Does an LLC need an assumed name in Maine?

Maine requires an LLC that does business under a name other than its own to register an assumed name. File before the LLC starts doing business under the name.

DBA · Maine

How to File an Assumed Name for an LLC in Maine

By Edmond Hui · Last updated October 7, 2026

Short answer

Maine requires an LLC that does business under a name other than its own to register an assumed name. An LLC files the Statement of Intention to do Business under an Assumed Name with the Secretary of State. The filing fee is $125.00. File before the LLC starts doing business under the name.

Maine Assumed Name at a Glance

Requirement: Required
Where to file: Secretary of State
Fee: $125.00
How long it lasts: Not confirmed
Newspaper notice: None found
File online: Not confirmed

How an LLC Files

File before the LLC starts doing business under the name.

An LLC files the Statement of Intention to do Business under an Assumed Name with the Secretary of State.

Open the filing office's site

Cost and Renewal

The filing fee is $125.00.

Publication

We found no publication step for an LLC's assumed name filing in Maine.

Does it protect the name?

Registering does not give the LLC ownership of, or an exclusive right to, the name.

If you skip it

An LLC that trades under an assumed name without filing can be stopped by a court order sought by the Attorney General or anyone harmed by the use.

Sole proprietors

Maine requires a sole proprietor who does business under a name other than their legal name to register an assumed name. A sole proprietor or a partnership in a mercantile business files with the clerk of the city or town where the business is to be carried on. One that fails to file faces a fine of $5 for each day in default.

File the certificate before the business starts.

A sole proprietor registers an assumed name with the municipal clerk.

Filing needs a sworn (verified) statement.

We found no publication step for a sole proprietor's assumed name filing in Maine.

Requirement	Required
Where to file	City or town clerk
Fee	Not confirmed
How long it lasts	Not confirmed
Newspaper notice	None found
File online	Not confirmed

Next steps

Frequently Asked Questions

: Maine requires an LLC that does business under a name other than its own to register an assumed name. File before the LLC starts doing business under the name.
: An LLC files the Statement of Intention to do Business under an Assumed Name with the Secretary of State.
: The filing fee is $125.00.
: We found no publication step for an LLC's assumed name filing in Maine.
: Registering does not give the LLC ownership of, or an exclusive right to, the name.
: An LLC that trades under an assumed name without filing can be stopped by a court order sought by the Attorney General or anyone harmed by the use.
: Maine requires a sole proprietor who does business under a name other than their legal name to register an assumed name. A sole proprietor or a partnership in a mercantile business files with the clerk of the city or town where the business is to be carried on. One that fails to file faces a fine of $5 for each day in default. A sole proprietor registers an assumed name with the municipal clerk.

This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. It reports what each state's filing office publishes about registering a business name, with the sources this page cites. A filing here does not register a federal trademark, and fees and forms change between our reviews. Confirm with the office named on this page before you file.

Sources

Each entry below is a document recorded in our verified Maine sources, and each entry says what the document is. Some statutory text is read from an accurate mirror rather than from the state's own host, and those say so.

legislature.maine.gov/statutes/31/title31sec1510.html31 M.R.S. §1510, Assumed or fictitious name of limited liability company
legislature.maine.gov/statutes/31/title31sec1680.html31 M.R.S. §1680, Filing and copying fees; penalties
legislature.maine.gov/statutes/31/title31sec7.html31 M.R.S. §7, Inapplicable to corporations, limited partnerships or limited liability companies
legislature.maine.gov/statutes/31/title31sec2.html31 M.R.S. §2, Business under assumed name; filing of certificate
legislature.maine.gov/statutes/31/title31sec1.html31 M.R.S. §1, Filing of certificate; certificate of withdrawal
legislature.maine.gov/statutes/31/title31sec5.html31 M.R.S. §5, Failure to file; penalty
maine.gov/sos/corporations-commissions/business-resources-and-information/trade-name-protectionMaine Secretary of State, Trade Name Protection
maine.gov/sos/sites/maine.gov.sos/files/inline-files/ASUM%205.pdfMaine Secretary of State, Statement of Intention to do Business under an Assumed Name (form ASUM 5)
maine.gov/sos/corporations-commissions/i-need-a-business-form/limited-liability-company-formsMaine Secretary of State, Limited Liability Company Forms
apps3.web.maine.gov/nei-sos-icrs/ICRS?InfoMaine Secretary of State, Corporate Name Search information

Edmond Hui · Founder, MyStateLLC

Edmond Hui is a software engineer and serial entrepreneur based in New York who has founded multiple online businesses across e-commerce, media, and information publishing. Before transitioning into tech, he spent years as a commercial real estate professional closing deals totaling over 100,000 square feet, giving him firsthand experience with business formation and entity structuring. He built MyStateLLC to provide the free, state-specific LLC guidance he wished existed when forming his own companies.