State Business Entity Search

Maryland business entity search

Every Maryland business gets a Department ID that starts with one of the letters D, F, W, L, T or Z and ends with eight numbers.

Check a name against Maryland's naming rules

  • Type a business name above and press Check name. Its ending and any restricted words show here.

Get the matching domain name

Type a business name to check its .com, .net, .org and .us.

"Not registered" is the registry's answer at this moment. It is not a promise that the name can be bought at the standard price, since some unregistered names are reserved or sold at a premium. The buttons open Spaceship, a domain registrar, where the price is shown.

See an example check

Example: a check of "Blue Heron Bakery LLC" against Maryland's rules.

  • Ends with "L.L.C.", an ending Maryland lists for an LLC.
  • No ending from Maryland's list for a corporation was found at the end of this name.

This checks the ending and the restricted words Maryland publishes. It does not tell you whether another company already holds the name. Only the state's own search can show that.

A private website, not a government site. Every state entry links to that state's official search.

Maryland's own search

Run by
Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation
Called
Business Entity Search
Search by
Business Name, Department ID, Employer Identification Number (EIN)
Open Maryland's official search

The state's search is the record that counts. State Business Entity Search is not a government site.

The State Department of Assessments and Taxation, known as SDAT, keeps the register.

  • LLC filing fee $100
  • Name held 30 days
  • Register kept by Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation

By the State Business Entity Search team. Fees, endings and rules come from 12 official Maryland sources, retrieved on November 13, 2026. Last updated November 13, 2026. How these facts are gathered.

Maryland filing fees for a new business name

FilingState feeDetails
Form an LLC in Maryland $100 Articles of organization of a limited liability company. Source: Maryland Code, Corporations and Associations, section 1-203.
Form a corporation in Maryland $100 Articles of incorporation. Source: Maryland Code, Corporations and Associations, section 1-203.
Reserve a name in Maryland $25 Held for 30 days.
Trade name certificate in Maryland $25 Source: Maryland Code, Corporations and Associations, section 1-406.

Name endings Maryland accepts

For an LLC (Maryland Code, Corporations and Associations, section 1-502(b))

  • limited liability company
  • L.L.C.
  • LLC
  • L.C.
  • LC

For a corporation (Maryland Code, Corporations and Associations, section 1-502(a)(1))

  • Company (if not preceded by the word "and" or a symbol for it)
  • Corporation
  • Incorporated
  • Limited

The SDAT Business Entity Search and its tabs

Maryland's lookup is the Business Entity Search on Maryland Business Express. You search by business name, and each result opens under three tabs. General Information shows the business information and Good Standing status. Filing History and Annual Report/Personal Property follow.

The Department ID helps when two companies have similar names. It is the one number that points to a single record.

What counts as a different name in Maryland

Section 1-504 of Corporations and Associations says an entity name must be distinguishable upon the Department's records from entities organized or authorized in Maryland. It must also differ from reserved or registered names and from disclosed assumed names of foreign entities. The statute does not say which differences count, so close names are a judgment call for SDAT.

Names recorded, registered or reserved before October 1, 1998 may keep a form that today's rules would not allow, under section 1-507.

Name endings under section 1-502

A Maryland LLC name must include "limited liability company", "L.L.C.", "LLC", "L.C." or "LC". Corporations use "Company", "Corporation", "Incorporated" or "Limited", or an abbreviation of one of them. "Company" does not work if it follows the word "and" or its symbol. The name endings each state accepts sets Maryland beside other states.

Reserving a name

Under section 1-505, the Department holds a reserved name for the applicant's exclusive use for a 30-day period. The holder may transfer it once, and the new holder gets a fresh 30 days. Section 1-203 lists the fee at $25.

Formation fee and the yearly report

The processing fee for articles of organization or articles of incorporation is $100 under section 1-203(b)(4). Corporations also pay an organization and capitalization fee under section 1-204. It starts at $20 for capital stock with aggregate par value up to $100,000. The LLC cost calculator adds the yearly cost to formation.

The same section puts the annual report fee for a Maryland LLC at $300. Section 11-101 of Tax-General requires the report on or before April 15 each year. LLCs and corporations file it even in the year they form.

Trade names in Maryland

SDAT records a trade name certificate under section 1-406 for $25, and the certificate is effective for 5 years. Learn how the certificate differs from an LLC name in filing a fictitious business name.

Checking and claiming a name in Maryland

  1. Enter the name in the Business Entity Search and read each result's General Information tab.
  2. Check the ending against section 1-502.
  3. Pay $25 to reserve the name for 30 days if you need the time.
  4. File the articles with SDAT and pay the $100 processing fee.

Maryland name search questions

What does the Maryland Business Entity Search show for an LLC?

SDAT's Business Entity Search shows business information and Good Standing status, the filing history and annual report details. The search runs on business name.

Is the Maryland SDAT business search the place to check a name?

The state's name-selection page tells filers to use the Business Express Name Search, which is the entity search, to check a name against its records. SDAT decides whether a name can be filed.

When is the Maryland annual report due, and can it be late?

April 15 each year, even in the year the entity forms. Tax-General section 14-704 lets SDAT extend it to June 15. The request is due online by April 15 or on paper by March 15.

Can a Maryland company keep an old name that breaks today's rules?

Yes, in one case. Section 1-507 of Corporations and Associations lets a name recorded, registered or reserved before October 1, 1998 continue in use.

How long does a Maryland trade name certificate last?

Five years from filing. Section 1-406 charges $25 to record it. Renewal is open in the 6 months before it ends, also at $25.

After the Maryland name check

12 official Maryland sources
  1. Maryland Business Express, Register a business in Maryland, retrieved November 13, 2026.
  2. Maryland Business Express, Select a business name, retrieved November 13, 2026.
  3. Maryland Business Express, Maintain good standing status, retrieved November 13, 2026.
  4. Maryland Code, Corporations and Associations, section 1-502, retrieved November 13, 2026.
  5. Maryland Code, Corporations and Associations, section 1-504, retrieved November 13, 2026.
  6. Maryland Code, Corporations and Associations, section 1-505, retrieved November 13, 2026.
  7. Maryland Code, Corporations and Associations, section 1-507, retrieved November 13, 2026.
  8. Maryland Code, Corporations and Associations, section 1-203, retrieved November 13, 2026.
  9. Maryland Code, Corporations and Associations, section 1-406, retrieved November 13, 2026.
  10. Maryland Code, Tax-General, section 11-101, retrieved November 13, 2026.
  11. Maryland Code, Tax-General, section 14-704, retrieved November 13, 2026.
  12. Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation, reserve a name in Maryland, retrieved November 13, 2026.