A Montana Secretary of State business search takes place on the SOS online business portal. Search the name you want and look for any corporation, LLC, partnership, assumed business name or state trademark that uses the same words. If nothing matches once you ignore abbreviations, punctuation and endings like LLC, the name is likely available.
Montana is now an online-only filing state, and it’s one of the least expensive places to form an LLC: $35 for Articles of Organization. A name reservation costs $10 and lasts 120 days, and an assumed business name (DBA) costs $20 for five years.
Updated October 2026.
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Best LLC Formation Services in Montana (2026)
If you’d rather not handle forming your LLC once your name is clear in Montana yourself, these are the services we recommend, in order. The table compares price and what’s included.
| Rank | Provider | Best for | Price | What’s included |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mainstay Filing | Forming an LLC with the agent, EIN and annual report included | $199/year + state fee at cost | LLC formation filing, registered agent for the year, EIN application, annual report preparation and filing |
| 2 | Montana Registered Agent.co | Montana registered agent service only | $99/year | $99 per year, flat; in-state street address for the registered office; legal documents served on the company are scanned and sent to the owner online |
| 3 | Registered Agent MT.org | Montana registered agent service only | $99/year | in-state street address for the registered office; legal documents served on the company are scanned and sent to the owner online |
1. Mainstay Filing
Mainstay Filing is our top pick in Montana. It costs $199/year + state fee at cost and covers lLC formation filing, registered agent for the year, EIN application, annual report preparation and filing. The price stays the same every year, with no add-on menu.
2. Montana Registered Agent.co
Montana Registered Agent.co is a Montana registered agent service at $99/year. It provides $99 per year, flat; in-state street address for the registered office; legal documents served on the company are scanned and sent to the owner online. It’s a fit if you only need a registered agent rather than full formation help.
3. Registered Agent MT.org
Registered Agent MT.org is a Montana registered agent service at $99/year. It provides in-state street address for the registered office; legal documents served on the company are scanned and sent to the owner online. It’s a fit if you only need a registered agent rather than full formation help.
Montana business name search at a glance
| Item | Montana details (as of October 2026) |
|---|---|
| Filing office | Montana Secretary of State, Business Services |
| Search tool | SOS online business portal search |
| Filing method | Online only through biz.sosmt.gov; paper forms aren’t accepted |
| LLC Articles of Organization | $35 (plus $50 per series for a series LLC) |
| Name reservation | $10; 120 days; can’t be renewed |
| Assumed business name (DBA) | $20 with the Secretary of State; five years; $20 renewal |
| Annual report | Due April 15. Listed at $20; the SOS currently waives the fee for reports filed January 1 to April 15, and charges $35 after (SOS help) |
Fees are from the Secretary of State’s business filing fee schedule and help center. Mainstay Filing’s Montana LLC cost guide breaks down the full cost of forming an LLC.
How to check business name availability in Montana
1. Go to the Secretary of State’s business portal
Open the business search on biz.sosmt.gov. The Secretary of State has moved to an online-only filing system, so the same portal handles searches, reservations and formations.
2. Search for the business name
Enter the distinctive words of your name without LLC or Inc. Search a few versions, including plurals, different spellings and any abbreviation a customer might use.
3. Look past exact matches
The SOS help center explains that a name can be unavailable even when no business has exactly the same name, because abbreviations, punctuation and suffixes don’t make two names distinct. “Big Sky Outfitters LLC” and “Big Sky Outfitters, Inc.” are the same name in Montana’s eyes.
4. Remember what else is on the record
Montana compares new entity names with corporations, LLCs, limited partnerships, reserved names, assumed business names and trademarks registered with the Secretary of State, so check all of them.
5. Choose a name with no conflicts, or reserve it
If nothing conflicts, you can file right away or reserve the name for 120 days. For new ideas, try Namechk’s business name generator.
Montana business name rules
- LLC: include “limited liability company” or “limited company,” or L.L.C., L.C., LLC or LC; “Limited” may be shortened to Ltd. and “Company” to Co. (MCA 35-8-103).
- No mixed signals: an LLC name can’t include business name identifiers that belong to other entity types or imply the company is a different kind of entity.
- Corporation: corporation, incorporated, company or limited, or corp., inc., co. or ltd. (MCA 35-14-401). The name can’t imply a purpose the corporation isn’t allowed to pursue.
