Maryland: Domestic LLC Formation Filing Requirements
The short answer
A Maryland LLC is formed when the State Department of Assessments and Taxation accepts its Articles of Organization, signed by at least one individual authorized by the people forming the LLC. The minimum filing states the compliant name, Maryland principal-office address, and resident agent's name and Maryland address; the current form also requires the resident agent's signed consent but makes the business-purpose field optional and does not identify members, managers, or owners. Standard filing costs $100 online, by mail, or by hand delivery; the articles may specify a later effective time with no statutory maximum stated, and no publication or separate initial report is required.
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This is the general rule in Maryland. Ezel applies current Maryland law to your specific facts and answers with citations to the statutes.
| Governing law and filing record | Maryland Limited Liability Company Act, Md. Code, Corps. & Ass'ns Title 4A; Articles of Organization accepted by SDAT (§§ 4A-202, 4A-204) |
|---|---|
| Organizer and signature | Any person may form; articles signed by at least one individual authorized by the persons forming the LLC. Attorney-in-fact allowed; current form separately requires resident-agent consent signature (§§ 4A-202(a), 4A-206; 05/2026 form) |
| Required entity and purpose terms | Distinguishable name with LLC designator. No purpose or duration term required; current form marks purpose optional, and any lawful activity except acting as insurer is allowed (§§ 1-502(b), 1-504, 4A-201, 4A-204) |
| Addresses and service fields | Maryland principal-office address plus resident-agent name and Maryland physical address; no P.O. box on current form. Return address suggested, not required (§§ 4A-204(a)(2), 4A-210; 05/2026 form) |
| Management and owner disclosure | No management election and no member, manager, or owner names required. Filing may optionally limit members' authority to act solely because they are members (§ 4A-204(a)(3); 05/2026 form) |
| Optional and restricted provisions | May add any provision not inconsistent with law, including a member-authority limitation; enumerated statutory powers need not be repeated. A later effective time may be stated (§§ 4A-202(b), 4A-204(a)(3), (b)) |
| Filing method, fee, and attachments | $100 standard filing online through Maryland Business Express, by mail, or by hand delivery. Resident-agent consent is signed in the articles; no separate ordinary attachment. Expedite fees are optional (§ 1-203(b)(4); 05/2026 form, July 29, 2026) |
| Formation and effective date | Forms when SDAT accepts the articles for record or at a later time stated in them, assuming substantial compliance; no maximum delay stated. SDAT endorses and acknowledges acceptance date/time (§§ 4A-202(b), 4A-207(c)) |
| Publication and initial follow-up | No newspaper/database publication, proof filing, or separate initial report. Maryland's annual report is a later recurring filing, not part of formation (§ 4A-911(c); 05/2026 form) |
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Requirements one by one
Governing law and filing record
Maryland uses Articles of Organization under the Maryland Limited Liability
Company Act, Title 4A of the Corporations and Associations Article. The filing
office is the State Department of Assessments and Taxation, commonly called
SDAT.
Organizer and signature
Any person may cause the articles to be filed, but Md. Code, Corps. & Ass'ns
§ 4A-206 requires an individual authorized by the persons forming the LLC to
execute them. At least one authorized person signs the current form. The signer
need not be identified as a member or owner, and an attorney-in-fact may sign
without filing the power of attorney.
The resident agent separately signs the consent in the current articles form.
That signature is not the organizer or authorized-person signature unless the
same individual is serving both roles and signs both places.
Required entity and purpose terms
The name must be distinguishable in SDAT's records and contain “limited liability
company,” “L.L.C.,” “LLC,” “L.C.,” or “LC” under § 1-502 and § 1-504.
Md. Code, Corps. & Ass'ns § 4A-204's minimum statutory list does not include purpose or duration.
The current form accordingly labels its business-purpose field optional.
Md. Code, Corps. & Ass'ns § 4A-201 permits any lawful business, purpose, investment, or activity,
whether or not for profit, except acting as an insurer.
