Montana Secretary of State business search
A dissolved corporation's name stays off limits to a new Montana LLC for 120 days after dissolution.
Check a name against Montana'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 Montana's rules.
- Ends with "l.l.c.", an ending Montana lists for an LLC.
- No ending from Montana's list for a corporation was found at the end of this name.
This checks the ending and the restricted words Montana 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.
Montana Secretary of State's own search
- Run by
- Montana Secretary of State
- Called
- Business Name Search
The state's search is the record that counts. State Business Entity Search is not a government site.
The Secretary of State's Business Name Search runs inside the Business Filing Portal, and a separate Principal Search looks up businesses by principal.
Montana filing fees for a new business name
| Filing | State fee | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Form an LLC in Montana | $35 | Articles of Organization. Source: Montana Secretary of State, fee schedule for business filings. |
| Form a corporation in Montana | $35 | Articles of Incorporation, profit corporation. Source: Montana Secretary of State, fee schedule for business filings. |
| Reserve a name in Montana | $10 | Held for 120 days. Source: Montana Secretary of State, fee schedule for business filings. |
| Assumed business name, in Montana | $20 | Source: Montana Secretary of State, fee schedule for business filings. |
Name endings Montana accepts
For an LLC (Montana Code Annotated 35-8-103)
For a corporation (Montana Code Annotated 35-14-401)
How Montana's Business Name Search works
The Business Name Search sits inside the Business Filing Portal. The Secretary of State describes it in one line as a way to search business names. A second tool, the Principal Search, finds businesses by an individual or organization principal.
That one-line description does not say what the results show. Check the portal's own results before you file, and do not treat a clear result as a promise that the filing will go through.
What makes a Montana LLC name distinguishable
Montana Code Annotated 35-8-103 requires an LLC name to be distinguishable on the Secretary of State's records. The test runs against the state's own register. The comparison covers business corporations, nonprofit corporations, limited partnerships and LLCs organized or reserved under Montana law.
It also covers foreign entities registered in the state, assumed business names, trademarks and reserved names. A dissolved corporation's name stays off limits to a new LLC for 120 days after the dissolution takes effect. A name that matches it during that window will not pass the records test.
Words Montana restricts in LLC names
An LLC name may not contain business name identifiers as defined in section 30-13-201 of the Montana Code. It may not use other language that states or implies the company is a business other than an LLC.
An accepted LLC ending does not clear either rule on its own. The rest of the name still has to pass both rules, so check the whole name rather than only its ending.
Reserving a Montana name for 120 days
A name reservation costs $10 under the Secretary of State's fee schedule. The reservation is held for the applicant's exclusive use for a nonrenewable period of 120 days from the date the application is filed.
The clock starts on the filing date, so plan the articles of organization inside that window. For the wider picture, read how to protect a business name.
What Montana charges after formation
Articles of Organization cost $35 on the fee schedule. A series LLC pays $50 more for each series member named in its articles.
The annual report carries no fee when filed before April 15. After April 15 it costs $35, and the report is due April 15 each year. Compare these figures with the LLC cost calculator.
Registering an assumed business name costs $20 with the Secretary of State. That filing is separate from the annual report, so it has its own payment and its own paperwork.
Checking and claiming a name in Montana
- Search the name in the Business Name Search on the Business Filing Portal, and note any matching entity.
- Check that the name ends with an accepted ending from the endings each state accepts.
- File the $10 name reservation if you need 120 days to finish the paperwork, or file the $35 Articles of Organization directly.
- Put the April 15 annual report date on the calendar once the LLC is formed. The fee is waived only for a report filed before that date.
Montana name search questions
Does Montana's Principal Search check business names?
It is a separate tool. The Secretary of State describes it as a search by an individual or organization business principal, and the state's description does not say it returns name matches.
How long does a Montana name reservation last?
120 days from the date the application is filed. The period cannot be renewed, and the reservation costs $10 under the Secretary of State's fee schedule.
Can a Montana LLC name say it is a different kind of business?
No. Montana Code Annotated 35-8-103 bars business name identifiers and other language that states or implies the company is a business other than an LLC.
How much is the Montana annual report after April 15?
$35. The fee schedule waives the fee for an annual report filed before April 15, and the report is due April 15 each year.
What does a Montana assumed business name cost to register?
$20, filed with the Secretary of State. The fee schedule lists it separately from the annual report and from the articles of organization.
After the Montana name check
- LLC cost calculatorMontana filing and report fees added up
- Business name rules by stateMontana's endings beside other states
- Vermont business entity searchVermont Secretary of State
- South Dakota business entity searchSouth Dakota Secretary of State
- Florida business entity searchFlorida Department of State
- How much to trademark a business nameUSPTO application, extra and upkeep fees per class, plus what Texas and Florida charge for a state mark.
- Company domain nameWhat a domain is, who registers it, how renewal works and what the official pages say about email.
5 official Montana sources
- Montana Secretary of State, fee schedule for business filings, from the Internet Archive's copy of October 26, 2026.
- Montana Secretary of State, business structures and searches, from the Internet Archive's copy of October 9, 2026.
- Montana Secretary of State, Business Name Search, retrieved November 12, 2026.
- Montana Code Annotated 35-8-103, limited liability company names, retrieved November 12, 2026.
- Montana Code Annotated, reservation of a limited liability company name, retrieved November 12, 2026.
Where a state page would not load, its stored copy at the Internet Archive was used and the copy's date is shown. Fees can change, so confirm the amount with the state before you pay.