The official search
The registry is run by the Vermont Secretary of State, Business Services Division (the office long known as the Corporations Division).
- Search page: https://bizfilings.vermont.gov/business/businesssearch
- Cost: Free
- Login: None required to search (an account is needed to file)
A warning about addresses: Vermont replaced its filing system in December 2024. The old search address now bounces you toward a login screen, which makes the search look paywalled. It is not — the public search lives at the address above.
The database covers LLCs (including professional, low-profit "L3C," and blockchain-based LLCs), corporations, nonprofits, limited partnerships, LLPs, and cooperatives. Sole proprietorships do not appear — they do not register with the Secretary of State.
There is no separate tool that answers "available: yes or no." You judge from the results, and the Secretary of State makes the final distinguishability decision when your filing is reviewed.
A record shows the legal name, record (entity) number, type, status, formation date, registered agent, and filing history. Vermont uses detailed statuses — such as "Active – In Good Standing" or "Inactive – Administratively Dissolved" — so read the status on every close match.
Step by step
- Open the Business Search at bizfilings.vermont.gov and enter your proposed name without "LLC" in the Business Name / Record Number field.
- Start with "Contains." The search offers Starts With, Contains, and Exact Match. Contains is the widest net and the right first pass for a name check.
- Run "Starts With" and "Exact Match" passes on shortened and exact versions of the name to see the closest conflicts clearly.
- Leave the Record Type filter open on your first pass. Vermont tests your name against every kind of registered business, not just LLCs, so a corporation or partnership with your name is a conflict too.
- Open Advanced Search if the name is common: narrow by Record Status, Initial Filing Date, registered agent, principal name, or Election Type.
- If nothing conflicting appears, the name is probably available — but the Secretary of State's review of your actual filing is the only final word.
Vermont's name rules
The rules are in 11 V.S.A. § 4005 of the Vermont Limited Liability Company Act.
Designator. The name must contain "limited liability company" or "limited company," or the abbreviation "L.L.C.," "LLC," "L.C.," or "LC." In a Vermont name, "limited" may be shortened to "Ltd." and "company" to "Co." One exception: a low-profit LLC uses "L3C" instead — Vermont invented the L3C in 2008. A professional LLC must add "Professional" or use "P.L.L.C." / "PLLC."
Distinguishable. The name must be distinguishable in the records of the Secretary of State from:
- The name of every business entity — corporation, LLC, partnership, or other non-individual person — incorporated, organized, or authorized to do business in Vermont
- Every name reserved under Vermont's reservation statutes for LLCs, corporations, nonprofits, and other entity types
If your name is too close. Under § 4005(c), the Secretary of State can authorize a name that is not distinguishable if the existing holder consents, or in certain court-judgment or merger situations.
Restricted names. Some names need another step first — for example, a name for a postsecondary school requires a certificate of approval from the State Board of Education before it can be registered (§ 4005(e)). Do not choose a name that misleads the public or suggests a government connection it does not have.
Reserving a name. Vermont allows name reservations under § 4006: $25 holds a name for 120 days. You may renew for further 120-day periods, but the renewal must be filed during the 45 days before the current reservation expires — file late and the name is released.
What the search can't tell you
- A final verdict. The search shows records; the Secretary of State decides distinguishability when your Articles are reviewed.
- Businesses that never registered with the state. Sole proprietorships and unregistered trade names are invisible here.
- Trademarks and domains. A clean result says nothing about federal trademarks or .com availability.
- Your real deadline. The search will not warn you that your annual report date depends on the fiscal year you choose at formation — a choice made once, on the Articles, that sets every future deadline.
If the name looks available
File Articles of Organization with the Business Services Division, normally online through the state's business filing system at bizfilings.vermont.gov.
- Cost: $155. Watch out for older guides quoting $125 — that was the fee until June 2023, when 11 V.S.A. § 4012 was amended. The current fee is $155, online or by mail.
- Processing: Online filings are commonly reported as fast — often about a business day — but that is not a state guarantee; check the Secretary of State's current notices before relying on a date.
- Choose your fiscal year carefully on this form. It decides your annual report deadline for the life of the company.
Ongoing: the annual report.
- Fee: $45 per year for a Vermont (domestic) LLC. (Older guides quoting $35 are out of date, for the same 2023 reason as above. A foreign LLC pays $170.)
- Due date: within three months after your fiscal year ends. For a calendar-year LLC, file between January 1 and March 31. If your fiscal year ends June 30, your deadline is September 30 instead. It is not tied to the month you formed.
- Late consequence — there is no late fee, because the penalty is worse: under 11 V.S.A. § 4034, failing to file terminates your articles of organization. To come back you must file the missed report(s) and pay the report fee plus a reinstatement fee for each missed year (listed at $35 per missed year in the Secretary of State's fee schedule — confirm the current amount before you file). A terminated LLC can also lose the right to keep its name, so someone else may take it while you are fixing the paperwork.
- Separate tax note: an LLC taxed as a partnership or S corporation may also owe Vermont's $250 minimum Business Entity Income Tax to the Department of Taxes — a tax filing, not part of the Secretary of State report.
FAQ
Is the Vermont LLC name search free? Yes. The Business Search at bizfilings.vermont.gov is free and requires no login. Do not be put off by older links that land on a login screen — the search moved in December 2024.
How much does it cost to form a Vermont LLC? The Articles of Organization fee is $155 under 11 V.S.A. § 4012. Guides quoting $125 predate a June 2023 fee change.
When is the Vermont LLC annual report due? Within three months after the end of your fiscal year — March 31 for a calendar-year LLC. The fee is $45. It is not an anniversary-of-formation deadline.
What happens if I miss the Vermont annual report? There is no dollar late fee. Instead, your articles of organization terminate under 11 V.S.A. § 4034, and reinstatement requires the missed reports plus a reinstatement fee for each missed year. Your LLC can also lose the right to its name.
Can I reserve an LLC name in Vermont? Yes — $25 for 120 days under 11 V.S.A. § 4006, renewable for further 120-day periods if you renew during the 45 days before the reservation expires.
Sources
- Vermont Secretary of State, Business Services Division — Business Search: https://bizfilings.vermont.gov/business/businesssearch
- 11 V.S.A. § 4012, Fees (Articles of Organization $155; reserved name $25; domestic LLC annual report $45): https://legislature.Vermont.gov/statutes/section/11/025/04012
- 11 V.S.A. Chapter 25, Limited Liability Companies (§ 4005 name rules, § 4006 reserved name, § 4033 annual report, § 4034 involuntary termination): https://legislature.vermont.gov/statutes/fullchapter/11/025
- Vermont Secretary of State: https://sos.vermont.gov/