Maine Business Name Search (Jul. 2026 LLC Lookup Guide)

You need to check your desired Limited Liability Company (LLC) name to see if it’s available in Maine. You can do this by using the Maine Corporate Name Search tool provided by the Secretary of State (SOS).

Conducting a name search is important as your desired business name can NOT be too similar to or the same as existing business names in the state. Your filing will be rejected by the state if you submit LLC formation documents using an unavailable name.

I will show you how to conduct your Maine business name search, which allows you to compare your desired LLC name with existing businesses to check availability. You will also learn about the different Maine LLC naming regulations so you can create a unique and distinguishable business name before filing your formation documents.

Maine Business Name Search Overview

Your desired Maine LLC name must be unique and clearly distinguishable from existing business names already registered with the Maine SOS under Maine LLC Act §1508(2). If it’s not, your Certificate of Formation documents will be rejected by the state.

However, you still may be able to use another business’s name in certain situations:

• The current business owner provides written consent and agrees to change their name.
• You have a court order that proves you have the legal right to use the name of your LLC.
• Your LLC obtained your desired name via reorganization, a merger, or the acquisition of another LLC’s assets.

To compare your desired LLC name against existing businesses, you can use a tool called the Corporate Name Search. Once you’ve completed your search, you will know if your name can be used in the state.

How To Use The Maine Secretary Of State Business Entity Search Tool

To begin, navigate to the Maine Corporate Name Search page.

Then, enter your desired LLC name in the search bar at the top of the page. The Maine Secretary of State’s business search tool will run a keyword search to compare your desired LLC name with business names already registered in the state.

Use these tips when performing your name search:

• When doing your searches, make sure you don’t include “LLC”, “L.L.C.,” or “Limited Liability Company.”
• Do NOT include any periods, commas, or apostrophes in your desired name.
• Perform your search using uppercase or lowercase letters. These will NOT affect your search result outcome.

Once you’ve clicked “Search,” the search tool will generate a table of results. In the next section, I’ll discuss how to analyze the results to check your name availability.

Interpreting Your Maine Business Name Search Results

1. No Results Found

If your results show “Nothing found matching your search,” your desired LLC name is unique and available to use.

To be on the safe side, I highly suggest conducting a second search but using only part of your desired LLC name. This double-checks that there are no similar names on file with the Maine SOS.

For example, you’ve decided to pick “John Doe LLC” for your desired business name. In this case, search again using the words “John” or “Doe” to confirm your results. This should get every potential name and ensure your desired LLC name will be accepted.

2. Your Exact Desired LLC Name Appears

Your desired LLC name is NOT available to use if your exact name appears in the search results. When this happens, it means that an existing business operating in Maine is already on public record.

Let’s assume that your chosen business name is “102 JOHNSON ROAD.” You perform a name search, and “102 JOHNSON ROAD, LLC” appears in your results table. In this case, your name is NOT available to use.

To fix this issue, you need to use a suitable variation that makes your name unique. Alternatively, you can use a totally different name.

You will know how to make your name unique and distinguishable later in my article. Following these rules ensures that your desired LLC name will be accepted by the state.

3. Names That Are Not Too Similar Appear

If your search results show names that are NOT too similar, your desired LLC name is likely available to use.

For example, you decided that you want your business to be called “1 JOHNSON ROAD.” Your name may be available to use if “131 JOHN STREET LLC” appears in your search results.

4. A Very Similar Name Appears

Your desired LLC name may NOT be available to use if your name search results show a very similar name existing on the state’s records.

Let’s say that your desired business name is “AH JOHNSON LLC.” Your name may NOT be available if “A.H. JOHNSON INC” appears in your search results.

Contact Information For The Maine SOS

If you’ve got any questions regarding your LLC name availability, I recommend contacting the Maine SOS.

This is their main contact information:

• Address: 148 State House Station
  Augusta, Maine 04333-0148 
• Phone: 207-626-8400 
• Fax: 207-287-8598 
• email: [email protected]

While SOS representatives can offer advice regarding the name search tool and naming requirements, they can’t guarantee that your desired LLC name will be available when you file.

Maine LLC Name Requirements

You need to follow specific rules under Maine LLC Act §1508 when naming your LLC.

1. The Use Of Commas

Adding or removing commas will NOT affect the availability of your desired LLC name. The Maine SOS will treat the name the same, regardless of your use of commas.

Taking the above points into consideration, you can use the following names if your desired name is “JOHN DOE.”

• “JOHN DOE LLC.”
• “JOHN DOE, LLC.”

2. Designators (Name Endings)

You must use a required designator (name ending) in your desired LLC name. This ensures that your business will be clearly identified as an LLC when operating in Maine.

Make sure that you use one of these designators or abbreviations at the end of your desired LLC name:

• Limited Liability Co.
• Limited Liability Company.
• Limited Company.
• Limited Co.
• Ltd. Liability Co.
• Ltd. Liability Company.
• LLC.
• L.L.C.
• LC.
• L.C.

3. Prohibited Designators

Your desired LLC name can NOT make your business sound like a Maine Corporation or a different business entity other than an LLC.

You can NOT use the following designators and abbreviations in your desired LLC name:

• Inc.
• Incorporated.
• Corp.
• Corporation.

4. Prohibited Words

The Maine SOS may reject your LLC formation documents if your desired business name contains certain restricted words, including:

• Obscene language, such as explicit profanity and vulgar sexual terms.
• Words that promote any abusive or unlawful activity, such as harassment, fraud, violence, or illegal drug trafficking.
• Words that falsely suggest any association with a public institution, such as “Maine State Police Services LLC” or “U.S. Treasury Filing Center.”

What Changes Won’t Create Distinguishability

When performing your name search, you may find similar names and think that you can just add a word to make it different. However, using the same law discussed above, some changes will NOT create distinguishability. These changes need to be avoided if you want your desired LLC name to be accepted by the state.

In the sections below, I’ve discussed some of the main name changes that won’t create distinguishability.

1. Changing Designators

Using different designators (name endings) will NOT create distinguishability. For example, after careful consideration, you decide on “JOHN DOE LLC“ as your desired business name.

Your filing will be rejected if any of the following names are already on file with the Maine SOS:

• “JOHN DOE Inc.”
• “JOHN DOE Corp.”

2. Using Filler Words

You can NOT create distinguishability by adding filler words to your desired LLC name. Examples include “the,” “a,” “an,” and “&.”

If your desired business name is “John Doe LLC.” If any of the following results are shown, your desired name is NOT available to use:

• “The John Doe LLC.”
• “John & Doe Inc.”
• “John and Doe L.L.C.”

3. Adding Different Punctuation & Special Characters

Using different special characters and punctuation does NOT create distinguishability in Maine.

Let’s say that “JOHN DOE LLC” is your desired business name. You can not use this LLC name if the results show any of the following:

• “JOHN-DOE LLC.”
• “JOHN!DOE! LLC.”
• “JOHN.DOE LLC.”

4. Capitalization

Changing capitalization does NOT create distinguishability.

For example, “SUNRISE VENTURES LLC” is still considered the same as “Sunrise Ventures LLC.”
The same goes for “JOHN DOE LLC” and “jOhN dOE LLC.”

So here’s the simple way to think about it: you’re free to format your business name using any capitalization you like, but that won’t help you use a name that’s already in use.

Frequently Asked Questions