LLC Name Reservation Requirements in Massachusetts
At a glance
| Governing law and optional reservation scope | Optional LLC name reservation under Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 156C, § 4; separate from organizing or registering an LLC |
|---|---|
| Who may apply and for which LLC or series name | Prospective domestic organizer; domestic or registered foreign LLC adopting a name; foreign LLC intending registration; prospective foreign organizer intending registration (§ 4(a)); no registered-series route stated |
| Name availability, designator, distinguishability, and consent | Secretary must find name available; LLC/LC designator and no same or deceptively similar listed entity name without prior filed written consent (§§ 3–4; 950 CMR § 112.12) |
| Application, signer, form, and filing office | Applicant executes and files with state secretary; specify proposed name and applicant name/address; written extension request and applicant-executed transfer notice (§ 4(b)) |
| Reservation, renewal, transfer, and cancellation fees | $30 application, $30 extension, $30 transfer (950 CMR §§ 112.12, 112.29) |
| Term, start date, and statutory exclusive use | Available name reserved for applicant's exclusive use for 60 days; § 4(b) gives no separate start-time formula |
| Renewal, filing window, and repeat limits | One additional 60-day extension on written applicant request and $30 fee; no filing window or repeat extension stated (§ 4(b); 950 CMR § 112.12) |
| Transfer notice, signer, and transferee details | Applicant for whom reserved executes and files transfer notice with secretary stating name to be transferred and transferee name/address; $30 (§ 4(b); 950 CMR § 112.12) |
| Cancellation, withdrawal, revocation, and scope of name rights | Section 4 specifies no cancellation, withdrawal, or revocation step; exclusive reservation is a state entity-name hold, not formation, registration, or trademark clearance |
Requirements one by one
Who may reserve and what name qualifies
Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 156C, § 4(a) names four routes: a person planning to organize a Massachusetts LLC, a domestic LLC or already registered foreign LLC planning to adopt the name, a foreign LLC planning to register and adopt it, and a person planning to organize a foreign LLC that will register and adopt it. The state secretary must find the proposed name available. Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 156C, § 3 sets the LLC designator and prohibits the same or a deceptively similar listed entity name unless the affected entity's written consent was previously filed. Neither section describes a registered-series reservation.
Filing and fees
Under § 4(b), the applicant executes an application to the state secretary naming the applicant, address, and proposed name. The Secretary's regulation, 950 CMR § 112.12, requires $30 with the application and another $30 with an extension request. Section 112.29 also lists $30 for a name reservation or transfer.
Term, extension, and transfer
If the name is available, § 4(b) gives the applicant exclusive use for 60 days. The state secretary may extend that hold for an additional 60 days on the applicant's written request. The applicant for whom the name was reserved may transfer the exclusive-use right by filing an executed notice with the secretary that identifies the name and the transferee's name and address.
What trips people up
The statute permits an additional 60 days, rather than an open-ended series of renewals. It gives no specific extension filing window or separate start-time formula. Section 4 also sets out no reservation cancellation, withdrawal, or agency revocation procedure. The hold concerns the entity-name record; it does not organize or register an LLC or settle other name rights.
Common questions
Can an existing foreign LLC reserve a name?
Yes, if it is already registered in Massachusetts and intends to adopt the name, or if it intends to register and adopt the name (§ 4(a)(2)–(3)).
May the applicant give the hold to someone else?
Yes. Section 4(b) allows transfer to any other person through the applicant-executed notice; 950 CMR § 112.29 lists a $30 transfer fee.
Statutes and sources
The current Massachusetts General Laws, chapter 156C, §§ 3–4 and the Secretary's 950 CMR §§ 112.12 and 112.29 supplied the verbatim text above, accessed September 22, 2026.
Source links
Every statute quoted above, linked, with the date we checked it.
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