For AI agents: read the machine-readable documentation index at /llms.txt or the single-file full reference at /llms-full.txt.
Form a Business

Guides · Ohio

Ohio DBA (trade name or fictitious name): what it costs and how to file

Ohio has no filing called a DBA. It has two filings with the Secretary of State, and a business uses one of them: register a trade name, or report a fictitious name. Both cost $39, both last five years, and both renew for $25 in the six months before they expire. They are filed with the state, not the county, and an LLC files the same way as a sole proprietor. The difference is protection: a registered trade name must be distinguishable from other names on record and gives you exclusive use of it in Ohio, while a fictitious name report gives no exclusive right. An LLC that trades under any name other than its own needs one or the other. Ohio's statute sets no newspaper notice for either.

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

Ohio DBA at a glance

Who files where
LLCs, sole proprietors and partnerships all file with the Ohio Secretary of State. The statute names no county filing.
Filing fee
$39 to register a trade name or to report a fictitious name (one name per filing)
Term and renewal
5 years. Renew for $25 in the 6 months before it expires
Publication
None in Ohio Revised Code sections 1329.01 to 1329.10
Does an LLC need one?
Yes, for any name other than its name of record. A fictitious name must be reported within 30 days after first use

Does an Ohio LLC need a DBA?

Yes, if it does business under any name other than the exact name on file with the Secretary of State. Ohio's statute lets a person register as a trade name any name under which it is operating, and requires a person who does business under a fictitious name, and has not registered it as a trade name, to report that name to the Secretary of State (R.C. 1329.01(B), (D)). "Person" in that statute expressly includes a limited liability company (R.C. 1329.01(A)(3)).

The one carve-out is the LLC's own name. The definition of "fictitious name" does not include "the name of record" of an LLC formed under or registered under R.C. Chapter 1705 or 1706 (R.C. 1329.01(A)(2)). So Smith Roofing LLC needs nothing to trade as Smith Roofing LLC, but the same company selling as Buckeye Gutters must register or report that name. A foreign LLC registered in Ohio is covered the same way. (A foreign LLC whose own name can't be used in Ohio is a separate case: it registers under an assumed name instead, under R.C. 1706.513.)

A fictitious name must be reported within thirty days after its first use (R.C. 1329.01(E)). We found no fine for skipping the filing; R.C. 1329.99, the chapter's penalty section, does not list these sections. The consequences are civil. The attorney general can sue for an injunction if the Secretary of State notifies you and you refuse or fail to comply, and you cannot start or keep up a court action in the unregistered name, or on contracts made in it, until you comply. After you comply you can sue on the earlier contracts too, and others can sue you whether or not you filed (R.C. 1329.10).

State or county: where does it get filed?

With the state. A trade name registration or fictitious name report goes to the Ohio Secretary of State (R.C. 1329.01(B), (D)), online at Ohio Business Central or on paper Form 534A. The statute names no county filing, for an LLC or for a sole proprietor, so there is no separate county clerk or recorder step for the name itself. Business licenses and permits issued by a city or county are separate matters and we did not check them.

Trade name or fictitious name: which filing?

The Secretary of State says "DBA" is a general term and that in Ohio you file a trade name or report a fictitious name, which serves a similar purpose. Both go on the same form (Form 534A), and you check one box.

  • Trade name. A name used in business to designate the business and to which the user asserts a right to exclusive use (R.C. 1329.01(A)(1)). Once registered it gives the owner exclusive use in Ohio. The Secretary of State will not file a trade name that is not distinguishable on its records from another registered trade name, a corporate name or an LLC name (R.C. 1329.02(A)). You must already be using the name: the application states how long it has been used in Ohio business (R.C. 1329.01(B)(4)), and the form asks for a first-use date earlier than the filing date. A registered trade name also stops the Secretary of State from filing a new LLC whose name is not distinguishable from it (R.C. 1706.07(B)(5)).
  • Fictitious name. A name you have not registered as a trade name or are not entitled to register as one, for example because the name is not available. The report gives you no exclusive right. The name need not be distinguishable, so several businesses can report the same one.

A trade name may not imply incorporation if the entity is not incorporated, and the Secretary of State's guide lists Company, Corporation, Incorporated, Co., Corp. and Inc. as examples (R.C. 1329.02(A)). An unincorporated LLC should avoid those words in a trade name.

What it costs the state

Everything is paid to the Ohio Secretary of State. The fee statute and the Secretary of State's schedule agree (R.C. 111.16(S)):

  • Register a trade name: $39
  • Report a fictitious name: $39
  • Renew either one: $25, for another five years
  • Update a registration (new address, assignment or cancellation; Form 524A): $25
  • Change of registrant name (Form 558): $25
  • Expedite, on the mailed form: $100 extra for processing within 2 business days; regular service takes about 3 to 7 business days

Each filing covers one name, so a business with two DBAs files twice (R.C. 1329.01(C), (E)). There is no newspaper charge because there is no publication step.

How long it lasts and how to renew

A trade name registration or fictitious name report is effective for five years from the date of registration or report (R.C. 1329.04). You renew by filing an application on the Secretary of State's form within the six months before the five years end. The renewal is $25 and registers the name for another five years (Form 523A). A general partnership must also renew whenever a partner named on its filing stops being a partner (R.C. 1329.04).

