How to Change Your South Dakota Business Name

How to Get a New Business Name

1) Choose a new business name

One of the first things to do when updating your business’s name is to figure out what name you should use. In general, most of this process is up to your vision, your preferences, and the agreement of your co-owners. You have a lot of leeway when choosing a new name for your LLC or corporation, but there are a handful of rules you must follow to help keep your venture legally compliant. Under South Dakota law, a corporation name or LLC name  must: 

• Contain proper words or abbreviations that identify what kind of legal entity the business is
• Be distinguishable (or different) from the other business names already on record with the South Dakota Secretary of State

2) Gather information for filing your amendment

To properly file your Amended Articles of Incorporation or your Amended Articles of Organization when you change a corporation or LLC name, you need to provide the government with some information: 

• Your LLC’s or corporation’s current official name
• Your LLC’s or corporation’s Business ID
• The date you filed your Original Articles of Organization (for LLCs)
• The date you amended your Articles of Incorporation (for corporations)
• Information on how your corporation adopted its new name
• The new name you want your corporation or LLC to have
•  A signature from an authorized officer (for corporations) or a member or manager (for LLCs)

You will also need to pay a filing fee when you submit this paperwork. 

3) File your South Dakota amendment

Amended Articles of Incorporation and Amended Articles of Organization are filed with the Secretary of State by mail. You can find the appropriate mailing address on the form you are filing. The Secretary of State accepts checks for filing fee payments. 

Filing your business name change paperwork with the state is a necessary step, but it doesn’t have to take time out of your day. You can save time by allowing us to file your paperwork on your behalf. 

After You Change Your Business Name

Making sure your files are up to date with the Secretary of State isn’t the only step you need to take when you change your business name. You want to update many of your business materials to avoid confusion, keep your legal rights intact, and keep your business visible to patrons. When you change your business name, you will probably need to change:

• Legal documents (including contracts and insurance company policies)
• Websites
• Logos 
• Directory entries
• Marketing materials

This can be a daunting task initially, but getting this work out of the way as soon as possible can save you a world of trouble later. 

We can help

In general, a good business owner knows how to delegate. There are plenty of business maintenance duties you can delegate to us so you can have time to focus on the bigger picture of building your enterprise. In particular, our Worry-Free Compliance Service stays on top of your important deadlines to help you easily keep your business legally compliant. Our South Dakota LLC and South Dakota Corporation Formation Services can help you quickly and effortlessly start a business. We want to help you thrive. Our many business formation and maintenance services can give you the freedom to flourish in the business world.