How to form a Maryland LLC (Limited Liability Company)

Organizing a Maryland LLC

Maryland LLC Articles of Organization

A limited liability company is formed in Maryland by submitting the Articles of Organization and paying the $100 filing fee to the Maryland Department of Assessments & Taxation. Submit the articles in person, by mail or online. Online filings are simplest and fastest.

For paper submissions, include the Charter Fax Cover Sheet. Standard review time for the articles is approximately two months; however, Maryland will handle your processing in seven business days for an additional $50. Fax filings and in-person submissions are charged the expedite fee.

Maryland allows LLCs to inform the community and investors that the purpose of their company is generous and benevolent by ending the company name with “Benefit LLC.”

The articles of organization must include:

1. The name of the limited liability company. The name must not be misleadingly similar to that of another LLC, corporation, tradename, limited partnership or limited liability partnership on file with the Department and the name of the LLC must include one of the following: Limited Liability Company, L.L.C., LLC, L.C. or L C.

2. The purpose of the LLC. A one or two sentence description of the business is sufficient.

3. The address of the LLC. The address must be in Maryland and cannot be a P.O. box.

4. The name of the registered agent and Maryland street address (not a P.O. Box) of the registered office. The resident agent can be any Maryland citizen who is over eighteen, a Maryland corporation or a Maryland LLC. This person must also sign the document.

This above list contains the mandatory provisions. Any provision the parties decide is relevant may be added to the Articles of Organization.

The Articles of Organization must be signed by any adult individual authorized by the persons forming the LLC. Documents must be typed or printed. No handwritten documents will be accepted.

Maryland Service Fees

Regular Service Fee: It may take 8 weeks or more to receive your confirmation.

Expedited Service Fees: Requests will be responded to within 7 business days for faxes and mail. Faxed request are available for MasterCard and Visa card holders only. Documents hand-delivered in limited quantities receive same day service between 8:30 am and 4:30 pm. As of March 1, 2011: You must be in line no later than 4:15 PM in order to receive service that same day. Hand-delivered transactions are to be paid by check, cash or money order. There is an expedited fee for same day service for document processing.

Return Mail Processing Fee: All filers of LLC Articles of Organization and other business entity charter documents must indicate at the time of filing if they are “opting out” of having their original filed documents returned to them. If a filer wishes to have the original documents returned, then he or she must pay an additional $0.00 filing fee with the payment of the other fees for the processing of the documents. If the $0.00 fee is not paid, the Department will assume the filer did not want the original documents returned. Images of all documents are available at no charge for viewing and printing within 7 business days of their processing by searching the business database.

Rejected Corporate Charter Documents: Under Maryland law a filer has sixty (60) days from the date of our initial rejection of a filing to correct any rejected document and resubmit it or all filing fees are retained by the Department for reviewing the first filing. If a document is resubmitted after the 60th day, another separate filing fee must be paid with the second submission. If a filer chooses not to resubmit the document for filing, a demand for a refund must be made in writing within 60 days of the date of the initial rejection of the document.

Qualification of a Foreign LLC in Maryland

Register your foreign LLC to do business in Maryland by filing the Limited Liability Company Registrations with the Maryland Department of Assessments & Taxation by mail, in person or by fax. The filing fee is $100. Attach a fairly recent Certificate of Good Standing from the LLC’s home state dated within three months of filing.

Maryland Secretary of State

Website: www.dat.state.md.us/sdatweb/charter.html

Check name availability: sdatcert3.resiusa.org/UCC-Charter/CharterSearch_f.aspx

Code of Maryland: Title 4A, Limited Liability Company Act.

Filing fee for Maryland LLC: $100 Domestic, $100 Foreign.

Other Maryland LLC Forms

Change of Resident Agent: $25
Change of Principle Office: $25
Articles of Amendment: $100
Articles of Dissolution: $100
Articles of Certificate of Reinstatement: $100

Available LLC Formation Services in Maryland

LLC Center Publications recommends Northwest Registered Agent LLC to form your Maryland Limited Liability Company.