Guides · DBAs and assumed names
DBA and assumed name filing by state
A DBA (also called an assumed name, trade name or fictitious name) is a name a business uses other than the name it is registered under. The rules differ by state: whether an LLC has to file one, whether the state or a county, town or parish office takes the filing, and what it costs. Each row below is taken from that state’s guide; open a state for the statute, the renewal term, any newspaper notice and the sources.
| State | Does an LLC need one? | Who files where | Filing fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | No. We found no rule making an LLC file anything to trade under another name. Its own name must contain LLC | Nobody has to. The optional trade name registration is filed with the Secretary of State. We found no county or probate court filing | $30 for the optional state registration, nonrefundable. Nothing for a DBA, because none is required |
| Alaska | It needs a business license listing the name it trades under. Registering the name under AS 10.35 is optional. | State only. The business license and the optional name registration both go to the Department of Commerce; we found no county clerk filing. | Business license (required): $50 for 1 year or $100 for 2 years, one license per business name, expires December 31 |
| Arizona | One of the two filings, before trading under a name other than its own (A.R.S. § 44-1236) | LLCs and sole proprietors: either the Secretary of State (trade name) or the county recorder (certificate). One of the two, not both. | $10 for a Secretary of State trade name, good for 5 years ($25 more to expedite) |
| Arkansas | Yes, before doing business under a fictitious name | LLCs: Secretary of State. Sole proprietors and general partnerships: county clerk of each county where they do business. | $22.50 online or $25 on paper, paid to the Secretary of State |
| California | Yes, for any name other than the exact name in its articles of organization, within 40 days of starting to use it | LLCs and sole proprietors alike: the county clerk of the county of the principal place of business. Not the Secretary of State. | Set by each county: $26 Los Angeles, $54 San Diego, $69 San Francisco (the statute's default is $10) |
| Colorado | Yes, to do business under any name other than its own. Civil penalty of up to five hundred dollars, and no suing to collect a debt until filed | LLCs and sole proprietors alike: the Secretary of State, online only. No county filing for the DBA itself | $20 to the Secretary of State |
| Connecticut | Only if it does business under a name other than the name in its formation or registration filing | LLCs, other entities and individuals all file a trade name application with the town clerk of the town where the business is principally transacted | $20 to the town clerk (West Hartford charges $25 if the form is not already notarized) |
| Delaware | No. An LLC may register a trade name but is not required to. Sole proprietors and partnerships must. | Everyone files with the state Division of Revenue through Delaware One Stop. No county filing since February 2, 2026. | $25 per trade name, one time, statewide |
| District of Columbia | Only if it does business under a name other than its registered name. The statute says it shall register; DLCP's FAQ calls registration optional | Everyone files with DLCP's Corporations Division, a District agency. The statute names no county office. LLCs and sole proprietors use the same application. | $55. By statute, same-day service adds $100 and 3-day service adds $50. |
| Florida | Only if it trades under a name other than the one it is registered under | LLCs and sole proprietors: the Division of Corporations (Sunbiz), not the county | $50, nonrefundable. Optional certified copy $30, certificate of status $10 |
| Georgia | Yes, if it trades under any name other than its own LLC name. An LLC using its own filed name is exempt. | LLCs and sole proprietors alike: the Clerk of Superior Court of one county, where the business is chiefly carried on. Nothing is filed with the Secretary of State. | Set by each clerk: $172 in Gwinnett, $174 in DeKalb, $175 in Fulton and Forsyth |
| Hawaii | No. An LLC may register a trade name that differs from its registered name, but the statute does not require it | LLCs and sole proprietors file the same form with the state DCCA Business Registration Division. We found no county filing. | $50, plus $20 for optional expedited review and a $1 State Archives fee |
| Idaho | Yes, if it uses any name other than its exact registered name | LLCs and sole proprietors: Secretary of State only. The statute sets up no county filing. | $25 online; $45 on the paper form |
| Illinois | Yes, before transacting business under any name other than its own | LLCs and corporations: Secretary of State. Sole proprietors and partnerships: county clerk. | $150, $120, $90, $60 or $30 depending on the year (2026: $120) |
| Indiana | Yes, before doing business under any name other than the one in its organic record | LLCs and other filing entities: Secretary of State. Sole proprietors and general partnerships: county recorder. | $20 per name online; $30 per name on paper |
| Iowa | Yes, if it uses a name other than its own: it "shall" file the resolution. No penalty is stated for an LLC | LLCs: Secretary of State (fictitious name resolution). Sole proprietors and partnerships: county recorder (trade name statement). | $5 (the Secretary of State's form says $5.00) |
