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Guides · Florida

Florida DBA (fictitious name): what it costs and how to file

In Florida a DBA is called a fictitious name, and it is registered with the state, not the county. An LLC and a sole proprietor both file with the Division of Corporations (Sunbiz) under the Fictitious Name Act, Fla. Stat. § 865.09. The fee is $50. The registration runs to December 31 of the fifth calendar year, counting the year you file as the first, and a renewal costs $50. Before you file you must advertise the name at least once in a newspaper in the county of your principal place of business and certify that on the form; the Division does not ask for proof. An LLC that is active with the Division and trades under its exact registered name does not need to register. One that uses any other name does.

Last checked 2026-11-08. General information, not legal or tax advice.

Florida DBA at a glance

Who files where
LLCs and sole proprietors: the Division of Corporations (Sunbiz), not the county
Filing fee
$50, nonrefundable. Optional certified copy $30, certificate of status $10
Term and renewal
Until December 31 of the 5th calendar year (a 2026 filing runs to December 31, 2030). Renew for $50 any time in the expiration year
Publication
Advertise the name at least once in a newspaper in the county of your principal place of business, then certify it on the form. No proof is required
Does an LLC need one?
Only if it trades under a name other than the one it is registered under
If you don't register
You can't sue in a Florida court over the business until you do; the statute makes it a noncriminal violation

Does a Florida LLC need a DBA?

Only if it trades under a name other than the one it is registered under. A business formed by an LLC, corporation, partnership or other entity that is organized or registered and in active status with the Division of Corporations does not have to register its name, unless the name it uses differs from the name it is registered under (Fla. Stat. § 865.09(7)). The Division's own exemption list says the same: an active, registered entity that is not transacting business under any other name. So an LLC that sells as "Acme Bakery LLC" has nothing to file. If it sells as "Acme Bakery" or "Sunrise Cakes", it must register that name first (§ 865.09(3)(a)).

We read a name that only drops "LLC" as a different name, and the statute expects it: a fictitious name registered for an LLC does not have to contain "limited liability company" or any abbreviation of it (§ 865.09(15)).

Not registering has costs. Until the business complies, neither it nor the people running it can bring a lawsuit in a Florida court on its behalf (§ 865.09(9)(a)). Its contracts stay valid and it can still defend a suit, but a party harmed by a noncomplying business can be awarded attorney fees and court costs (§ 865.09(9)(b)). The statute calls a failure to comply a noncriminal violation punishable under § 775.083, which caps the fine at $500 (§ 865.09(9)(c); § 775.083(1)(e)). The Division's FAQ calls it a second-degree misdemeanor instead; we follow the statute and flag the difference below.

State or county: where does an LLC file?

With the state. The Fictitious Name Act has one filing, a registration with the Division of Corporations of the Department of State (§ 865.09(3)(a)). Nothing in the section calls for a county filing, for an LLC or anyone else.

The county matters in two other ways. The newspaper ad must run in the county where your principal place of business is or will be located. And when you apply for a local business tax receipt, the county or municipality that issues it needs either a copy of your current registration from the Division or a signed statement of why you don't have to comply with the Act (§ 205.023).

What it costs the state

The Division charges nonrefundable processing fees set by statute (§ 865.09(12)), and its fee schedule lists the same amounts:

  • Register a fictitious name: $50
  • Renew: $50
  • Cancel, or cancel and re-register: $50
  • Certified copy of the registration (optional): $30
  • Certificate of status (optional): $10

The form takes one fictitious name, so two names are two registrations at $50 each. You file online by card, or print the form and mail it with payment. The newspaper ad is a separate cost paid to the paper; neither the statute nor the Division sets a price, so we don't quote one.

How long it lasts and how to renew

A registration runs from the day it is filed until December 31 of the fifth calendar year after, counting the year you file as the first (§ 865.09(5)(a)). File in 2026 and it runs to December 31, 2030.

You renew any time from January 1 to December 31 of the expiration year, and a timely renewal continues the registration for another 5 years (§ 865.09(6)(a)). Renewal costs $50. If you miss December 31, the registration expires and the Division may purge it; not receiving the Division's reminder is not grounds to appeal (§ 865.09(6)(c)). The Division says an expired name cannot be renewed or reinstated, so you would file a new registration for $50, and registration does not reserve the name, so someone else may have taken it (§ 865.09(8)).

If you stop doing business under the name, you must file a cancellation within 30 days (§ 865.09(4)).

Is there a publication requirement?

Yes, and it comes before you file. The registration must include a certification by at least one registrant that the intention to register the name has been advertised at least once in a newspaper, as defined in chapter 50, in the county where the registrant's principal place of business is or will be located (§ 865.09(3)(a)). The Division says proof of advertisement is not required: you certify that the ad ran when you sign the application. It is a one-time ad, not a recurring notice.

