Maine LLC Name Search

Nailing down a great name for your Maine LLC can be challenging. 

You want the name to be unique and easy to remember while being legally acceptable and conveying what your business does. You also want it to be SEO-friendly so that it can easily be found on Google. That’s a lot of boxes to check. 

And even if you’ve already found the perfect business name, you need to make sure it’s available. That takes several steps, as detailed in this handy guide.

Maine LLC Entity Search 

The most important consideration when choosing an LLC name in Maine is making it available and legally acceptable. Here’s how to confirm you can use your preferred business name. 

1. Check for availability in Maine

Go to the Maine website and enter your business name. 

You should also search for similar business names, as you don’t want a name that can be easily confused with other businesses in Maine.

2. Check Maine’s LLC name regulations

In Maine, your LLC name must include “limited liability company” or an abbreviation (LLC or L.L.C.) and cannot have words that could confuse your LLC with a government agency.

Additionally, your business name must be distinguishable from all other business names in the state and cannot include words like bank, insurance, or university without state approval or imply that you’re involved in unlawful activity.

3. Check Trademarks

Check with the US Patent and Trademark Office to ensure the name has not been trademarked and is thus available nationally. 

4. Check domain name availability

You’ll want to make sure the domain name is available. You can check at a site like GoDaddy.com and use .com or .org, as those give your business more credibility.

5. Google it

Do a Google search to ensure the name is not being used in the U.S. or internationally. This is particularly important if you plan to have a strong online presence for your business.  

Once you’ve confirmed these, it’s a good idea to reserve the name with the state. 

How to File a Maine LLC Name Reservation

To reserve an LLC name in Maine, start by visiting the Secretary of State’s website to download the form. Unfortunately, you cannot reserve your name online, in person, or by mail.

You’ll mail the form or go in person to:

Secretary of State 
Division of Corporations, UCC, and Commissions 
101 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333-0101 

Doing Business As (DBA)

Even after all this, you may want to do business under a name other than your LLC. First, you’ll need to register a “doing business as”  or DBA name. There are two main reasons you might want to use a DBA.

• Suppose you want to add new product lines. For example, if your business name is “JJ’s Waffles,” you want to expand and offer “JJ’s Muffins.”  You can have multiple DBAs under the umbrella of your one LLC. 
• When you have a DBA, you can have a business bank account under that name. So if you add “JJ’s Muffins,” customers can pay “JJ’s Muffins,” and you can deposit those payments into the bank account with that name.

In Maine, a DBA is known as an assumed name. To register an assumed name in Maine, go to the Secretary of State’s website to download the form. Unfortunately, you cannot register online, only by mail. 

The fee is $125, and you’ll send the form to:

Department of the Secretary of State
Corporations, UCC, and Commissions
101 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333-0101

In Closing

Choosing a business name is crucial to entrepreneurial success, so if you’ve found a good one, don’t let somebody else get it. Instead, just take the steps detailed above to ensure it’s available and legally acceptable before pulling the trigger. 

You don’t want to run into an issue later that could impact the success of your business.