The official search
The registry is run by the Montana Secretary of State, Business & UCC Services.
- Search page: https://biz.sosmt.gov/search/business
- Cost: Free
- Login: None required to search
The database covers the businesses registered with the Secretary of State: corporations, LLCs, limited partnerships, assumed business names, and registered trademarks and service marks. That breadth matters, because Montana's name test reaches all of those records (see the rules below).
There is no separate "name availability" tool that gives a yes or no. You judge availability from the search results, and the Secretary of State makes the final distinguishability decision when your filing or name reservation is reviewed.
When you click a business name in the results, the record panel shows the business's status and its registered agent, with buttons to file an annual report, view its filings, and request information such as a Certificate of Existence. The original registration documents appear under View Filings, labelled as the initial filing. The public record reflects what is on the company's annual reports — addresses, registered agent, and the members or managers on record — it is not a full ownership investigation tool.
Step by step
- Open the Business Search at biz.sosmt.gov and search your proposed name without "LLC."
- Shorten the name and search again. Searching a shorter, distinctive fragment catches near-matches that a full-name search can miss.
- Search the distinctive word on its own. If your name is "Gallatin River Outfitters," run "Gallatin" and "Outfitters" style variants and read every close result.
- Check every record type, not just LLCs. Corporations, limited partnerships, assumed business names, and registered trademarks and service marks all count against you in Montana.
- Open the closest matches. Read the status and details of anything similar. An active, similar name in any category is a likely blocker; also remember a dissolved corporation's name stays protected for 120 days.
- If nothing conflicting appears, the name is probably available — but only the Secretary of State's review of your actual filing is definitive.
Montana's name rules
The rules are in MCA 35-8-103 of the Montana Limited Liability Company Act.
Designator. The name must contain "limited liability company" or "limited company," or the abbreviation "l.l.c.," "l.c.," "llc," or "lc." The word "limited" may be abbreviated "ltd." and "company" may be abbreviated "co."
Distinguishable. The name must be distinguishable on the records of the Secretary of State from:
- Any business corporation, nonprofit corporation, limited partnership, or LLC organized or reserved in Montana
- Any foreign corporation, limited partnership, or LLC registered or qualified to do business in Montana
- Any assumed business name, limited partnership name, trademark, service mark, or other name registered or reserved with the Secretary of State
- The name of a domestic corporation that has dissolved — for 120 days after its dissolution
That third item is the one people miss. In many states a DBA is a county filing that never enters the state name test. In Montana, assumed business names are registered with the Secretary of State, and they sit in the same test as entity names — along with state-registered trademarks and service marks.
Reserving a name. Montana allows a name reservation under MCA 35-8-104. The Secretary of State's fee schedule lists the reservation at $10, and it holds the name for 120 days. A reservation cannot be renewed, so treat it as a one-shot bridge to filing, not a way to park a name indefinitely. Reserving is optional — it does not establish an LLC.
What the search can't tell you
- A final verdict. The search gives no availability ruling. Approval happens when the Secretary of State reviews your filing or reservation.
- Federal trademarks and domains. A name can be clear in Montana's records and still infringe a federal trademark, or have its .com taken. Check the USPTO search and your domain separately.
- Names in use but never registered. A business operating without registering its assumed name with the Secretary of State will not show up, even though it may have common-law rights in the name.
- A dissolved corporation's intentions. A dissolved corporation's name is protected for 120 days; the search cannot tell you whether that business is truly finished or about to reinstate.
If the name looks available
File Articles of Organization with the Secretary of State, online through the filing portal at biz.sosmt.gov.
- Cost: $35. Montana is one of the cheapest states in the country to form an LLC. A series LLC pays an additional $50 for each series member named in its articles.
Ongoing: the annual report (MCA 35-8-208).
Every Montana LLC files in the same window — there is no anniversary-month deadline.
- Due date: between January 1 and April 15 every year. Your first report is due in that window in the year after the year you form. Form in 2026, and your first report is due by April 15, 2027.
- Fee — read the current schedule, not old guides: the Secretary of State's current fee schedule lists the annual report as WAIVED if filed before April 15 — in other words, $0 on time — and $35 if filed after April 15. Older guides still quote $20; that figure is out of date, and the waiver is a Secretary of State policy that is announced year by year, not a permanent rate, so check the current fee schedule before relying on $0.
- If you keep missing it: a late report costs $35, and an LLC that stays unfiled faces involuntary dissolution (domestic entities have an outer deadline of December 1; foreign entities November 1). Reinstatement costs $35 plus an additional $35 for each year of delinquent annual reports.
FAQ
Is the Montana LLC name search free? Yes. The Business Search at biz.sosmt.gov is free, and no login is needed to search.
Can a DBA block my Montana LLC name? Yes. Under MCA 35-8-103, your name is tested against assumed business names and registered trademarks and service marks on the Secretary of State's records, in addition to entity names.
How much does it cost to form a Montana LLC? The Articles of Organization filing fee is $35, plus $50 for each series member if you form a series LLC.
When is the Montana LLC annual report due? Between January 1 and April 15 every year, starting the year after formation. The current fee schedule waives the fee for reports filed before April 15; a report filed after April 15 costs $35.
Can I reserve a name in Montana? Yes. A reservation holds a name for 120 days and is listed at $10 on the Secretary of State's fee schedule. It cannot be renewed.
Sources
- Montana Secretary of State — Business Search: https://biz.sosmt.gov/search/business
- Montana Secretary of State — Business Services Filing Fees: https://sosmt.gov/business/fees/
- MCA 35-8-103 (LLC name rules): https://leg.mt.gov/bills/mca/title_0350/chapter_0080/part_0010/section_0030/0350-0080-0010-0030.html
- MCA 35-8-208 (annual report): https://codes.findlaw.com/mt/title-35-corporations-partnerships-and-associations/mt-code-ann-sect-35-8-208/
- Montana Secretary of State — Business Services help centre: https://help.sosmt.gov/en-us/