Learn how to run a free Maine Secretary of State business search, read what the record tells you, and check whether a business name is available before you file.
The Maine Secretary of State keeps a free public record of every business registered in the state, and searching it costs nothing.
Two things about Maine catch people out. The search tool moved, so a lot of search results still point at an address that no longer works. And Maine's name reservation cannot be renewed, which makes the 120 days you get more consequential than in most states. This guide covers the search, the record, the naming rules, and the deadlines that decide whether a name stays yours.
Key Takeaways
The tool is called the Corporate Name Search. It sits inside Maine's Interactive Corporate Services (ICRS) system and is free to use. [1]
A Maine name reservation cannot be renewed. You get 120 days, and that is the whole of it. [6]
Automated searching is prohibited. The Division of Corporations bans data mining and warns that automated tools may get your access suspended. [1]
Administrative dissolution costs you the name. Losing your entity to a missed annual report also ends your exclusive right to its name. [3]
Maine Business Entity Search at a Glance
Detail | Information |
Official tool | Corporate Name Search, also called the Maine business entity search, Maine SOS business search, or Maine corporate name search [1] |
Operated by | Maine Secretary of State, Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions, within the Bureau of Corporations, Elections and Commissions [2] |
Cost | |
Search by | |
Covers | Business corporations, nonprofit corporations, LLCs, limited partnerships, LLPs, and registered marks [1] |
Does not cover | Sole proprietorships and general partnerships, which do not file with the Secretary of State |
Paid extras | Certificates of existence and copies of filings, which may require a card or an InforME subscription [7] |
Division location | Ballard Center, 6 E Chestnut Street, 5th Floor, Augusta, ME 04330. Mail to 101 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333-0101Â [4] |
Phone |
What the Maine Corporate Name Search Covers
The Division of Corporations runs this search inside Maine's Interactive Corporate Services system, and it is the record of every entity that has filed with the Secretary of State. One keyword search returns corporations, LLCs, partnerships, and registered marks together, with the entity type field sorting them out.
What You Will Find
- Limited liability companies: Domestic and foreign LLCs, including professional LLCs.
- Corporations: Business corporations under Title 13-C and nonprofit corporations under Title 13-B.
- Partnerships: Limited partnerships and limited liability partnerships.
- Registered marks: Trademarks and service marks filed with the Secretary of State are searchable in the same system. [1]
- Reserved and registered names: Names held but not yet attached to a formed entity.
What is Not in The Database
- Sole proprietorships: They do not file with the Secretary of State, so they leave no record at all.
- General partnerships: The same applies unless they registered as an LLP.
- Owners and members: Maine records the entity and its agent, not a verified ownership list.
- EINs and tax numbers: A federal Employer Identification Number comes from the IRS and appears in no state database.
- Local licenses: Maine has no single statewide general business license, and local permits sit with municipalities.
Note: A real Maine business can be absent from the search because its structure never required a state filing.
How To Perform a Maine Business Entity Search Step-by-Step
Step 1. Open the Current Corporate Name Search
Go to the Corporate Name Search inside Maine's Interactive Corporate Services system. [1] Basic entity information is free and needs no account.
Step 2. Search by Keyword, Not by Full Legal Name
The field is labeled "keyword from name to be searched," and that is exactly how to use it. You do not need to include LLC, Inc., or Corp. The system returns all entity types regardless. [1]
- Use the least common word: Maine recommends narrowing with an uncommon word or a word combination rather than a full name.
- Use the wildcard: the percent sign (%) works as a wildcard in the keyword field.
- Leave off the designator: it is ignored when Maine tests whether a name is distinguishable anyway.
- Search by charter number when you have it: it returns one record with no ambiguity.
Step 3. Search Manually, One Query at a Time
This is a genuine Maine constraint. The Division of Corporations states that it strictly prohibits mining data, and warns that using automated tools in any form may result in your access being suspended. [1] The tool is built for individual lookups, not bulk screening.
Step 4. Open the Information Summary
Click through from the results to the Information Summary page. That is where the charter number, status, filing date, and registered agent live.
Step 5. Scroll Down and Open The List of Filings
The summary is not the whole record. Scroll to the bottom of the Information Summary and select "view list of filings" to see everything the entity has filed. [4] That list is also how you check whether a document you submitted has been processed yet, which matters because Maine's paper processing times are long.
