How to search and claim an LLC name in Montana
- Search Montana's official entity records at no cost, leaving “LLC” off the name.
- Make sure the name ends with one of Montana's accepted endings, such as “Limited Liability Company” or “Limited Company”.
- Hold the name with a $10 reservation for 120 days (not renewable) if you need time before filing.
- File the Articles of Organization with the Montana Secretary of State for $35.
- Note the recurring report so the LLC stays in good standing: annual report each year; fee waived if filed by April 15 ($35 after).
What a Montana LLC name must include
Montana accepts these endings for a limited liability company:
- Limited Liability Company
- Limited Company
- L.L.C.
- L.C.
- LLC
- LC
A Montana LLC name can't include business name identifiers as defined in MCA 30-13-201, or any wording that suggests the business is something other than an LLC (MCA 35-8-103(1)(b)). Inside the endings, “ltd.” may stand for “limited” and “co.” for “company”.
How Montana decides two names are the same
Montana's comparison is broad. Your LLC's name has to be distinguishable from every corporation, nonprofit, limited partnership and LLC on record, Montana or foreign, and also from assumed business names, trademarks, service marks and other registered or reserved names. A dissolved domestic corporation's name stays protected for 120 days after it dissolves (MCA 35-8-103(2)).
Where the rules are written. MCA 35-8-103 (LLC name); 35-8-104 (reservation).
Searching for an LLC name in Montana
Search for free on the Secretary of State's online filing portal. Because assumed business names, trademarks and service marks count against a new LLC name, check those records as well as companies. The same portal is where reservations, Articles of Organization and assumed business names are filed and certificates are ordered.
Open the official Montana 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: Montana LLC name reservation
Montana holds an LLC name for 120 days for $10, once: the reservation can't be renewed (MCA 35-8-104). Make it online through the filing portal, and plan to file the Articles of Organization within those 120 days, because the reservation can't be extended.
File a Montana name reservation
Forming the LLC in Montana
Articles of Organization cost $35 to file online. A series LLC pays $50 more for each series member named in the articles. Montana requires no newspaper notice after the articles are filed.
File the Articles of Organization online
Montana's annual report is due by April 15 every year, and filing on time costs nothing: the fee is waived until April 15 and becomes $35 after. There's no franchise tax and no newspaper notice. A Certificate of Existence, Montana's proof of good standing, costs $5 online. Because the report is free when it's on time, the April 15 date is the part that matters.
When the LLC trades under another name
An LLC that does business under any name other than its own has to register that assumed business name with the Secretary of State (MCA 30-13-203); the fee is $20, paid through the online portal. Registration isn't optional in Montana, and an assumed business name on file also counts against new entity names.
Sources
- Fees, sosmt.gov, checked 2026-10-07
- mca.legmt.gov, checked 2026-10-07
- mca.legmt.gov, checked 2026-10-07
- mca.legmt.gov, checked 2026-10-07
- mca.legmt.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 Montana have the same name?
No. Montana 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 Montana?
120 days (not renewable), for $10.
Does a new Montana LLC have to publish a notice?
No. Montana has no newspaper publication requirement for LLCs.
How much is the Montana LLC filing fee?
$35, paid when you file the Articles of Organization.