| Kansas | No. The LLC statutes set rules only for the LLC's own legal name (K.S.A. 17-7920). | Nobody. We found no Kansas state or county DBA, assumed name or trade name registration. | None, because there is nothing to file |
| Kentucky | Yes, before doing business under any name other than the name in its articles of organization. Penalty: a fine of $25 to $100, 10 to 30 days in jail, or both | LLCs, corporations and partnerships: Secretary of State, then a stamped copy to the county clerk. Sole proprietors: county clerk only. | $20 to the Secretary of State, plus the county clerk's recording fee (statute: $33; Jefferson County Clerk: $46) |
| Louisiana | The statute exempts corporations, not LLCs, so an LLC using another name is within its text. Penalty: fine, jail or both | Anyone using an assumed name: the parish clerk of court (the register of conveyances in New Orleans). Not the Secretary of State. | Set by each clerk; the statutory fee was repealed in 2020. Not verified for any parish. |
| Maine | Yes, before transacting business under any name other than its real name | LLCs: the Secretary of State. Sole proprietors and partnerships: the clerk of the city or town where the business is carried on. | $125 per assumed name (Form ASUM-5) |
| Maryland | The statute says a person trading under another name shall file; SDAT's site calls registration not mandatory | Everyone files with SDAT, the state. The statute names no county office. LLCs and sole proprietors use the same certificate. | $25. Expedited review adds $50 ($75 in all on SDAT's paper form). Online card or PayPal payments add a 3% technology fee. |
| Massachusetts | Yes, if it trades under any name other than its true registered name. An LLC using its true name is exempt (c. 110, § 6) | LLCs, sole proprietors and partnerships alike: the clerk of each city or town where the business has an office. Not the state, not the county. | Set by each city or town: $20 in Marlborough, $50 in Cambridge, $65 in Boston |
| Michigan | Yes, to operate under any name other than the one in its articles; the LLC Act itself states no penalty | LLCs: LARA, the state. Sole proprietors and general partnerships: the county clerk of each county where they do business. | $25 per certificate of assumed name; optional 24-hour review adds $100 |
| Minnesota | Yes, if it trades under any name other than the exact name in its articles of organization | Secretary of State, for LLCs and sole proprietors alike. Chapter 333 names no county filing office. | $30 by mail; $50 in person or online |
| Mississippi | No. Registration is voluntary and the Act sets no penalty for skipping it. | Voluntary. LLCs, sole proprietors and partnerships all file with the Secretary of State; the Act has no county filing. | $25 per name; no separate fee when filed with an LLC's annual report |
| Missouri | Yes, if it does business under any name other than its own. Trading under an unregistered fictitious name is a misdemeanor. | LLCs, corporations, partnerships and individuals alike: the Secretary of State. No county filing. | $7 (the statute itself says two dollars; see the note on the add-on below) |
| Montana | Yes, to do business under any name other than its full, true and correct name | LLCs and individuals alike: the Secretary of State, online only. The statute names no county filing. | $20 |
| Nebraska | No. The statute says a person "may file"; we found no requirement and no penalty for skipping it. | Optional. LLCs, sole proprietors and partnerships all register with the Secretary of State. We found no county filing. | $110 on paper or in person, $100 online (online filers also pay a service charge of at least $2) |
| Nevada | Yes, if it does business under any name different from its own, within 1 month of starting | LLCs, sole proprietors and partnerships all file with the county clerk of each county where they do business, not the Secretary of State. | $25 in Clark and Washoe counties (Pershing County: $25); set by each county clerk |
| New Hampshire | Yes, if it does business under any name other than the name it is registered under | Everyone files with the Secretary of State (Corporation Division). Chapter 349 sets no county or town filing. | $50 to register a trade name |
| New Jersey | Yes, unless it also uses its actual name in a way that is not deceptive about its identity | LLCs (and corporations and limited partnerships): Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services. Sole proprietors and partnerships: the county clerk, with a duplicate forwarded to the state. | $50 to the Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services (Form C-150G), with no county filing |
| New Mexico | It must list any other trading name in its articles, and that name must include LLC or similar. We found no penalty stated. | LLC: Secretary of State only, inside the articles of organization or an amendment. Sole proprietors and general partnerships: no Secretary of State registration. No county assumed name filing found. | $50 with the LLC's articles of organization; $50 for an amendment (see the note on the statute's wording below) |
| New York | Yes, before doing business under any name other than its real name | LLCs, corporations and limited partnerships: Department of State. Sole proprietors and general partnerships: the county clerk of each county. | $25 to the Department of State, with no county fee for an LLC |
