(a) A foreign limited liability company whose name does not comply with Section 17701.08 shall not obtain a certificate of registration until it adopts, for the purpose of transacting intrastate business in this state, an alternate name that complies with Section 17701.08. A foreign limited liability company that adopts an alternate name under this subdivision and obtains a certificate of registration with the alternate name need not comply with fictitious or assumed name statutes. After obtaining a certificate of registration with an alternate name, a foreign limited liability company shall transact intrastate business in this state under the alternate name unless the limited liability company is authorized under fictitious or assumed name statutes to transact intrastate business in this state under another name.

(b) (1) If a foreign limited liability company authorized to transact intrastate business in this state changes its name or its alternate name or relinquishes its alternate name, the foreign limited liability company shall not thereafter transact intrastate business in this state under that name or alternate name until it delivers an amended application to register, on a form prescribed by the Secretary of State, to the Secretary of State for filing. A foreign limited liability company shall not change its alternate name unless its name does not comply with Section 17701.08.

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(A) If the new name of the foreign limited liability company does not comply with Section 17701.08, an alternate name, if one has not been adopted, shall be adopted pursuant to subdivision (a).

(B) If the new name of the foreign limited liability company complies with Section 17701.08, the foreign limited liability company shall not adopt an alternate name pursuant to subdivision (a) and shall relinquish any alternate name. A foreign limited liability company that registered to transact intrastate business with an alternate name before January 1, 2014, shall not be required to relinquish the alternate name.

(C) If the foreign limited liability company is changing its alternate name, the new alternate name shall comply with Section 17701.08.

(2) The amended application for registration shall state the Secretary of State’s file number, the name or alternate name, and the new name or new alternate name adopted under subdivision (a). Except as otherwise provided in subparagraph (B) of paragraph (1), if the name of the limited liability company complies with Section 17701.08, the amended application for registration also shall contain the alternate name being relinquished.

(3) The foreign limited liability company shall deliver with the amended application to register a certificate, issued by the Secretary of State or other official having custody of the foreign limited liability company’s publicly filed records in the state or other jurisdiction under whose law the limited liability company is formed, issued within the past six months from the submission of the amended application for filing in California, that certifies the change of name was made in accordance with the laws of that state or other jurisdiction. The certificate is not required if the foreign limited liability company is changing only its alternate name and the foreign limited liability company’s name does not comply with Section 17701.08.

(4) Upon the filing of the amended application to register with the Secretary of State, the Secretary of State shall issue to the foreign limited liability company a new certificate of registration in accordance with Section 17708.04.

(Amended by Stats. 2022, Ch. 617, Sec. 124. (SB 1202) Effective January 1, 2023.)