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Guides · DBAs by state · Utah

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

In Utah a DBA is filed in one place: the state Division of Corporations and Commercial Code. An LLC that does business under any name other than its legal name, and a sole proprietor using a name other than their own, each file a DBA certificate with the Division no later than 30 days after the business begins. The Division's fee schedule lists $22 to register; the registration lasts three years and renews for $18. The DBA chapter of the Utah Code provides for no county filing and no newspaper notice. Its penalty section states no fine, but a business that skips registration cannot bring a lawsuit in a Utah court under its DBA until it complies, and the Division's director may add a late filing fee.

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

Utah DBA at a glance

Who files where
LLCs and sole proprietors: the state Division of Corporations and Commercial Code. The DBA chapter provides for no county filing.
Filing fee
$22 to register, good for 3 years (Division fee schedule)
Renewal
$18 every 3 years, starting 60 days before it expires; the schedule also lists a $10 late renewal fee
Publication
None in the DBA chapter
Does an LLC need one?
Yes, unless it does business only under its exact legal name (Utah Code § 42-2-104(3))
Deadline
No later than 30 days after the business begins (Utah Code § 42-2-201(1))
Penalty for skipping it
No fine stated; no suing in a Utah court as the DBA until registered; the director may add a late filing fee

Does a Utah LLC need a DBA?

Yes, if it does business under any name other than its own legal name. The Utah Code defines a D.B.A. as a person that carries on, conducts or transacts business in the state using a name that is different from the person's legal name (Utah Code § 42-2-101(1)). The only LLC exception in the DBA chapter is for an LLC doing business in the state under its true name (Utah Code § 42-2-104(3)). So an LLC named Smith Holdings LLC that trades as Smith Plumbing registers Smith Plumbing as a D.B.A.; one that trades only as Smith Holdings LLC does not.

The DBA certificate is due no later than 30 days after the day the entity begins to carry out its business (Utah Code § 42-2-201(1)). The code doesn't say whether those 30 days run from the first day you use the new name, so register before you start using it.

The penalty section states no fine. It says a business that carries on business as a D.B.A. without complying with the chapter may not bring an action in a Utah court as a D.B.A. until it complies, and that the director may impose a late filing fee of up to three times the fee described in section 42-2-103 (Utah Code § 42-2-205). Section 42-2-103 names no amount, only that the Division collects "the required filing fees" (Utah Code § 42-2-103(1)), so we can't say what the cap works out to.

State, county or both?

State only. A DBA certificate is filed with the Division of Corporations and Commercial Code (Utah Code § 42-2-201(1)). The chapter has no county filing step, and a Utah county or city is not named anywhere in its registration or renewal sections. The Division's DBA page says a DBA can be a sole proprietor or a general partnership, and can also be owned by an entity that wishes to transact business under an assumed name.

A city or county may separately require a business licence for the same business. That is not a DBA filing, and we haven't reviewed local licence rules.

What it costs

The Utah Code doesn't state the amounts. It says the Division collects "the required filing fees" (Utah Code § 42-2-103(1)). The figures below come from the Division's fee schedule, which is headed Fiscal Year 2026 and effective July 1, 2025, and from its DBA forms:

  • New DBA registration: $22, good for three years (the application form calls it a non-refundable processing fee)
  • Renewal: $18 for another three years; the schedule says renewal fees marked with an asterisk include a $5 surcharge for the state's single sign-on portal, and the DBA renewal row is marked
  • Late renewal fee: $10
  • Change to the registration (purpose, registered agent, addresses or people on the form): $17
  • Transfer of ownership or cancellation: no charge

There is no newspaper cost, because there is no publication step.

How long it lasts and how to renew

A DBA registration is effective for three years after the day you register. You can renew beginning 60 days before the three years end, by filing a statement of renewal signed by an authorized representative of the D.B.A. (Utah Code § 42-2-204). On the Division's website that is the "DBA and Business Trust Renewal" option under Renewals. The renewal fee is $18.

If you don't renew before the three years end, the Division sends a notice to the D.B.A.'s registered agent that the registration is expired. If the D.B.A. is not renewed within 30 days after that notice, the registration is permanently expired and anyone may immediately claim the name (Utah Code § 42-2-204(1)(c)-(d)). The Division's fee schedule lists a $10 late renewal fee; it doesn't say whether that applies during those 30 days.

You can amend a registration only while it is active; an expired or canceled one cannot be amended (Utah Code § 42-2-202(1)-(2)). A name change is not an amendment: the Division's application form says a new name needs a new DBA filing.

Is there a publication requirement?

