity makes marketing your product or service that much easier.

Before you get your heart too set on the ideal name, you’ll want to run a business name search on the New Jersey Department of Treasury website. 

New Jersey Department of Treasury business search contact information

• Name: New Jersey Department of the Treasury, Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services
• Address: PO Box 628, Trenton, NJ 08625-0628
• Website: https://www.nj.gov/treasury/revenue/
• Contact Form: https://www.nj.gov/treasury/revenue/revgencode.shtml

Step-by-step guide to an NJ business search

Figuring out if the business name you want to use is available or not is as simple as these three steps:

1. Search the New Jersey business name tool

Start by navigating to the New Jersey business name search tool. There, you’ll type your desired business name into the search bar. 

Once you type in the name and hit “search” you’ll be given a list of New Jersey businesses and important information about them:

• Business name 
• Entity ID
• City
• Business type
• Incorporation date

Using the business name search tool is free, so you can run as many searches as it takes to find a business name you like that’s also available.

2. Review the results

Once you’ve gotten your results back, it’s time to assess whether your business name is distinguishable enough from registered businesses with similar names.

If you do get some results, you’ll need to compare your business name to those that are already in use.

Note: The results automatically only show you 10 listings at a time. You can adjust this in a drop-down menu right above Business Name or click through the pages. It’s possible that your search resulted in hundreds of listings that aren’t shown on the first page of results.

3. Refine your search

If your search didn’t turn up many results, you likely have a business name that’s unique enough to use. 

You can test and refine your search by broadening it and searching individual keywords in your business name or searching for similar terms. This will help you understand what types of other businesses are using a similar name and what other business names could be confused with yours. This may affect the final name you choose for your business. 

Why conduct a New Jersey business entity search?

One of the most important reasons to conduct a business name search is to ensure that your name is unique to your business. 

Most states require that business names be distinguishable from one another. This ensures that each business is able to market its services and attract customers without causing confusion. If two businesses shared similar names, it would be difficult for customers to differentiate them.

Important naming guidelines in New Jersey

When naming your New Jersey business, there are a few guidelines to keep in mind:

• Use the right business entity designation. When searching for a business name, you don’t need to include designators like LLC, limited liability company, or corporation. When you register your business, you will use the ending designation that aligns with the business entity type you choose.
• Avoid prohibited terms. Your business name can’t use terms from regulated industries like banking or insurance unless your business has the appropriate permits. New Jersey also doesn’t allow for the use of pejorative words or racial slurs in business names.
• Use English words. New Jersey requires that all business names be written using an English alphabet. Any words from other languages will need to be romanized (spelled out phonetically using the English alphabet).

Other naming considerations for your NJ entity

There are a few other considerations you should take into account before deciding on your final business name. 

Check domain name availability

Before applying for your business name in New Jersey, you’ll want to make sure you can also get the website URL and social media handles to match your business name. You can use an online search tool such as Namecheckr to verify if your domain name and social media handles are available. 

If they aren’t available and you can’t find a suitable variation, you may want to choose a different business name.

Conduct a trademark search

Another step you might want to take before finalizing your business name decision is to conduct a trademark search.

Using the New Jersey business name search tool lets you know if the name is in use in New Jersey, but if you plan to expand your business to other states or across the country, you’ll want to do a wider search.

A trademark search can help you to determine if your business name is being used by other businesses in other states. This might affect your final decision about which business name to use.

Next steps to start your business or LLC in NJ

Once you’ve gone through all of these steps and chosen an available business name that you love, it’s time to take additional steps on your business registration journey.

Here are some things you may want (or need) to do:

• Reserve your business name
• Trademark your business name
• Start a business bank account
• Register your LLC
• Sign up for a registered agent service
• Develop a plan to manage business documents and annual reports
• Apply for any state or federal licenses you’ll need to operate your business

New Jersey business searches made easy

If you’re feeling uncertain about running your own business name search or navigating this process on your own, we can help. LegalZoom offers a simple business search service that does that hard work for you. That way, you can get back to dreaming the big dreams and building your business. 

FAQs

How much does it cost to register a business in New Jersey?

Most businesses will need to pay a $125 registration fee. The fee for domestic nonprofit entities is $75, although foreign nonprofit entities will pay $125.

How much does it cost to search for a business name?

The online New Jersey business name search tool is free.

Do I need a registered agent to register my business entity in New Jersey?

Every company in New Jersey must have a registered agent. You can act as your company’s registered agent or use a registered agent service.