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Guides · DBAs by state · Washington

Washington DBA (trade name): what it costs and how to register

In Washington a DBA is called a trade name, and it is registered with the Department of Revenue's Business Licensing Service, not with the county. An LLC that does business under any name other than the one on file with the Secretary of State must register it, and so must a sole proprietor or partnership using a name that is not the owners' real names. The fee is $5 for each trade name, paid on a Business License Application that also carries a non-refundable handling fee: $50 if the application opens a new business, $10 for most other filings, such as adding a trade name to an existing license. The Department of Revenue says a trade name stays registered until you cancel it, and canceling is free. There is no newspaper notice.

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

Washington DBA at a glance

Who files where
LLCs, corporations, sole proprietors and partnerships all register with the Department of Revenue (Business Licensing Service). There is no county filing.
Filing fee
$5 per trade name, plus a Business License Application handling fee: $50 if it opens a new business, $10 for most other filings
Renewal
None for the trade name itself. DOR says it stays registered until you cancel, and canceling is free. The business license renews, with a $5 handling fee
Publication
None
Does an LLC need one?
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

Does a Washington LLC need a DBA?

Yes, if it does business in Washington under any name other than its name as filed with the Secretary of State. The statute says each person who "carries on, conducts, or transacts business in this state under any trade name must register that trade name with the department." For a foreign or domestic limited liability company, the registration must set forth the LLC's name as filed with the Secretary of State (RCW 19.80.010). "The department" is the Department of Revenue (RCW 19.80.005).

A trade name is a name used to identify the business that is not, or does not include, the true and real name of all persons conducting it, or that includes words suggesting additional parties, such as "company," "and sons," or "and associates" (RCW 19.80.005(4)). The Department of Revenue's page says the same for an LLC: any name other than the one registered with the Secretary of State has to be registered as a trade name.

There is no fine. The only consequence the statute states is that a business trading under an unregistered trade name cannot bring a lawsuit in a Washington court until it has registered. Failing to register does not make its contracts invalid and does not stop it defending a suit (RCW 19.80.040). Chapter 19.80 RCW sets no other penalty.

Registering does not protect the name. The Department of Revenue's rule says trade name registration "does not afford any brand name protection" (WAC 458-02-300(3)(b)).

What it costs

The statute sets no dollar figure. It lets the Department of Revenue set trade name fees by rule, capped at the actual cost of administering the chapter (RCW 19.80.045). The rule, WAC 458-02-300(4), sets the trade name registration fee at $5 per name. Because you register on a Business License Application, the application also carries a handling fee, set by WAC 458-02-200(7):

  • Trade name registration: $5 for each name
  • Handling fee when the application opens a new business or reopens a closed one: $50
  • Handling fee for most other filings, including registering a trade name: $10
  • Cancel a trade name: no charge
  • Business license renewal handling fee: $5 (this renews the license, not the trade name)

So an LLC adding a trade name to a business license it already holds pays the $10 handling fee plus $5 for each name. An LLC opening its first business license account pays the $50 handling fee plus $5 for each name. Trade name fees are not refundable (WAC 458-02-300(5)), and the handling fee is non-refundable too.

How long it lasts and how to renew

The Department of Revenue's trade name page says a trade name stays registered indefinitely until the owner asks to cancel it, and that canceling costs nothing. We found no trade name renewal fee. Two things sit behind that:

  • Renewal is allowed by statute. The department may require renewal of trade names, no more often than annually, and must let you renew at the same time as your business license (RCW 19.80.080(1)). Its page says there is no renewal today, so check when you file.
  • The trade name follows the license. The department may cancel a trade name when the business license account with its Business Licensing Service is inactive (RCW 19.80.080(2)). Keep the business license renewed; its renewal handling fee is $5.

After you register, the statute asks for three things (RCW 19.80.025):

  • Notice of change when the true and real name of a person conducting the business, or a mailing address on the registration, changes.
  • Notice of cancellation when you stop using the trade name.
  • Cancellation plus a new registration, before doing any business, when a person is added to or removed from the business, or the wording or spelling of the trade name changes. A new registration is priced like any other, at $5 per name.

