How to search and claim an LLC name in Maryland
- Search Maryland's official entity records at no cost, leaving “LLC” off the name.
- Make sure the name ends with one of Maryland's accepted endings, such as “Limited Liability Company” or “L.L.C.”
- Hold the name with a $25 reservation for 30 days if you need time before filing.
- File the Articles of Organization with the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT) for $100.
- Note the recurring report so the LLC stays in good standing: $300 annual report each year (due April 15).
What a Maryland LLC name must include
Maryland accepts these endings for a limited liability company:
- Limited Liability Company
- L.L.C.
- LLC
- L.C.
- LC
Maryland's LLC endings are “limited liability company”, “L.L.C.”, “LLC”, “L.C.” and “LC”. The one content rule in the statute is about purpose: the name can't state or imply that the LLC is organized for something its articles don't allow (Md. Code, Corps. & Ass'ns § 1-503(a)).
How Maryland decides two names are the same
SDAT checks an LLC's name against every entity formed in Maryland or authorized to do business there, against reserved and registered names, and against assumed names that foreign entities have disclosed, and it has to be distinguishable from all of them (Corps. & Ass'ns § 1-504).
Where the rules are written. Md. Code, Corps. & Ass'ns §§ 1-502 (required words), 1-503 (restrictions), 1-504 (distinguishability), 1-505 (reservation).
Searching for an LLC name in Maryland
Search Maryland Business Express, SDAT's online system, for free. The same system takes name reservations, Articles of Organization and trade name filings online. Read foreign entities' assumed names in the results too, because a disclosed assumed name of a foreign entity counts against a new LLC name.
Open the official Maryland 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: Maryland LLC name reservation
A Maryland name reservation is short: 30 days (§ 1-505), for $25 (§ 1-203). Time it for when your Articles of Organization are nearly ready.
File a Maryland name reservation
Forming the LLC in Maryland
Articles of Organization cost $100 under Corps. & Ass'ns § 1-203(b)(1), and expedited processing is available for an additional fee. Maryland Business Express accepts the articles online.
File the Articles of Organization online
The big recurring cost comes every April 15: the Annual Report and Personal Property Return, with a $300 fee for most LLCs and $100 for a family farm. SDAT charges no separate franchise tax, and Maryland requires no newspaper notice. A Certificate of Status, the state's good-standing certificate, costs $20 through SDAT's online service.
When the LLC trades under another name
To use another name, an LLC registers a trade name with SDAT; the fee appears as $25 on SDAT's fee schedule in search results. The registration doesn't replace the LLC's legal name, which stays the one on its Articles of Organization.
Sources
- Statute text, mgaleg.maryland.gov, checked 2026-10-07
- Statute text, mgaleg.maryland.gov, checked 2026-10-07
- Statute text, mgaleg.maryland.gov, checked 2026-10-07
- Statute text, mgaleg.maryland.gov, checked 2026-10-07
- Statute text, mgaleg.maryland.gov, checked 2026-10-07
- Fees (PDF), dat.maryland.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.
A few were read from search results, not the page itself, because the site refused direct requests; treat the facts they back as provisional until the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT) confirms them.
Common questions
Can two LLCs in Maryland have the same name?
No. Maryland 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 Maryland?
30 days, for $25.
Does a new Maryland LLC have to publish a notice?
No. Maryland has no newspaper publication requirement for LLCs.
How much is the Maryland LLC filing fee?
$100, paid when you file the Articles of Organization.