How To Read Your Maine Entity Search Results
Field | What It Tells You | Why It Matters |
Entity name | The exact registered legal name | It should match the name on any contract or invoice |
Charter number | The unique Maine identifier | Returns one record every time, and it is what you need to file an annual report |
Entity type | Corporation, nonprofit, LLC, LP, or LLP | Sets which statutes, forms, and fees apply |
Status | Whether the entity is in good standing with the state | The most important field on the page |
Filing date | When it registered in Maine | Check it against the experience the business claims |
Jurisdiction | Maine, or another state for a foreign entity | Tells you where the company was actually formed |
Registered agent | Who accepts legal service, either a commercial or noncommercial agent | Maine's agent rules are unusual, so read this carefully |
List of filings | Every document on record | Confirms whether a recent filing has been processed |
Note: Maine distinguishes between a commercial registered agent, which has filed a listing statement with the Secretary of State, and a noncommercial one. Both are valid, but a commercial agent is separately on file with the state, which is a useful signal when you are vetting an unfamiliar company.
What Maine Entity Statuses Mean
Status | What It Means | What To Do |
Good Standing | Registered and current on annual reports | Proceed with normal due diligence |
Not in Good Standing | Registered but behind on a required filing | Ask when it will be cured before you rely on the entity |
Administratively Dissolved | The state ended the entity for non-compliance | It has lost both its existence and its exclusive right to its name [3] |
Dissolved | The owners closed it voluntarily | Do not contract with it |
Withdrawn | A foreign entity ended its Maine registration | Confirm where it is registered now |
Merged or Consolidated | Absorbed into another entity | Identify and vet the surviving entity instead |
How To Check Business Name Availability in Maine
The Corporate Name Search is your availability check, but a clear result is preliminary. Maine makes the final decision when it reviews your reservation or your formation filing.
- Search the least common word in your proposed name, not the whole name.
- Search each other significant word as a separate query.
- Search without any designator and without punctuation.
- Try the wildcard (%) to catch variations you would otherwise miss.
- Open the Information Summary on every close match and read its status.
- Search the federal trademark register separately, since Maine does not cover it.
Still deciding what to call the business? The free Swyft Filings business name generator is a sensible first stop before you pay a reservation fee.
Maine Business Naming Rules and Restrictions
Maine's naming law sits in Title 13-C section 401 for corporations and Title 31 section 1508 for LLCs. [5] The name must carry the right ending, and it must be distinguishable from names already on file.
Required Designators By Entity Type
Entity Type | The Name Must Contain |
Limited liability company | "Limited Liability Company," or LLC or L.L.C. |
Corporation | "Corporation," "Incorporated," "Company," or "Limited," or Corp., Inc., Co., or Ltd. |
Nonprofit corporation | A corporate designator per its governing chapter |
Limited partnership | "Limited Partnership" or an accepted abbreviation |
Limited liability partnership | "Limited Liability Partnership" or an accepted abbreviation |
What Maine Tests Your Name Against
Your name must be distinguishable from every one of the following already on the record:
- Corporations, whether for-profit or nonprofit
- LLCs, including incorporated partnerships
- Names already registered or reserved
- Assumed or fictitious names belonging to a registered entity
- Registered marks, unless you are the mark holder yourself
Differences Maine Ignores
Minor variations do not make a name distinguishable. The state disregards capitalization, punctuation, spacing, articles such as "a," "an," and "the," and the corporate designator itself. Swapping LLC for Inc. on an otherwise identical name will not clear it.
Words and Claims Maine Restricts
- No unlawful purpose: the name cannot suggest an activity that is against the law or outside your stated purpose.
- No government association: it cannot imply a connection to a state or public institution.
- No obscene language: the Secretary of State will reject it outright.
- Regulated industries: names implying banking or insurance are off limits unless the business is authorized for those activities.
When You Can Use a Name That is Already Taken
Maine is more flexible here than most states. You may use an existing registered name if you hold appropriate written authorization from the current holder, or under a court decision, or where the name comes to you through a merger, reorganization, or acquisition.
Cost To Reserve a Business Name in Maine
Detail | Information |
Fee | |
How long the hold lasts | 120 days |
Renewable? | No. Maine does not allow a name reservation to be renewed |
Form | Application for Reservation of Name, filed with the Division of Corporations [4] |
What it does not do | A reservation is not a registration. It holds the name only |
The no-renewal rule is the one to plan around. In most states you can extend a reservation if your paperwork slips. In Maine, when the 120 days run out, the name goes back to the public.
That matters more than it sounds, because Maine does not accept online filing for the Certificate of Formation and posted paper processing times can run to several weeks. [4] Check the processing time posted on the forms page and count backward from your reservation expiry before you file.
Once the name is settled, you can form your Maine LLC, or file as a C Corp or file as a nonprofit.
How To Register an Assumed Name DBA Name in Maine
Maine calls a DBA an assumed name, and the terminology matters because the fee depends on which term applies to you.
Assumed Name Versus Legal Entity Name
Your legal name is what appears on your Certificate of Formation or Articles of Incorporation and in the Corporate Name Search. An assumed name is a second name you trade under. It creates no new legal entity and gives no liability protection.