Is there a publication requirement?

No. Chapter 19.80 RCW, the whole trade name law, has eight sections: purposes, definitions, registration required, changes in registration, failure to file, rules and fees, collection of fees, and renewal and cancellation. None requires a newspaper notice, and none creates a county filing. Registration is with the Department of Revenue (RCW 19.80.010).

Sole proprietors and partnerships: same office, same fee

A sole proprietor or general partnership registers with the same department, on the same Business License Application, for the same fees. The registration must set out the true and real name or names of each person conducting the business, each person's post office address, and the name of the general partnership if there is one (RCW 19.80.010(1)).

For an individual, "true and real name" means the surname coupled with one or more of the individual's other names or initials (RCW 19.80.005(5)(a)). The Department of Revenue's page says a sole proprietor or partnership must register a name that is not the full legal name of the owner or owners, and that one business can register an unlimited number of trade names.

Forming an LLC does not remove the filing. If the LLC trades under a name other than its own, the LLC registers that name.

How to register an LLC trade name

  1. Check the name. Search the Department of Revenue's business lookup and the Secretary of State's corporation and LLC search. No match does not guarantee the name is unused, only that it has not been registered. Registration gives you no brand protection.
  2. Have your LLC's exact name, as filed with the Secretary of State, ready. The registration must set it out (RCW 19.80.010(3)).
  3. File a Business License Application with the Department of Revenue, online through My DOR or on paper by mail to the Business Licensing Service. List each trade name you want to register in the fees section.
  4. Pay $5 for each name plus the handling fee: $10 if your LLC already has a business license, $50 if the application opens a new business. Both are non-refundable.
  5. Keep the business license active. File a notice of change when a name or mailing address on the registration changes, and cancel the trade name when you stop using it.

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 Washington page.

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

What we couldn't verify

  • Whether an LLC with no other reason to hold a Washington business license can register a trade name on its own, and what it pays then. The Department of Revenue routes every trade name through a Business License Application and prices the handling fee at $50 when the application opens a new business, but its pages don't say how a first-time filer registering only a trade name is charged.
  • Whether the Department of Revenue charges anything for a notice of change. WAC 458-02-300(4) lists only the $5 per-name registration fee.
  • Any card or payment-processing charge on online payment. WAC 458-02-200(3) says the payment method may add one but gives no amount.
  • Renewal: RCW 19.80.080(1) lets the department require trade name renewal at the business license renewal, but its trade name page says a registration continues indefinitely. We found no current renewal fee for a trade name.
  • The Department of Revenue's trade name page still carries a banner from 2022 and shows no page date. The $5 fee was cross-checked against WAC 458-02-300 and the department's Business Bulletin 700 128, and the handling fees against WAC 458-02-200(7); all agree.
  • RCW 19.80.005(5) defines "true and real name" for individuals, corporations and limited partnerships but does not mention LLCs. We rely on RCW 19.80.010(3) and the Department of Revenue's page for the LLC rule.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a DBA cost in Washington?

The Department of Revenue charges $5 for each trade name (WAC 458-02-300), plus a non-refundable Business License Application handling fee: $50 if the application opens a new business, $10 for most other filings. There is no county fee and no newspaper cost.

Does a Washington LLC have to publish its trade name in a newspaper?

No. Chapter 19.80 RCW, the trade name law, has no publication step.

Do I file a Washington DBA with the county or the Secretary of State?

Neither. Under RCW 19.80.010 a trade name is registered with the Department of Revenue, through a Business License Application.

Do I have to renew a Washington trade name?

The Department of Revenue says a trade name stays registered until you cancel it, and canceling is free. The statute lets the department require renewal, no more often than annually and at the same time as the business license (RCW 19.80.080), so check when you file.

What happens if my LLC trades under a name it has not registered?

There is no fine. The LLC cannot bring a lawsuit in a Washington court until it registers, but its contracts stay valid and it can still defend a suit (RCW 19.80.040).

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