Corporations in North Carolina
A lot of information regarding incorporating in North Carolina can be found at the Corporations Division
website. Among these are links to alerts, legislation, online orders, contact information and search
functions which allow someone who is creating a corporation to search for existing names and registered
agents.
There are also links to corporate forms for printing as well as fee schedules for the various applications
and documents such as the Articles of Incorporation. The most informative part of the website for people
thinking of forming a corporation is under the heading “Guidelines to Incorporating”.
In the “Guidelines to Incorporating” one will find links to a wealth of information regarding the formation
and structure of several corporate entities:
A Business Corporation is formed after careful consideration and research in choosing a name. It is
important to use a name that is not similar to any others, so one must check the phone books, Register of
Deeds, business directories, online, and the NC Department of the Secretary of State to establish the
feasibility of your corporate name. If a name is selected that is already in use, one can file a form BE-04
“Notice of Transfer of Reserved Name” if you can get permission from the current user of the name.
There is also a list of prohibited names such as any form of the word “Bank” that can only be used with
the permission of the proper legal authority. Finally, there are also names such as Insurance, CPA, etc.