- Distinguishable: the name must be distinguishable on the Secretary of State’s records from existing entities, reserved names, assumed business names and registered trademarks or service marks.
How to reserve a business name in Montana
- Log in to biz.sosmt.gov, open Forms, and choose Reservation of Name (SOS instructions).
- Pay the $10 fee online.
- The name is held for 120 days and can’t be renewed (MCA 35-8-104).
- You can transfer the reservation to someone else by notice, but the transfer doesn’t extend the 120 days.
At $35, forming the LLC costs little more than reserving the name, so many Montana founders file Articles of Organization as soon as the name checks out. A reservation protects the name only on the state’s records; it doesn’t give you trademark rights or a matching domain.
Check trademarks, domains and social handles
The Montana search shows state-registered trademarks, but not federal ones. Run a USPTO trademark search as well. Registering a Montana trademark costs $20 plus $20 for each additional class (SOS trademark help).
Then make sure you can claim the name online. Namechk checks domains and social media usernames together, and the domain name generator suggests alternatives.
We created a tool that makes it easy.
How to register an assumed business name (DBA) in Montana
Montana calls a DBA an assumed business name, and it’s filed with the Secretary of State online, not with a county (business forms; SOS help).
- Fee: $20 to register; $20 to renew.
- Term: five years, renewable for another five. The Secretary of State sends a notice 90 days before expiration, and an unrenewed name is cancelled (MCA 30-13-206).
- Effect: registered assumed business names are part of the record the SOS checks when new entity names are filed.
An LLC that does business only under its exact registered name doesn’t need an assumed business name. One that markets a separate brand should register it.
Steps to register your Montana business
Once you’ve chosen an available name, our Montana LLC guide covers each step in detail.
- File Articles of Organization online at biz.sosmt.gov. The fee is $35.
- Name a registered agent: a Montana resident who is at least 18 or a business authorized in Montana, with a physical Montana address. Montana follows the Model Registered Agents Act, and the LLC can’t serve as its own agent. Mainstay Filing includes registered agent service in its formation package (Montana costs); our Montana registered agent guide has more.
- Get an EIN from the IRS for free.
- File the annual report by April 15 each year (MCA 35-8-208). The Montana start-a-business guide covers licenses and taxes.
FAQs
Why is it important to check business name availability in Montana?
Montana won’t accept a new entity name unless it is distinguishable from names already on the Secretary of State’s records, including assumed business names and state trademarks. Abbreviations, punctuation and endings like LLC don’t count as differences. Checking first prevents a rejected filing and helps you avoid confusion with an existing business.
How do I search for a business name in Montana?
Use the Montana Secretary of State’s online business portal at biz.sosmt.gov/search. Enter the core words of the name without LLC or Inc. and review every close match. The same portal handles reservations and filings, since the Secretary of State now accepts business filings online only.
How much does it cost to reserve a business name in Montana?
A Montana name reservation costs $10 and lasts 120 days. It can’t be renewed, and transferring it to another person doesn’t extend the 120 days. You file it online at biz.sosmt.gov under Forms. Because LLC formation costs only $35, many people simply file the LLC instead.
How much does an assumed business name cost in Montana?
Registering an assumed business name, Montana’s version of a DBA, costs $20 with the Secretary of State. It lasts five years and can be renewed for $20. The Secretary of State sends a notice 90 days before expiration, and the name is cancelled if it isn’t renewed.
How much does it cost to form an LLC in Montana?
Montana charges $35 to file LLC Articles of Organization online, plus $50 for each series in a series LLC. The annual report is due April 15; the fee schedule lists $20, but the Secretary of State currently waives it for reports filed between January 1 and April 15 and charges $35 after that date.
How do I change my LLC’s name in Montana?
File Articles of Amendment online through the Montana Secretary of State’s business portal. The fee schedule lists $15 for the amendment. Before filing, search the new name in the portal and remember that abbreviations, punctuation and LLC-style endings don’t make a name distinct. If you also trade under an assumed business name, update that registration.
Does a Montana business search include trademarks?
It includes trademarks registered with the Montana Secretary of State, which count when the state checks new names. It doesn’t include federal trademarks, so search the USPTO database as well. Also check whether the domain and social handles you want are available before you file.
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