Maryland Business Name Checker
Check if your business name is available in Maryland. Validate state naming rules instantly, then search SDAT's records free through Maryland Business Express — the state has no Secretary of State business registry.
Validate the name format, then search the official Maryland Dept. of Assessments & Taxation (SDAT) — Business Express records.
1.Search the state registry (Maryland Dept. of Assessments & Taxation (SDAT) — Business Express) for existing LLCs, corporations, and reserved names
2.Check federal trademarks at USPTO.gov — state approval does not protect you from trademark claims
3.Verify the .com domain is available for your name
4.Grab matching social media handles (Instagram, X, LinkedIn, Facebook)
5.Lock the name in by filing your formation documents — or reserve it first (details below)
Fee
$25 (plus $20 for expedited processing)
Holds the name for
30 days
How to file
Corporate Name Reservation Application mailed to SDAT (Md. Code, Corps and Ass'ns § 1-505)
At 30 days, Maryland's window is unusually short, and renewability is not stated — most filers skip the reservation and simply file their formation documents.
How Business Name Availability Works in Maryland
Maryland routes every business filing through the State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT) — there is no Secretary of State business registry. The free public search lives in Maryland Business Express (egov.maryland.gov/businessexpress), which covers LLCs, corporations, reserved names, and registered trade names, and doubles as the online filing portal.
Naming rules are conventional: under Md. Code, Corps and Ass'ns § 4A-208, an LLC name must contain "limited liability company" or the abbreviation L.L.C., LLC, L.C., or LC, and SDAT generally requires the name to be distinguishable from what is already on its records. Corporations use "Company," "Corporation," "Incorporated," or "Limited" or the familiar abbreviations Co., Corp., Inc., or Ltd.
What stands out is the reservation math. Maryland holds a reserved name for only 30 days — the shortest window among the big states — for $25 (plus $20 expedited), filed by mail under § 1-505. Since forming the LLC costs $100 and secures the name permanently, most filers skip the reservation entirely. Budget instead for the back end: Maryland's $300 annual report is among the steepest recurring fees in the country.
Maryland Business Name Requirements
✓ Name Requirements
- • LLCs must include "LLC", "L.L.C.", "LC", "L.C." or "Limited Liability Company"
- • Corporations must include "Inc.", "Corp.", "Co." or "Ltd."
- • SDAT generally requires the name to be distinguishable from every entity name and reserved name on its records
- • Cannot suggest a government affiliation
- • Cannot be misleading about business purpose
- • Governed by Md. Code, Corps and Ass'ns § 4A-208 (LLCs); name reservations under § 1-505
✗ Restricted Words
- • "Bank" — banking terms generally require approval from the Maryland Office of Financial Regulation
- • "Trust" — implies trust-company powers — Office of Financial Regulation review is generally required
- • "Credit Union" — restricted to chartered credit unions overseen by the Office of Financial Regulation
- • "Insurance" — insurance-related names are typically reviewed under Maryland Insurance Administration rules
- • "Engineer" — professional designations generally require licensure through the Maryland Board for Professional Engineers
- • "Olympic" — federally protected under the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act
How to Check Name Availability in Maryland
Use the tool above to open the Maryland Dept. of Assessments & Taxation (SDAT) — Business Express search and look up existing LLCs, corporations, and reserved names. Maryland has no Secretary of State business registry — formations, name reservations, trade names, and the steep $300 annual report all live with the State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT).
Search the USPTO database at uspto.gov — clearing the Maryland registry does not protect you from a federal trademark claim.
Check that the matching .com domain is available before you commit — renaming an LLC later means an amendment filing and new bank paperwork.
Confirm your name is free on Instagram, X, Facebook, and LinkedIn so your branding stays consistent everywhere.
Maryland lets you reserve a name for 30 days for $25 (plus $20 for expedited processing) — Corporate Name Reservation Application mailed to SDAT (Md. Code, Corps and Ass'ns § 1-505).
What Registering a Name Costs in Maryland
| Filing | State Fee | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| LLC formation filing | $100 | One-time |
| Annual report / recurring fee | $300 | Yearly |
| Name reservation | $25 (plus $20 for expedited processing) | Holds the name 30 days |
| Trade Name | Maryland trade names are registered at the state level with SDAT for $25 (plus $50 for expedited processing) — file online through Maryland Business Express. | |
State filing fees as of 2026. See the Maryland LLC tax and fee calculator for the full annual cost picture.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I check if a business name is taken in Maryland for free?
