Maine Business License

Are you planning on starting your business in Maine?

You will also need to learn about the Maine business license requirements. It’s very exciting and, at the same time, a little confusing.

Regardless of the size of the company, you should begin by thinking about all the fees, a permit, insurance, and business license requirements. Whether it’s an incorporation, a partnership, or a limited liability company (LLC), the first step is the Maine Business License.

Now you may ask: do I need a business license in Maine?

Although the state of Maine doesn’t provide it for all companies, yours may need one to operate legally.

If you do a Maine business license lookup, you’ll see that it depends on the type of business entity. To acquire more information about licensing, license application, and fees, visit or contact Business Answers (Maine department).

If you intend to start a local business, this website is the perfect source to all your questions. It also provides Maine licensing applications and fee information which you can download or request directly.

Note that rules for licensing vary depending on which city yours will be operating in as a Maine resident.

Is a Business License Different From an LLC?

Especially for first-timers in the entrepreneurial world it might be tricky to figure out which type of business they should be doing, which document comes first, etc.

Let us show you the most important points

First of all, obtaining a license is not the same as forming an LLC (or any other legal entity). What your license does is that it provides proof that your business is legally engaged in a specific activity in your city. However, a Maine LLC provides the official entity of your business. When you form an LLC you actually start a company rather than be a sole proprietor.

So, which document comes first? You’ll need to submit your company name, so it makes sense that you first need to form the LLC. This allows you to get the legal entity for your business and confirm its name for legal purposes.

Afterwards, while filling in your application, you can already provide its name. You may also need to acquire other documents like a resale certificate depending on your business type.

Please note that it is very crucial to acquire all required business licenses and/or permits to operate legally in the state of Maine.

Do I need to get a License AND an LLC?

Let’s put it this way.

If you obtain a Business License but not an LLC, you can still operate legally but only as a sole proprietorship. If you obtain an LLC but not a Business License, you might get penalties (for example for Maine sales tax), or pay a filing fee. This is because it means you’re violating the local regulations. In the example, you’d need to acquire the Maine Sales Tax License in your city.

So, you have to have a Business License, depending on the type of company you’ll start. However, when it comes to the entity, you can form anything: a Corporation, a General Partnership, or an LLC.