FORMING A LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY

APPLYING FOR CORPORATE NAME

• Only one trade name may appear on each application. To file more than one trade name, a separate application for each with requisite fees through checks payable to Department of Assessments and Taxation may be submitted to Department of Assessments and Taxation, 301 W. Preston Street, Room 801, Baltimore, Maryland 21201.

• The form must be typed with black ink, completed and legible and the signature must be original (no stamp, photocopy or carbon copy). Each person listed as an owner must sign. The address (es) where name is used must be in Maryland.

• No post office box addresses may be used anywhere on the form.

• The applied name shall not be the same as, or deceptively similar to, the name of other domestic limited liability companies, qualified foreign limited liability companies, or names registered or reserved by any person or corporation, Limited Partnership or Limited Liability Partnership on file with the Department.

• The name of the LLC must include one of the following:

Limited Liability Company
L.L.C.
LLC
L.C.
L C

• If the name is found to be available and all items on the form are completed, the Department will accept the filing for record and an acknowledgment with the filing date will be sent to the "Address of Owner", ordinarily within four weeks of acceptance.

• This filing is effective for five years from the day of acceptance by the Department. During the last six months of the period the filing may be renewed for an additional five years.

FILING OF ARTICLES OF ORGANIZATION

• After obtaining the name availability letter an originally executed Articles of Organization must be submitted to the Department of Assessments and Taxation along with requisite fees.

CONTENTS OF ARTICLES OF ORGANIZATION

• The name of the corporation

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

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

• The name and address of the resident agent.

• A resident agent is another entity or individual designated to accept service of process for the LLC. 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.

• Execution - may be signed by any adult individual authorized by the persons forming the LLC.

• The signature of the resident agent

• The return address for any correspondence regarding filing

REQUIREMENT OF DIRECTOR

• Minimum Number - Not less than three, unless there are only one or two shareholders of record; then the number of directors may be less than three but not less than the number of shareholders.

• Directors are required to be listed in the articles of incorporation.

FILLING FEES

• Name reserve application $25.00

• Certificate of Organization $100.00

• Certified Copy $20.00 + $1.00 per page

• Certificate of Status $20.00

ESTIMATED TIME TO BE TAKEN AND STATE FEES REQUIRED TO BE PAID FOR INCORPORATION OF LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY

Regular Service: The turn around period to receive your confirmation is about 6-7 weeks.

Expedited Service: Within 72 business hours for faxes and mail

STATE FEES FOR LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY

Documents Relating to Limited Liability Companies	Fee	Expedited Service Fee
Articles of Organization	$100 (domestic)	$50
Amendment to Articles of Organization	$100 (domestic)	$50
Certificate of Correction	$25 (domestic)	$50
Articles of Dissolution	$100 (domestic)	$50
Articles of Continuation	$100 (domestic)	$50
Articles of Cancellation	$100 (domestic)	$50
Articles of Merger	$100 (domestic)	$50
Registration	$100 (foreign)	$50
Certificate of Amendment	$100 (foreign)	$50
Cancellation of Registration	$100 (foreign)	$50
Certificate of Merger	$25 (foreign)	$50
Change of Principal Office Resident Agent & Resident Agent's Address	$25 (foreign & domestic)	$50
Articles of Reinstatement	$100 (domestic)	$50

Registration applications can be obtained by contacting your local assessment office or by calling (410) 767-4991.

Walk-in hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.

Acceptance of a trade name application does not confer on the owner any greater right to use the name than he otherwise already has. The Department checks the name only against other names filed with this Department. Federal trademarks, State service marks, records in other states and unfiled trade names are not checked. A name similar to yours in any of those places could cause problems with your use of the name. The purpose of this registration is let third parties who deal with this trade name know the identity of the legal person using the name. It is not meant to reserve the name for its owners, to act as a trademark filing or to confer on the owner any greater right to the name than he already possesses. For further information, contact your lawyer, accountant or financial advisor.