Search SDAT's records through Maryland Business Express — the business search is free and covers Maryland LLCs, corporations, reserved names, and registered trade names in one system. Try your key words in multiple orders and check the status of near-matches. Since SDAT clearance gives no trademark rights, finish with a USPTO search and a general web check before committing to the brand.
How much does it cost to reserve a business name in Maryland?
A Maryland name reservation costs $25 (plus $20 for expedited processing) and holds the name for only 30 days — the shortest reservation window among the larger states. File the Corporate Name Reservation Application by mail with SDAT under Md. Code, Corps and Ass'ns § 1-505. Because the window is so short and formation itself costs $100, many filers skip the reservation and file their formation documents directly.
What suffix does a Maryland LLC name need?
Under Md. Code, Corps and Ass'ns § 4A-208, a Maryland LLC name must contain "limited liability company" or the abbreviation L.L.C., LLC, L.C., or LC. Corporations must include "Company," "Corporation," "Incorporated," or "Limited," or an abbreviation such as Co., Corp., Inc., or Ltd. SDAT generally requires the rest of the name to be distinguishable from every name already on its records.
How do I register a trade name (DBA) in Maryland?
File a Trade Name Application with SDAT — Maryland registers trade names at the state level, and you can file online through Maryland Business Express. The fee is $25, or $75 total with expedited processing. The registration puts the trade name on SDAT's public records, but it does not grant exclusive rights: for real protection, form an entity under the name or register a trademark.
Does Maryland have a Secretary of State for business filings?
Not for business registrations. Maryland's entity filings run through the State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT) — formations, name reservations, trade names, resident agent changes, and annual reports all live there, accessed through the Maryland Business Express portal. Maryland does have a Secretary of State office, but it handles other matters; if you are hunting for the business registry, SDAT is the agency you want.
How much is Maryland's annual report for LLCs?
$300 per year for nearly every Maryland LLC and corporation — one of the steepest recurring business fees in the country. The annual report is filed with SDAT (through Maryland Business Express) and may be accompanied by a business personal property return. Compare the one-time $100 formation fee with $3,000 of annual reports over a decade, and the recurring fee clearly dominates Maryland's cost of doing business.
Related Tools
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Maryland Quarterly Tax Calculator
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Business Entity Search Directory
Official Secretary of State search portals for all 50 states — look up any registered company.
Checking a Name in Another State?
Searching Maryland Names Through Maryland Business Express
Maryland Business Express is SDAT's combined search and filing portal. The business search is free and returns entity status, department ID, resident agent, and filing history — plus registered trade names, which in Maryland live in the same state system rather than at county courthouses.
Search your distinctive words in several arrangements, and inspect near-matches for status: a forfeited or dissolved entity may not block your name the way an active one does, but confirm with SDAT before assuming anything.
As always, SDAT clearance is not trademark clearance. A name can be available on SDAT's records and still infringe someone's mark — run a USPTO search and a general web check before ordering signage.
Maryland's SDAT: One Agency for Everything
Founders from other states look for a Secretary of State and come up empty: in Maryland, the State Department of Assessments and Taxation handles formations, name reservations, trade names, resident agent changes, and annual reports. One agency, one database, one portal.
The same agency also assesses business personal property — which is connected to Maryland's most painful number: the $300 annual report fee that nearly every Maryland LLC and corporation pays each year. Filing the LLC costs $100 up front, but it is the recurring $300 that dominates the ten-year cost of ownership.
Regulated words follow the usual pattern: banking, trust, and credit-union terms generally route through the Office of Financial Regulation, and insurance wording is typically reviewed under Maryland Insurance Administration rules.
The 30-Day Reservation and Why Most Filers Skip It
Maryland's Corporate Name Reservation Application (Md. Code, Corps and Ass'ns § 1-505) costs $25 — $45 if you want expedited processing — and holds the name for just 30 days, with no renewal provided for in the statute. Filed by mail to SDAT, the reservation can consume a meaningful slice of its own 30-day life in processing time.
That is why the practical Maryland move is usually to skip the reservation: if your paperwork is within a month of ready, file the Articles of Organization ($100) directly through Maryland Business Express and secure the name permanently instead of temporarily.
If you do trade under a different brand later, the Trade Name Application is a state-level SDAT filing — $25, plus $50 for expedited processing, submitted online through Maryland Business Express. Like DBAs everywhere, it grants public notice, not exclusivity.
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