Maine — statewide
Maine Department of the Secretary of State, Bureau of Corporations, Elections and Commissions
In short
Maine Department of the Secretary of State, Bureau of Corporations, Elections and Commissions issues 4 permits we publish for Maine — statewide, last verified 2026-09-04. Each carries the fee as the agency publishes it, with a link to the schedule it was read from.
What this agency issues
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to you | Maine Department of the Secretary of State, Bureau of Corporations, Elections and Commissions | $145 one-time filing | perpetual, but an annual report is due every year | 2026-09-04 |
| Certificate of Formation (LLC)only if it applies to you | Maine Department of the Secretary of State, Bureau of Corporations, Elections and Commissions | $175 one-time filing | perpetual, but an annual report is due every year | 2026-09-04 |
| Annual Reportonly if it applies to you | Maine Department of the Secretary of State, Bureau of Corporations, Elections and Commissions | $85 for a domestic LLC or corporation, $150 for a foreign entity, $35 for a nonprofit; a late report adds a further $50 | annual — due 1 June every year | 2026-09-04 |
| General Business License — Maine Position (town or city level)only if it applies to you | Maine Department of the Secretary of State, Bureau of Corporations, Elections and Commissions | No fee | set by the town or city | 2026-09-04 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
About each permit
Articles of Incorporation
Articles of Incorporation are filed on the state's form MBCA-6 with the Secretary of State's Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions by a business that chooses to incorporate, and an incorporator must date and sign them. The fee is $145, which is $30 less than the $175 an LLC pays for its certificate of formation, and optional expedited handling adds $50 for next-business-day filing or $100 for same-business-day filing. Every year after the year it incorporates, the corporation must file an annual report between 1 January and 1 June — $85 for a domestic business corporation, with a further $50 if it is delivered late.
Certificate of Formation (LLC)
A hundred and seventy-five dollars, more expensive to form than a corporation at $145. Foreign qualification for an out-of-state LLC costs considerably more again, at $250.
Annual Report
Every entity shares the same 1 June deadline regardless of when it formed, which is unusual — most states tie the date to an entity's own formation anniversary. Domestic LLCs and corporations both pay $85; a foreign entity registered in from out of state pays $150; a nonprofit pays only $35. Missing the deadline adds a flat $50 penalty on top of the regular fee, and continuing to ignore it risks administrative dissolution or revocation of the entity's authority to do business.
General Business License — Maine Position (town or city level)
No fee applies at the state level. The state's own business portal states that 'general licenses to operate a business are managed at the town/city level in Maine' and directs a business to its town office. What the state issues instead is a set of narrow, industry-specific requirements — entity registration, tax registration, and whichever of the licenses below actually applies to the business.
Contact
- Jurisdiction
- Maine — statewide
- Phone
- (207) 624-7752
Contact details are taken from the agency’s own site or its published fee schedule. Where we have not verified a phone number we leave it blank rather than guess.
Sources
Every fee and term above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- 13-C Maine Revised Statutes section 123 — business corporation filing fees, including the $145 articles, $85 annual report and $50 late feeMaine Legislature · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-18
- 31 Maine Revised Statutes section 1680 — the $50 late fee for a delinquent LLC annual reportMaine Legislature · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
- Maine Secretary of State — annual report deadline, fees and dissolution riskMaine Department of the Secretary of State · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
- Maine Secretary of State — corporation articles of incorporation feeMaine Department of the Secretary of State · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
- Maine Secretary of State — LLC certificate of formation feeMaine Department of the Secretary of State · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
- Maine Secretary of State form MBCA-6 — articles of incorporation, executed by an incorporator, with the optional expedited filing feesMaine Department of the Secretary of State · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-18
- Maine state business portal — stating general business licenses are managed at the town or city levelState of Maine · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
Other Maine statewide offices
- Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Health Inspection Program
- Maine Office of the Attorney General, Consumer Protection Division
- Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, Division of Quality Assurance and Regulations
- Maine Department of Public Safety, Bureau of State Police, Traffic Division
- Maine Office of Child and Family Services, Children's Licensing and Investigation Services
- Maine Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation, Barbering and Cosmetology Licensing Program
- Maine Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation, Board of Veterinary Medicine
- Maine Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation, Electricians' Examining Board
- Maine Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation, Maine Fuel Board
- Maine Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation, Plumbers' Examining Board
- Maine Revenue Services
Maine jurisdictions
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.