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Guides · Oregon

Oregon DBA (assumed business name): what it costs and how to file

In Oregon a DBA is called an assumed business name, and it is registered with the Secretary of State's Corporation Division, not with the county and not in a newspaper. An LLC must register one before it does business under any name other than the name on its Oregon filings. The fee is $50 for a new registration, and the registration renews every two years for $50 per name. Sole proprietors and partnerships register the same way at the same fee. The application lists the counties where you do business, but it goes only to the Secretary of State, and there is no newspaper notice. Doing business under an unregistered name is punishable by a civil penalty of up to $100, and the business cannot sue in an Oregon court until it registers.

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

Oregon DBA at a glance

Who files where
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.
Filing fee
$50 per new registration
Renewal
$50 per name, every 2 years
Publication
None
Does an LLC need one?
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

Does an Oregon LLC need a DBA?

Yes, if it does business under any name other than the name on its Oregon filings. Oregon's legal term for a DBA is an assumed business name; the Secretary of State's FAQ says the two mean the same thing. It is a name used to identify a business when the real and true name of each person running the business is not conspicuously disclosed (ORS 648.005). No person may carry on business under an assumed business name in a county where the business is located, has a physical facility or has an employee stationed unless the name is registered and the registration is current (ORS 648.007). The Secretary of State says the name registered for an LLC is its real and true name, so an LLC needs an assumed business name only when it conducts business under a different name.

The statute expressly lets a foreign or domestic LLC register its own name minus the word, abbreviation or phrase that Oregon requires (such as "LLC") as an assumed business name (ORS 648.081(4)).

Not registering has three consequences stated in the statutes:

  • Civil penalty: any violation of chapter 648 is punishable by a civil penalty not exceeding $100 (ORS 648.990).
  • No standing to sue: a business operating in violation of ORS 648.007 lacks standing in Oregon courts to bring a case for the business. It can cure that at any time by registering (ORS 648.135(1)).
  • Plaintiff's recovery: in a suit arising out of that business, the plaintiff recovers $500 or its reasonable costs of finding out your real and true name, whichever is greater (ORS 648.135(2)).

What it costs the state

There is one charge, paid to the Secretary of State. ORS 648.115 sends filing fees for this chapter to ORS 56.140 (ORS 648.115), and subsection (4) of that section sets a nonrefundable $50 for each business registry filing not listed in subsections (1) to (3) (ORS 56.140(4)). The Secretary of State's fee schedule and forms list the assumed business name charges:

  • New registration: $50
  • Renewal, every 2 years: $50
  • Amendment that changes the business name: $50
  • Cancellation: $50

The fee schedule has one $50 line for a new registration and no per-county line, even though the application lists counties. We could not see the online checkout, so we can't say whether a card processing charge is added.

How long it lasts and how to renew

A registration runs in two-year terms. The statute says to apply to renew within the 30 days before the second anniversary of the date the Secretary of State registered the name, and again on each second anniversary after that (ORS 648.017). The Secretary of State says the renewal is due on the anniversary date of the original filing, that it sends renewal notices about 45 days before the due date, and that each name is renewed separately and can't be combined with another.

Failing to apply and pay is grounds for administrative cancellation (ORS 648.017). A registrant has five years from an administrative cancellation to apply to reactivate the name (ORS 648.018). We found no reactivation fee stated, so we don't quote one.

Changes in between are filed as amendments, within 60 days after an owner's identity, name or address changes, the authorized representative changes, you start doing business in another county, or the principal address changes (ORS 648.025). The Secretary of State says amendments are not available for filing online at this time. A change of business name costs $50; its amendment form says there is no fee for other changes.

Is there a publication requirement?

No. Chapter 648 has the application go to the Secretary of State, which registers it (ORS 648.010(1)), and the registration, renewal, amendment and cancellation sections we read say nothing about a newspaper notice. The Secretary of State's assumed business name pages and brochure describe no publication step either.

Sole proprietors and partnerships

The same state registration applies to you, at the same fee. A name is an assumed business name unless it discloses the real and true name of each person running the business. For an individual, the Secretary of State says a real and true name is your last name combined with your given name or initials. Its example: if your name is Tom G. Sorenson and you do business as Tom G. Sorenson Construction, you would not need to register an assumed business name.

You file the application with the Secretary of State and list each county where you do business (ORS 648.010(1)). The statute sends the application to the Secretary of State, not to a county clerk.

How to file an Oregon assumed business name

  1. Search the Oregon Business Registry. The Secretary of State won't register a name that isn't distinguishable on its records from another assumed business name or an entity name (ORS 648.051(2)).
  2. Gather what the application states: the name, the real and true name and street address of each person who will do business under it, the principal address and counties, an authorized representative with a mailing address, and your primary business activity (ORS 648.010(2)). For an LLC's assumed name, the LLC is the owner: the Secretary of State gives the assumed business name its own registry number, even when an LLC owns it.
  3. File a new registration online through the Oregon Business Registry and pay the $50 fee. The Secretary of State says to use paper forms, mailed, faxed or delivered to the Corporation Division, only when online filing is not an option, and it does not accept forms or payments by email. We could not find a paper new-registration form on its site.
  4. If the Secretary of State refuses the name, it must return the application within 10 business days with a written reason (ORS 648.012(3)).
  5. Put the renewal on your calendar for the second anniversary, and file an amendment within 60 days of any change in owners, address or counties.

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 Oregon page.

Start a Oregon LLCOr let your AI assistant do the intake

What we couldn't verify

  • The online checkout of the Oregon Business Registry: it needs an account, so we could not see whether a card or processing charge is added to the $50 fee.
  • The Secretary of State's fee schedule PDF is marked "07/13". Its $50 figures match the default fee in ORS 56.140(4), but we found no newer dated fee page. Confirm the total when you file.
  • The fee, if any, to reactivate an assumed business name after an administrative cancellation (ORS 648.018): no statute or Secretary of State page we read states one, and its pages differ on whether reactivation is filed online or on paper.
  • Oregon Administrative Rules chapter 160, which the Secretary of State cites for assumed business name filing, was not read. We found no publication step in ORS chapter 648 or on the Secretary of State's assumed business name pages.
  • A paper form for a new assumed business name registration: the Secretary of State's forms pages link paper amendment and cancellation forms, but we did not find a new-registration form, and its FAQ lists a new registration among the online transactions.
  • City and county business licenses and any state licensing board rules on business names are separate from this registration, and we did not check them.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a DBA cost in Oregon?

The Secretary of State charges $50 to register an assumed business name and $50 to renew it every two years (ORS 56.140(4); Secretary of State fee schedule). A change of business name costs $50 and cancelling costs $50. The fee schedule lists no county charge.

Does an Oregon LLC have to publish its assumed business name in a newspaper?

No. ORS chapter 648 does not require a newspaper notice. The application is filed with the Secretary of State and registered by it (ORS 648.010, 648.012).

Do I file an Oregon DBA with the county?

No. The application goes to the Secretary of State. It lists each county where you do business (ORS 648.010(2)), but there is no county filing.

How often do I renew an Oregon assumed business name?

Every two years, for $50 per name. The statute says to apply within the 30 days before the second anniversary of registration (ORS 648.017); the Secretary of State says the renewal is due on the anniversary date and sends notices about 45 days earlier.

What happens if my LLC uses a DBA without registering it?

It is exposed to a civil penalty of up to $100 (ORS 648.990). It also lacks standing to sue in Oregon courts for the business until it registers (ORS 648.135(1)).

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