| North Carolina | Yes, before doing business under any name other than the one in its articles of organization | LLCs, corporations, sole proprietors and partnerships all file with the register of deeds of one county. The Secretary of State only keeps a statewide database of the county filings. | $26 for the first 15 pages, $4 for each additional page. The same fee covers one county or all 100 |
| North Dakota | Yes, before it does business under a name other than its own | The Secretary of State, for LLCs, corporations and individuals alike. Partnerships file a fictitious name certificate instead. | $25, for a five-year registration |
| Ohio | Yes, for any name other than its name of record. A fictitious name must be reported within 30 days after first use | LLCs, sole proprietors and partnerships all file with the Ohio Secretary of State. The statute names no county filing. | $39 to register a trade name or to report a fictitious name (one name per filing) |
| Oklahoma | Yes, before doing business under any name other than its legal name (18 O.S. § 1140) | LLCs and sole proprietors: Secretary of State. Neither the statute nor the state's form mentions a county filing. | $25 for the trade name report (domestic or foreign entity) |
| Oregon | Yes, before doing business under any name other than its registered name. Penalty: civil penalty up to $100, and no standing to sue until it registers | Everyone files with the Secretary of State (Corporation Division): LLCs, corporations, sole proprietors and partnerships. The application lists your counties; it is not filed with a county. | $50 per new registration |
| Pennsylvania | Yes, before doing business under any name other than its proper name | Everyone files with the Department of State: LLCs, sole proprietors and partnerships. No county filing. | $70, nonrefundable |
| Rhode Island | Yes, before it does business under any name other than its own | Both with the Secretary of State (Department of State). LLCs file a fictitious business name statement; sole proprietors and partnerships register a trade name. | $50 (abandoning the name also costs $50) |
| South Carolina | No state or county filing. Contractors and insurance producers have their own name rules | Nobody files a DBA. The name goes on your local city or county business license | None for a DBA. Local license tax is set by each city or county. Optional state trademark: $15 per class |
| South Dakota | Yes, to do business under a name other than the one on file for it with the Secretary of State | LLCs and sole proprietors alike: online with the Secretary of State, or on paper at any county register of deeds. One statewide record either way. | $10 per name, online or at a register of deeds |
| Tennessee | Yes, before doing business under any name other than its own; the statute states no penalty | LLCs: Secretary of State, not the county. Sole proprietors: no state filing. | $20 per assumed name |
| Texas | Yes, if it trades under any name other than the exact name on its certificate of formation | LLCs and corporations: Secretary of State only. Sole proprietors and general partnerships: county clerk in each county. | $25 to the Secretary of State (Form 503), one certificate per name |
| Utah | Yes, unless it does business only under its exact legal name (Utah Code § 42-2-104(3)) | LLCs and sole proprietors: the state Division of Corporations and Commercial Code. The DBA chapter provides for no county filing. | $22 to register, good for 3 years (Division fee schedule) |
| Vermont | The statute says an LLC "may" register an assumed name; individuals and partnerships "shall" (details below) | LLCs, sole proprietors and partnerships all file with the Secretary of State. No county or town filing. | $70 |
| Virginia | Yes, before conducting business under any assumed or fictitious name. The penalty is a misdemeanor, a fine up to $2,500, jail up to one year, or both | LLCs, sole proprietors and partnerships all file with the Clerk's Office of the State Corporation Commission. No county filing for a new certificate. | $10, paid to the State Corporation Commission |
| Washington | Yes, before doing business under any name other than its name as filed with the Secretary of State. No fine, but it cannot sue in Washington courts until it registers | LLCs, corporations, sole proprietors and partnerships all register with the Department of Revenue (Business Licensing Service). There is no county filing. | $5 per trade name, plus a Business License Application handling fee: $50 if it opens a new business, $10 for most other filings |
| West Virginia | Yes, to do business under any name other than the one on its articles. Willful failure is a misdemeanor. | LLCs: Secretary of State, Form NR-3 or the One Stop Business Portal. Sole proprietors and general partnerships: Secretary of State, Form TN-1. No county filing. | $25, plus $1.00 online processing fee if filed online |
| Wisconsin | No. Registration is optional, and no penalty for skipping it is stated | LLCs and sole proprietors alike: Department of Financial Institutions (state). We found no county filing | $15 per name |
| Wyoming | No. Registration is optional, and no penalty for skipping it is stated | LLCs and individuals alike: Secretary of State only. We found no county filing | $100 to the Secretary of State |
Need the LLC first?
An LLC registers an assumed name once it exists. If you haven’t formed yours yet, start there; each state’s page has the fees and steps.
General information, not legal or tax advice.