Addresses and service fields
The articles state a principal-office address in Maryland and the resident
agent's name and Maryland address. Md. Code, Corps. & Ass'ns § 4A-210 separately requires the LLC to
maintain both. Current SDAT instructions require physical addresses and do not
accept a P.O. box for either address.
The filing-party return address is suggested, not required, on the current form.
Management and owner disclosure
Maryland's minimum articles do not elect member- or manager-management and do
not name members, managers, or beneficial owners. The public filing identifies
the resident agent and carries the authorized-person and agent signatures.
The articles may optionally state that members' authority to act for the LLC
solely because they are members is limited. That authority notice is not an
owner or manager list.
Optional and restricted provisions
Section 4A-204 permits any additional provision the members elect if it is
consistent with law, including the member-authority limitation. The articles
need not repeat the powers already enumerated in Title 4A. A custom provision
may also state the later effective time allowed by § 4A-202(b).
Filing method, fee, and attachments
The standard filing fee is $100 under § 1-203(b)(4). Current SDAT
instructions permit filing online through Maryland Business Express, by mail,
or by hand delivery. Expedited and same-day services cost more but are optional.
No separate attachment is required for an ordinary filing. Resident-agent
consent is part of the articles themselves. A return address is recommended but
not mandatory.
Formation and effective date
The LLC forms when SDAT accepts the articles for record, assuming substantial
compliance with Title 4A. The articles may specify a later time. Md. Code,
Corps. & Ass'ns § 4A-202(b) states no maximum delay.
On acceptance, SDAT endorses the articles with the acceptance date and time,
records them, and sends an acknowledgment stating that date and time under
§ 4A-207(c).
Publication and initial follow-up
The formation statutes and current articles form require no newspaper or
database publication, proof filing, or separate initial report. Maryland does
require a later recurring annual report; § 4A-911(c) addresses an LLC that has
not filed the report for the prior year. That maintenance filing is not part of
the formation package.
What trips people up
The purpose field changed from older forms. The current May 2026 accessible
form marks business purpose optional, matching the statute's minimum list.
Two signatures may be needed. At least one authorized person signs the
articles, and the resident agent separately signs consent. Naming the agent
without that consent signature does not complete the current form.
Acceptance, not submission, is the formation event. Mailing or uploading
the articles does not itself form the LLC. Section 4A-202 ties formation to
SDAT's acceptance for record or a later time stated in the articles.
Common questions
Must the person signing the articles own the LLC? No. The signer is an
individual authorized by the persons forming the LLC; neither the statute nor
current form requires a member or owner label.
Do Maryland articles name the members or managers? No. The minimum public
filing does not include those names or a management election.
Is the annual report filed with the articles? No. The annual report is a
later recurring maintenance filing, not an attachment or separate initial
report.
Statutes and sources
- Md. Code, Corps. & Ass'ns §§ 1-502(b), 1-504, and 4A-201 — LLC name,
distinguishability, and lawful activities.
https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=gca§ion=1-502&enactments=false
(accessed 2026-07-29) - Md. Code, Corps. & Ass'ns §§ 4A-202, 4A-204, 4A-206, and 4A-207 —
formation, required and optional article terms, execution, acceptance, and
effective time.
https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=gca§ion=4A-204&enactments=false
(accessed 2026-07-29) - Md. Code, Corps. & Ass'ns §§ 1-203(b)(4), 4A-210, and 4A-911(c) — fee,
Maryland office and agent, and later annual-report maintenance.
https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=gca§ion=1-203&enactments=false
(accessed 2026-07-29) - Maryland SDAT, Articles of Organization (Rev. 05/2026) — current minimum
fields, optional purpose, signatures, filing routes, and $100 standard fee.
https://dat.maryland.gov/Documents/Accessible%20Documents/Charter%20-%20Create%20or%20Start%20a%20Business/Articles%20of%20Organization%20for%20a%20Limited%20Liability%20Company_0526-A.pdf
(accessed 2026-07-29)
Source links
Every statute quoted above, linked, with the date we checked it.
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