If you miss the window, the registration expires and you would need to file a new one. If another applicant registers the same trade name after yours lapses, it is unavailable to you unless that applicant consents (Form 523A). Separately, a registrant must report a change of business address to the Secretary of State (R.C. 1329.07, Form 524A).

Is there a publication requirement?

No. R.C. 1329.01 to 1329.10 set up a filing with the Secretary of State and say nothing about a newspaper notice, for an LLC or for anyone else. None of the Secretary of State's pages we read mention one.

Sole proprietors and partnerships: same filing

A sole proprietor does not have to register with the Secretary of State to operate, but a business name that is more than the owner's personal name needs a trade name registration or a fictitious name report. The Secretary of State's example: Bob Smith needs nothing, while Bob Smith's Automotive Shop must register. The individual files the same Form 534A with the same Secretary of State, pays the same fees and gets the same five-year term as an LLC.

A general partnership may file as a trade name, as a fictitious name, or through a Statement of Partnership Authority, which the Secretary of State treats as a fictitious name.

Forming an LLC does not remove the need for a DBA. The LLC's own name is covered automatically, but any other name it trades under still needs a trade name registration or a fictitious name report.

How to file an Ohio trade name or fictitious name

  1. Pick the filing. Register a trade name if you want exclusive use and the name is available. Report a fictitious name if you do not need exclusivity or the name is not available.
  2. Search the Secretary of State's business records for similar names. A trade name must be distinguishable from them; a fictitious name need not be.
  3. File online at Ohio Business Central, or mail Form 534A. Check the trade name box or the fictitious name box, then give the name, the registrant's name and business address, its entity type and state of formation, and the general nature of the business (R.C. 1329.01(B)). For a trade name, give the date it was first used, which must be before the filing date.
  4. Pay $39, plus $100 if you mail it and want 2-business-day processing. For a fictitious name, file within 30 days after you first use it.
  5. Put the renewal on your calendar for the six months before year five ($25), and report any change of business address.

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 Ohio page.

Start a Ohio LLCOr let your AI assistant do the intake

What we couldn't verify

  • Every Ohio Secretary of State page used here (the fee schedule, the FAQ, the Guide to Name Availability and Forms 534A, 523A and 524A) refuses automated fetches (HTTP 403), so the quote checker cannot re-read them from a script. We read them in a browser on 2026-11-08 and confirmed each quote there.
  • Corpus carries only chapters 1701 and 1706 of the Ohio Revised Code, so R.C. chapter 1329 and section 111.16 are not Corpus pages. Those citations link to the official Ohio Revised Code site (codes.ohio.gov) instead of a Corpus page. The fee statutes spell the amounts out in words ("thirty-nine dollars", "twenty-five dollars"), so the dollar figures are sourced to the Secretary of State's fee schedule and forms, which agree with them.
  • Online filing at Ohio Business Central. We did not open the filing portal, so a processing charge on online payments, or an online expedite option and its fee, is not confirmed. The $100 expedite fee comes from the cover letter of the mailed forms.
  • Other fees for faster service. Form 534A lists higher expedite fees for walk-in customers only; we did not use them.
  • County and local rules. The statute names only the Secretary of State and we found no county filing for a DBA, but we did not read Ohio county recorder or clerk pages, or any city's business license rules.
  • Penalties. We found no fine for failing to file a trade name or fictitious name: R.C. 1329.99, the penalty section of the chapter, does not list R.C. 1329.01 to 1329.10. We did not search the rest of the Revised Code or case law on the effect of not filing.
  • No publication step. We read R.C. 1329.01 to 1329.10 in full and the Secretary of State pages listed here and found no newspaper notice; we did not search other titles of the Revised Code.
  • Partnerships. R.C. 1329.10(B) refers to section 1777.02 for partnerships, but codes.ohio.gov answered "No Ohio Revised Code section number corresponds to 1777.02" on 2026-11-08. We did not research other partnership-specific rules.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a DBA cost in Ohio?

Ohio has no filing called a DBA. You register a trade name or report a fictitious name with the Secretary of State. Either costs $39 (R.C. 1329.01, R.C. 111.16(S)) and lasts five years, and renewal is $25 (R.C. 1329.04).

Do I file an Ohio DBA with the county?

No. A trade name registration or fictitious name report is filed with the Ohio Secretary of State (R.C. 1329.01(B), (D)). The statute names no county filing, for an LLC or a sole proprietor.

Does an Ohio LLC have to publish its trade name or fictitious name in a newspaper?

No. R.C. 1329.01 to 1329.10 describe a filing with the Secretary of State and contain no newspaper notice.

What is the difference between a trade name and a fictitious name in Ohio?

A trade name must be distinguishable from other names on record and gives the owner exclusive use of it in Ohio once registered. A fictitious name need not be distinguishable and gives no exclusive right. Both cost $39, last five years and are filed on Form 534A.

Does an Ohio LLC need to register a trade name or report a fictitious name?

Yes, if it does business under any name other than its name of record. The statute exempts only an LLC's own name of record (R.C. 1329.01(A)(2)). A fictitious name must be reported within thirty days after its first use (R.C. 1329.01(E)).

How often do I renew an Ohio trade name or fictitious name?

Every five years. File the renewal in the six months before it expires and pay $25 (R.C. 1329.04). If it lapses, a new registration is needed.

Sources