How to search and claim an LLC name in Vermont
- Search Vermont's official entity records at no cost, leaving “LLC” off the name.
- Make sure the name ends with one of Vermont's accepted endings, such as “Limited Liability Company” or “LLC”.
- Hold the name with a $25 reservation if you need time before filing.
- File the Articles of Organization with the Vermont Secretary of State for $155.
- Note the recurring report so the LLC stays in good standing: $45 each year (due within 3 months after the fiscal year ends).
What a Vermont LLC name must include
Vermont accepts these endings for a limited liability company:
- Limited Liability Company
- LLC
- Ltd. Liability Co.
- Limited Company
- LC
- Ltd. Co.
A Vermont LLC's name ends with its designator: “Limited Liability Company”, “LLC”, “Ltd. Liability Co.”, “Limited Company”, “LC” or “Ltd. Co.”. For a professional LLC, combine “Professional” with a designator or use “PLC”; a low-profit LLC must end in “L3C”. The name can't falsely suggest a government tie or use discriminatory, indecent or obscene language (Rule 3(d)).
How Vermont decides two names are the same
The test is whether your LLC name is distinguishable in the Secretary of State's records, the standard since July 1, 2015. These differences don't help: punctuation, special characters, spacing, the small words and symbols (“a”, “an”, “and”, “at”, “by”, “for”, “in”, “plus”, “the”, “to”, “with”, “&”, “@”, “+”), a plural, possessive or other suffix, tense, the business type, a domain ending like .org, abbreviations and alternate spellings (“B & B”, “Grey Theatre” for “Gray Theater”), homographs, numbers written another way, or the words “Vermont” and “Green Mountains”. These do: another key word or numeral, reordered key words, a real synonym or translation (“Dog Training” and “K9 Training”), or a homophone with a different meaning.
Where the rules are written. 11 V.S.A. ch. 25 (LLCs; § 4006 reserved name, § 4012 fees, § 4033 annual report); 11 V.S.A. ch. 15 (§ 1652 reserved names; §§ 1621-1635 assumed business names), as amended by Act 10 of 2025 (eff. July 1, 2025); Code of Vermont Rules 04-020-001, Rule 3 (business name availability).
Searching for an LLC name in Vermont
Use the free Business Name Search at bizfilings.vermont.gov and read each result's status, because Inactive Expired, Dissolved, Withdrawn, Canceled, Merged and Converted names don't block a new LLC. Search abbreviations and spelling variants of your key words as well (“Nite” for “Night”, “VT” for “Vermont”), since Vermont counts them as the same.
Open the official Vermont 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: Vermont LLC name reservation
An LLC name can be held for $25 with an Application for Reserved Name, filed online. The hold runs 120 days, which we could confirm only through search results for 11 V.S.A. § 1652, and it can be renewed for another $25.
File a Vermont name reservation
Forming the LLC in Vermont
Filing Articles of Organization costs $155, the same online as on paper, under the fee section of Vermont's LLC statute (11 V.S.A. § 4012). File through the Online Business Service Center at bizfilings.vermont.gov.
File the Articles of Organization online
Every year the LLC files an annual report online within the first three months after its fiscal year ends, paying $45 (11 V.S.A. § 4033). No notice has to be published. A Certificate of Existence, Vermont's proof of good standing, costs $35 under 11 V.S.A. § 4028. Vermont tax obligations weren't part of our research.
When the LLC trades under another name
If your LLC trades under another name, or without “LLC” on the end, it registers an assumed business name with the Secretary of State for $70 and reregisters every five years for $65. The assumed name can't include entity identifiers like Company or Ltd. or words implying government ties, and it must be distinguishable in the records like any company name.
Sources
- Fees statutes, sos.vermont.gov, checked 2026-10-07
- Business name rules, sos.vermont.gov, checked 2026-10-07
- sos.vermont.gov, checked 2026-10-07
- Annualbiennial reports, sos.vermont.gov, checked 2026-10-07
- Assumed name, sos.vermont.gov, checked 2026-10-07
- Copies certificates, sos.vermont.gov, checked 2026-10-07
- legislature.vermont.gov, checked 2026-10-07
- legislature.vermont.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 Vermont Secretary of State confirms them.
Common questions
Can two LLCs in Vermont have the same name?
No. Vermont accepts a new LLC name only if it can be told apart from every name on its record. Adding or changing an ending such as “LLC” doesn't make a name different.
How long can I hold an LLC name in Vermont?
For a limited time (the official length couldn't be confirmed), for $25.
Does a new Vermont LLC have to publish a notice?
No. Vermont has no newspaper publication requirement for LLCs.
How much is the Vermont LLC filing fee?
$155, paid when you file the Articles of Organization.