The official search
The registry is run by the Maine Secretary of State, Bureau of Corporations, Elections and Commissions — Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions.
- Search page: https://apps3.web.maine.gov/nei-sos-icrs/ICRS (choose Corporate Search)
- Cost: Free to search and view the summary
- Login: None required for the basic search
ICRS is Maine's one-stop corporate system: the same site hosts the Corporate Search, Annual Reports Online, and the clerk/registered agent services. "Clerk" is Maine's word for what most states call a registered agent — expect to see commercial and non-commercial clerks throughout the forms.
The search covers corporations, LLCs, limited partnerships, LLPs, and other entities on file with the Division. A name search is reported to look across legal names, former names, and assumed names, which matters because assumed names count in Maine's availability test.
There is no separate yes/no availability tool. You judge availability from the Corporate Search, and the Division applies the statute when it reviews your Certificate of Formation or name reservation. Clicking a result opens an Information Summary: charter number (Maine's entity ID), legal name, filing type, status, formation date, jurisdiction, clerk or registered agent, and a list of the entity's filings. The summary is free; the underlying documents and Certificates of Existence are paid downloads, and some ICRS services require a credit card or an InforME subscription.
Step by step
- Open Interactive Corporate Services and click Corporate Search.
- Search by keyword from the name, leaving off "LLC." Use your most distinctive word first, then the full name — Maine's name test reaches assumed names and marks, so you want the widest net the keyword search gives you.
- If you have it, search by charter number to pull one exact record instead of a list of near-matches.
- Open the Information Summary for every close match and check its status and filing type. A conflict can be a corporation, a partnership, or an assumed name filed by any of them — not just another LLC.
- Treat marks as blockers too. A name that matches a mark registered under Maine's trademark law can be refused even if no entity holds it.
- If nothing distinguishable-blocking appears, the name is probably available — but the Division's review of your mailed filing is the final word, and Maine's processing queue means that word can take a while.
Maine's name rules
The rules are in 31 M.R.S. §1508 of the Maine Limited Liability Company Act (Title 31, Chapter 21).
Designator. The name must contain "limited liability company" or "limited company," or the abbreviation "L.L.C.," "LLC," "L.C.," or "LC." ("Limited" may be shortened to "Ltd." and "Company" to "Co.") A low-profit LLC uses "L3C" instead.
Distinguishable. The name must be distinguishable on the records of the Secretary of State from:
- The name of any corporation, LLC, limited liability partnership, or limited partnership in Maine
- Assumed, fictitious, reserved, and registered name filings for all entities
- Marks registered under Maine's trademark law (Title 10, chapter 301-A) — unless you are the mark's owner and file proof of ownership
With the existing holder's consent and the statutory conditions met, the Secretary of State can authorize a name that is not distinguishable — but that is an application, not a search result.
Content refusals. Separately, the Secretary of State may refuse a name that is obscene, inappropriately promotes abusive or unlawful activity, falsely suggests an association with public institutions, or violates another Maine naming law.
Reserving a name. Under 31 M.R.S. §1509, you can reserve an available name for 120 days on Form MLLC-1. The reservation fee is currently listed at $20 — confirm the amount and whether a reservation can be renewed on the current Secretary of State forms list before you rely on it. A reservation is optional and does not create the LLC.
What the search can't tell you
- A final verdict. The Corporate Search shows the record; the Division decides distinguishability when it reviews your filing.
- The full file. The free record is a summary. Reading the actual formation document or annual reports means paying for document downloads.
- A neat ownership list. The summary does not publish LLC members or managers; Maine collects at least one member or manager name on the annual report, which is a public filing, but it is not displayed as a roster on the summary page.
- Trademarks and domains beyond Maine's register. Federal USPTO rights and .com availability are separate checks.
If the name looks available
File a Certificate of Formation (Form MLLC-6) with the Division of Corporations — Maine does not use Articles of Organization, and there is no online formation filing. Complete the fillable form on screen, print it, and mail it with payment to the Division in Augusta (or hand-deliver it).
- Cost: $175.
- Processing: standard processing is slow — plan on weeks, not days — and expedited handling is offered for an additional fee (reported at $50 for 24-hour and $100 for same-day service on the form's cover letter). Check the current forms list for the Division's posted turnaround before you file.
Ongoing: the annual report.
- Fee: $85 per year for a domestic LLC (foreign LLCs pay $150).
- Due date: June 1 — one deadline for every Maine entity, in a filing window that opens January 1. File online through Annual Reports Online on ICRS or on paper. Your first report is due June 1 of the year after formation.
- Late penalty: $50 on top of the $85 fee. Continued non-filing leads to administrative dissolution.
- Watch for scams: the Secretary of State has warned about look-alike solicitations offering to file your annual report for far more than $85. The Division does not mail annual report forms — file through ICRS or not at all.
FAQ
Is the Maine LLC name search free? Yes. The Corporate Search on Interactive Corporate Services is free, and the Information Summary needs no login. Document downloads and certificates cost extra.
Can I form a Maine LLC online? No. Maine has no online filing for the Certificate of Formation (Form MLLC-6). You complete the fillable form, print it, and mail it to the Division of Corporations in Augusta with the $175 fee. Annual reports, by contrast, can be filed online.
Can an assumed name or a Maine trademark block my LLC name? Yes. Under 31 M.R.S. §1508, your name is tested against assumed, fictitious, reserved, and registered name filings for all entities, and against marks registered under Maine's trademark law.
How much does it cost to form a Maine LLC? The Certificate of Formation (Form MLLC-6) filing fee is $175.
When is the Maine LLC annual report due? June 1 every year, for every Maine LLC. The fee is $85, filing opens January 1, and a late report adds a $50 penalty.
Sources
- Maine Secretary of State — Interactive Corporate Services (Corporate Search and Annual Reports Online): https://apps3.web.maine.gov/nei-sos-icrs/ICRS
- 31 M.R.S. §1508 — Limited liability company name (Maine Legislature): http://www.mainelegislature.org/LEGIS/STATUTES/31/title31sec1508.pdf
- Maine Secretary of State — Limited Liability Company Forms (Forms MLLC-1 and MLLC-6): https://www.maine.gov/sos/corporations-commissions/i-need-a-business-form/limited-liability-company-forms