No. The registration section sets out what the certificate must contain, who signs it and when it takes effect, and none of it is a newspaper notice (Utah Code § 42-2-201). The Division's registration and renewal instructions describe online filing steps and no publication step.

Sole proprietors and partnerships

A sole proprietor files the same DBA certificate with the same Division, for the same $22, if the business uses a name other than the owner's legal name. A person who trades under their own legal name has no DBA under the chapter's definition (Utah Code § 42-2-101(1)).

A general partnership that is not registered with the Division registers by having each partner register as a D.B.A. (Utah Code § 42-2-201(3)). The certificate is signed by each owner, or by an authorized representative for an owner (Utah Code § 42-2-201(2)(c)).

How to register a Utah DBA

  1. Check the name. It must be distinguishable from the registered names and trademarks on the Division's records (Utah Code § 42-2-105(1)(b)). The Division offers an online Name Availability search.
  2. Line up a registered agent in Utah. The certificate must designate and maintain one (Utah Code § 42-2-201(2)(b)), and the Division requires the agent to have a Utah street address.
  3. Log in to the Division's business registration system with a UtahID and choose Formations, then Assumed Name (DBA) Registrations. The Division also has a PDF application, "Business Name Registration / DBA Application", which it says cannot be handwritten and is submitted online through "Submit a Paper Filing".
  4. Enter the owner. For an LLC, that is the LLC, with its entity number if it is registered. The certificate states the principal address and the true name and street address of each owner, and is signed by each owner or an authorized representative (Utah Code § 42-2-201(2)).
  5. Pay the $22 fee.
  6. Put the renewal on your calendar: the window opens 60 days before the three years end, and the fee is $18.

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 Utah page.

Start a Utah LLCOr let your AI assistant do the intakeDBA rules in every state

What we couldn't verify

  • Whether the fee schedule is the current one. The Division's pages link a schedule headed "Fiscal Year 2026" and "Effective July 1, 2025"; Utah's fiscal year 2027 began on July 1, 2026, and we found no newer schedule. Confirm the amounts at filing.
  • Whether an online filing adds any card or portal fee to the $22 registration. The schedule marks only renewal fees with a surcharge.
  • The amount of the late filing fee the director may impose under Utah Code § 42-2-205(2). It is capped at three times "the fee described in" section 42-2-103, which names no amount, and the schedule lists only a late renewal fee.
  • The Division's forms still cite the earlier section numbers (U.C.A. 42-2-5 and 42-2-6.6) and are dated 2023 to 2025; chapter 42-2 was renumbered and amended in the 2026 General Session (Chapter 93). We followed the current code text in Corpus. The three-year term and the $22 fee match the forms.
  • How the two LLC-term rules in Utah Code § 42-2-105(1) fit together. Paragraph (1)(a)(iv) bars "LLC" and "limited liability company" in a D.B.A. name, while paragraph (1)(d)(ii) bars them unless the owner is a limited liability company registered in Utah. Ask the Division before including those words.
  • Whether the Division offers expedited processing for a new DBA registration. The schedule lists an expedited processing fee per filing, but the DBA page ties the expedite option to certificate orders.
  • City and county business licence, zoning and tax registration rules, which are separate from the DBA filing and not reviewed here.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a DBA cost in Utah?

The Division of Corporations and Commercial Code's fee schedule lists $22 to register a DBA, good for three years, and $18 to renew. It also lists a $10 late renewal fee. Both LLCs and sole proprietors file with the Division, and there is no county or newspaper charge under the DBA chapter.

Does a Utah LLC need to file a DBA?

Yes, if it does business under a name other than its legal name. The DBA chapter does not apply to an LLC doing business under its true name (Utah Code § 42-2-104(3)). Otherwise the LLC registers the name with the Division within 30 days after it begins business (Utah Code § 42-2-201(1)).

Do I file a Utah DBA with the county?

No. The DBA chapter provides for one filing, with the state Division of Corporations and Commercial Code (Utah Code § 42-2-201(1)). A city or county may separately require a business licence.

Do I have to publish a DBA in a Utah newspaper?

No. The DBA chapter has no newspaper notice requirement for an LLC or a sole proprietor.

How often do I renew a Utah DBA?

Every three years. You can renew beginning 60 days before the registration expires, for $18. If it isn't renewed within 30 days after the Division's expiry notice, the registration is permanently expired and anyone may claim the name (Utah Code § 42-2-204).

What happens if I don't register a Utah DBA?

The chapter states no fine. A business operating as a D.B.A. without complying may not bring an action in a Utah court as that D.B.A. until it complies, and the director may impose a late filing fee (Utah Code § 42-2-205).

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