Maine Local Business, Insurance, and Government Resources

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Business Resources - Anything from getting a business license to finding funding

Local Insurance directory - Find local insurance brokers, agents, or companies

Government Contacts - Get in contact with each level of local government

Maine Local Business Resources

Business registration in Maine begins with choosing a legal structure for your business: sole proprietorship, partnership, LLC, and corporation. Each of these business structures has their own pro's and con's that you must evaluate before deciding on the best structure. You will need to fill up different forms depending on which business structure you have chosen.

Once you have compiled the necessary documents for each type of registration, you can choose your business name. Make sure that it is not registered already under the Maine SOS business portal. You can perform a business name search here.

Check with your local city government if there are any additional licenses and permits to obtain before you can operate your business. The need for additional licenses and permits will vary depending on the nature or type of business.

Then, you can register your business for tax and you can use the MRS/DOL for that. You can also apply online for your Employer Identification Number and you won't need to pay any filing fee. The final step is to buy insurance for your business. The type of insurance will vary according to your business' NAICS code classification.

Finally, you can open your business bank account so you can track your business expenses and income.

Local Insurance Info, Agents, & Companies in Maine

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Government Contacts

The state of Maine has 16 counties that basically function as judicial districts. There are also 22 cities and 467 townships. Meanwhile, the state has 99 public school districts and 222 special districts in total.

As with New England, the town government's basic instrument is the annual town meeting. The town's affairs are supervised by an elective board of selectmen between meetings. Some larger towns have full-time town managers. The local townsmen sign an agreement that give them the authority to engage in important town affairs.

The municipal government is divided into two: towns and cities. Counties have been around since the colonial era and they serve limited functions.

There are several aspects of the town government policies that are observed today are a product of the practices from the 17th and 18 th centuries.

The cities, on the other hand, are larger communities that have more formal arrangements in terms of governance. It has its own council (instead of a town meeting) wherein governing bodies meet to pass ordinances and conduct business.

See the main Maine Page for county links.

Androscoggin

Aroostook

Cumberland

Franklin

Hancock

Kennebec

Knox

Lincoln

Oxford

Penobscot

Piscataquis

Sagadahoc

Somerset

Waldo

Washington

York

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