How to search and claim an LLC name in Maine
- Search Maine's official entity records at no cost, leaving “LLC” off the name.
- Make sure the name ends with one of Maine's accepted endings, such as “Limited Liability Company” or “Limited Company”.
- Hold the name with a $20 reservation for 120 days if you need time before filing.
- File the Certificate of Formation with the Maine Secretary of State (Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions) for $175.
- Note the recurring report so the LLC stays in good standing: $85 each year (Jan 1 to Jun 1).
What a Maine LLC name must include
Maine accepts these endings for a limited liability company:
- Limited Liability Company
- Limited Company
- L.L.C.
- LLC
- L.C.
- LC
Maine can turn down an LLC name that's obscene, that inappropriately promotes abusive or unlawful activity, that falsely suggests a link with a public institution, or that conflicts with another Maine name law (31 M.R.S. § 1508(3)). Low-profit LLCs end in L3C, and inside the ordinary endings “Ltd.” can replace “limited” and “Co.” can replace “company”. The ending itself can be any of “limited liability company”, “limited company”, “L.L.C.”, “LLC”, “L.C.” or “LC”.
How Maine decides two names are the same
The test reaches into trademarks. An LLC name has to be distinguishable from every corporation, LLC, LLP and limited partnership on the Secretary of State's records, from all assumed, fictitious, reserved and registered names, and from marks registered with Maine under Title 10, chapter 301-A, unless the LLC owns that mark (31 M.R.S. § 1508(2)). If a name clashes, the holder's written consent, with its promise to change its own name, or a court judgment can still clear it.
Where the rules are written. 31 M.R.S. § 1508 (LLC name); § 1509 (reservation).
Searching for an LLC name in Maine
The Corporate Search is free, but a clean result there isn't the whole check in Maine: names registered as state trademarks can block an LLC name too, so look those up as well.
Open the official Maine entity search
Leave the ending off when you search, so every version of the name shows up, then compare each result word by word. If one matches apart from spacing, punctuation or a plural, change a real word in your name.
Holding the name: Maine LLC name reservation
Holding an LLC name for 120 days costs $20, filed on the Application for Reservation of Name (31 M.R.S. § 1509). It goes to the Secretary of State's Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions.
Forming the LLC in Maine
File a Certificate of Formation, form MLLC-6, for $175. Plan ahead: the Division quotes 40 to 55 business days to process corporate filings.
Starting the year after it's formed, a Maine LLC files its annual report between January 1 and June 1 each year: $85 for a domestic LLC, $150 for a foreign one (31 M.R.S. § 1665). There's no franchise tax and no newspaper notice. A Certificate of Existence costs $30 from the Division of Corporations.
When the LLC trades under another name
To trade under a different name, the LLC files the “Statement of Intention to do Business under an Assumed Name” with the Secretary of State; the fee is $125. Sole proprietors and partnerships are said to file with their town instead, a step we couldn't verify on an official page.
Sources
- Limited liability company forms, maine.gov, checked 2026-10-07
- Miscellaneous service lists and bulk data, maine.gov, checked 2026-10-07
- Title31sec1508, legislature.maine.gov, checked 2026-10-07
- Title31sec1509, legislature.maine.gov, checked 2026-10-07
- Title31sec1665, legislature.maine.gov, checked 2026-10-07
These are the official pages behind every fact above. If one of them now says something different, it's right and this page is out of date.
Common questions
Can two LLCs in Maine have the same name?
No. Maine accepts a new LLC name only if it can be told apart from every name on its record.
How long can I hold an LLC name in Maine?
120 days, for $20.
Does a new Maine LLC have to publish a notice?
No. Maine has no newspaper publication requirement for LLCs.
How much is the Maine LLC filing fee?
$175, paid when you file the Certificate of Formation.