LLC Name Reservation Requirements in Maryland
At a glance
| Governing law and optional reservation scope | Optional domestic/foreign LLC name reservation under Md. Code, Corps. & Ass'ns § 4A-209; no registered-series route stated |
|---|---|
| Who may apply and for which LLC or series name | Prospective domestic organizer; domestic LLC proposing name change; foreign LLC intending to register; registered foreign LLC proposing name change (§ 4A-209(a)) |
| Name availability, designator, distinguishability, and consent | Department checks LLC-name availability; Title 1 Subtitle 5 requires LLC designator and record distinguishability from entity, reserved/registered, and disclosed foreign assumed names (§§ 4A-208–209, 1-502(b), 1-504) |
| Application, signer, form, and filing office | Signed application filed with Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation; § 4A-209(b) states no additional contents or form |
| Reservation, renewal, transfer, and cancellation fees | $25 nonrefundable reservation processing fee; $20 additional if expedited processing requested; cited reservation-fee row does not price a transfer/cancellation notice (§ 1-203(b)(3)(i), (8)) |
| Term, start date, and statutory exclusive use | Department reserves available name for applicant's exclusive use for 30 days; § 4A-209(b)(2) states no separate start-time formula |
| Renewal, filing window, and repeat limits | No renewal, repeat-application window, or successive-term rule specified in § 4A-209 |
| Transfer notice, signer, and transferee details | Transfer by notice filed with Department specifying transferee name/address and signed by original applicant (§ 4A-209(c)) |
| Cancellation, withdrawal, revocation, and scope of name rights | Section 4A-209 states no applicant-cancellation or agency-revocation process; reservation concerns the statutory entity-name hold, not trademark or formation rights |
Requirements one by one
Applicant and name
Md. Code, Corps. & Ass'ns § 4A-209(a) names four applicants: a prospective domestic organizer, a domestic LLC proposing a name change, a foreign LLC planning to register, and a registered foreign LLC proposing a name change. The Department must find the name available under subsection (b). Section 4A-208 connects LLC names to Title 1, Subtitle 5; § 1-502(b)(1) and § 1-504 supply the LLC designators and the record-distinguishability categories.
Signed filing and fee
Section 4A-209(b)(1) calls for a signed application filed with the Department, defined in § 1-101(k) as the State Department of Assessments and Taxation. The fee under § 1-203(b)(3)(i) is $25 to process the reservation. The § 1-203(b)(8) expedited-processing row lists a further $20 for a name reservation when that service is requested.
Duration and transfer
If the Department finds the proposed name available, § 4A-209(b)(2) holds it for the applicant's exclusive use for 30 days. The section does not specify a separate start-time formula or a renewal procedure. Under subsection (c), the original applicant can transfer the right by filing a signed notice naming the transferee and giving that person's address.
What trips people up
The statutory 30-day reservation is distinct from filing articles of organization or a foreign registration; § 4A-209 describes only a temporary name right. The transfer notice must be signed by the applicant for whom the name was reserved, even when the transferee prepares the filing. The current § 1-203 fee page also displays an October 1, 2026 version that adds another entity category to its reservation-fee row; the listed LLC fee remains $25.
Common questions
Can an existing Maryland LLC reserve a proposed new name?
Yes. Section 4A-209(a)(2) expressly covers a domestic LLC that proposes to change its name.
Does the reservation section provide for cancellation?
Section 4A-209 states no applicant-cancellation process. Its stated paths are the signed application and a signed transfer notice.
Statutes and sources
The current Maryland General Assembly texts of § 4A-209, § 4A-208, § 1-502, § 1-504, and § 1-203 were accessed September 22, 2026.
Source links
Every statute quoted above, linked, with the date we checked it.
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