Chapter 50 describes a qualifying newspaper as one printed and published at least once a week, with at least 25 percent of its words in English, available to the public generally for official notices, and meeting either an audience test or a periodical-mail test (§ 50.011(1)). Ask the paper whether it qualifies before you pay. The price is the paper's to set.

Sole proprietors: the same filing, no county step

A sole proprietor registers the same way. A fictitious name is any name under which a person transacts business in Florida other than the person's legal name (§ 865.09(2)(c)), so trading under your own legal name needs no registration, and "Sunny Lawn Care" for John Smith does. You register with the Division, pay $50, and run the same one-time newspaper ad in the county of your principal place of business. There is no separate county route.

An attorney actively licensed in Florida, or a person licensed by the Department of Business and Professional Regulation or the Department of Health who is practicing the licensed profession, is exempt unless the name used differs from the name as licensed (§ 865.09(7)).

Forming an LLC doesn't change the route. The LLC registers a trade name with the same Division on the same form, and an LLC using its exact name registers nothing.

How to file a Florida fictitious name

  1. Confirm you need one (see above) and search the Division's fictitious name records for the name. Registration is public notice only; it does not reserve the name or give you rights in it over others (§ 865.09(8)).
  2. Gather the details: the name, the business's mailing address, and the name and address of each registrant. If an owner is an LLC or other entity, it must be registered and in active status with the Division, and you need its Florida document number and its federal employer identification number if it has one (§ 865.09(3)(a)).
  3. Run the newspaper ad once in the county of your principal place of business.
  4. File online with a credit card, or print the form, sign it and mail it to the Division with payment. Pay $50, plus $30 for a certified copy or $10 for a certificate of status if you want them.
  5. Have an owner sign, certifying that the ad has run.
  6. Keep the confirmation. Your county or city asks for it when you apply for a local business tax receipt (§ 205.023).
  7. Calendar the renewal for any time in the year the registration expires.

Need the LLC first?

An assumed name is filed by an existing LLC. If you haven't formed yours yet, start there; the state fees and steps are on the Florida page.

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What we couldn't verify

  • Penalty wording conflicts. Section 865.09(9)(c) says failing to comply is a noncriminal violation; the Division's registration FAQ says it is a misdemeanor of the second degree. We follow the statute. Section 775.083(1)(e) caps the fine at $500 for either, but we did not read section 775.082 for any jail term that could attach to a misdemeanor.
  • The cost of the newspaper advertisement. Neither section 865.09 nor the Division's pages set a rate or name a newspaper, so we state no figure; each paper prices its own.
  • What counts as a qualifying newspaper in every case. We summarise section 50.011(1) only. Section 50.011(2) also mentions publication on a website under section 50.0311, and we did not confirm whether that satisfies the section 865.09 advertisement requirement for a private registrant. Ask the Division or the paper.
  • Which county's newspaper to use if the business operates in several counties. The statute names one county (where the principal place of business is or will be located), while the Division's online form offers a "multiple" choice.
  • Whether paying online adds a card processing charge. The Division says a third-party processor handles online card payments, but the fee schedule and instructions we read state no added amount.
  • Whether an LLC that only drops "LLC" from its name must register. The Division's pages don't say so expressly; we read section 865.09(7) (a different name) together with section 865.09(15) (a registered name need not include the entity designation) to say it must.
  • Local business tax receipt rules and fees, which vary by county and city. We cite only the requirement in section 205.023 to present the registration. We did not search county or city ordinances for a separate name registration.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a DBA cost in Florida?

$50 to the Division of Corporations for each fictitious name registration (Fla. Stat. § 865.09(12)). Renewal and cancellation are also $50. A certified copy is an optional $30 and a certificate of status an optional $10. The newspaper ad is billed by the newspaper.

Do I file a Florida LLC's DBA with the county?

No. The registration is filed with the Division of Corporations (§ 865.09(3)). The county matters only because the newspaper ad runs in the county of your principal place of business, and because the county or city that issues your local business tax receipt asks for a copy of the registration (§ 205.023).

Does a Florida DBA have to be published in a newspaper?

Yes. You must certify that the name has been advertised at least once in a newspaper, as defined in chapter 50, in the county of your principal place of business (§ 865.09(3)(a)). The ad comes before the filing, and the Division does not ask for proof.

How long does a Florida fictitious name last, and how do I renew?

Until December 31 of the fifth calendar year, counting the year you file as the first (§ 865.09(5)). Renew any time in the expiration year for $50 (§ 865.09(6)). An expired name can't be renewed or reinstated, so you'd register again.

Does my Florida LLC need a DBA?

Only if it does business under a name other than the one it is registered under (§ 865.09(7)). Trading under your exact LLC name needs no filing. Until you register a different name, you can't sue in a Florida court over the business (§ 865.09(9)), and the statute calls a failure to comply a noncriminal violation.

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