Filing | Who It Applies To | Fee |
Assumed name | Domestic Maine entities filing under section 1308 | |
Fictitious name | Foreign entities filing under section 1415 | |
Termination of either | Ending an assumed or fictitious name |
Other Things to Know
- File the right form for your entity type: Maine uses a separate assumed name form for each structure, such as Form MLLC-5 for LLCs. [4]
- It is searchable: An assumed name belonging to a registered entity counts when Maine tests whether a new name is distinguishable.
- It grants no exclusive rights: Registering an assumed name records it publicly. It does not stop someone else using something similar.
- Set a renewal reminder: Maine assumed names are not indefinite, so diarize the expiry rather than assuming it rolls over.
Swyft Filings can handle your Maine DBA registration, and for genuine brand protection, we help you with the federal trademark registration.
Maine Business Name Search vs. Trademark Search
These answer different questions, and clearing one does not clear the other.
Question | Where It Is Answered |
Will Maine accept my entity name? | Corporate Name Search, then the state's review of your filing [1] |
Is a Maine state mark already registered? | |
Does a federal trademark block me nationwide? | The USPTO register, which Maine does not check |
Can I use the name on a website and packaging? | Trademark clearance, not a state entity search |
A name can clear the Maine database entirely and still infringe a federal mark held by a business that never registered in Maine. Search both.
Maine Business Entity Search Costs
Searching is free. These are the costs attached to holding a name, registering an assumed name, and pulling documents from a record. [6] Confirm current amounts on the Secretary of State forms pages before you pay.
Service | Fee | Notes |
Maine business entity search | Free | |
Viewing the list of filings | Free | |
Application for Reservation of Name | $20.00 | |
Assumed name, domestic entity | $125.00 | |
Fictitious name, foreign entity | $40.00 | |
Termination of assumed or fictitious name | $20.00 | |
Annual report, domestic business entity | $85.00 | |
Annual report, foreign business entity | $150.00 | |
Annual report, nonprofit corporation | $35.00 | |
Certificates of existence and copies | Varies |
How To Verify a Maine Company Before You Deal With It
- Search the exact legal name from the contract or invoice, not the brand name.
- Save the charter number, the status, and the date you checked.
- Confirm the status reads Good Standing, and nothing else.
- Check the filing date against the experience the business claims.
- Read the registered agent and note whether it is a commercial or noncommercial agent.
- Open the list of filings and check the most recent annual report.
- Check whether the name you were given is the legal name or a registered assumed name.
- Order a certificate of existence if the deal is significant. [7]
Red Flags Worth a Second Look
- A company using LLC or Inc. in its name with no state record at all.
- An administratively dissolved status behind a business presenting itself as fully operational.
- No annual report on file since well before June 1.
- A filing date far more recent than the track record the business claims.
- A legal name on the record that does not match the paperwork you were sent.
Need proof of your own standing for a bank or another state? Swyft Filings can obtain a Certificate of Good Standing on your behalf.
What To Do If Your Maine Business Name Is Taken
- Check the status of the entity holding it, since a dissolved name can free up.
- Add a genuinely distinguishing word, not a punctuation change or a different designator.
- Consider whether you can obtain written authorization from the current holder.
- Check whether the name reaches you through a merger, reorganization, or acquisition.
- Search a shortlist of alternatives in one sitting rather than one at a time.
- Reserve the winner immediately, and remember the 120 days cannot be extended.
If you have already formed under a name you want to change, Swyft Filings handles business name changes.
Let Us File Your Maine Business
Once your search confirms a name is clear, filing is the step that follows, and Maine's paper-based process makes the timing tighter than most states. Swyft Filings has helped more than 600,000 businesses get started since 2015. We handle Maine LLC formation, C Corp and nonprofit filings, registered agent service, DBA registration, annual report filing, and business licenses, so nothing slips while your reservation clock runs.
Bibliography
- Maine Secretary of State. Interactive Corporate Services, Corporate Name Search. Accessed on August 6, 2026.
- Maine Secretary of State. Corporations, Business Services. Accessed on August 6, 2026.
- Maine Secretary of State. Filing Requirement Reminders. Accessed on August 6, 2026.
- Maine Secretary of State. Limited Liability Company Forms. Accessed on August 6, 2026.
- Maine Legislature. Title 31, Section 1508, Limited Liability Company Name. Accessed on August 6, 2026.
- Maine Legislature. Title 31, Section 1460, Fees and Penalties. Accessed on August 6, 2026.
- Maine Secretary of State. Online Services. Accessed on August 6, 2026.
- Maine Legislature. Title 13-C, Section 401, Corporate Name. Accessed on August 6, 2026.
