DBA registration: how to get a DBA, step by step

How DBA registration works

A DBA, short for doing business as, is a name you trade under that is not your legal name. The SBA describes it as a trade name, fictitious name, or assumed name. DBA registration means filing that name with the state, county, or city your business is located in. Which office takes the filing depends on your state and on whether you are a person or a registered company.

You need a DBA when you sell under a name other than your own. Example: a sole proprietor named Jane Smith who sells as Jane Smith does not need one, because if you conduct business as yourself using your legal name, you won’t need to register anywhere. If she sells as Smith Candle Co., the SBA notes that most states require you to register your DBA if you use one. A company that wants to keep its legal name but conduct business under a different name files a DBA too.

Registering a DBA doesn’t provide legal protection by itself. In Pennsylvania, for example, other individuals or entities may register the same fictitious name.

Rules vary by state, county and city, and they change. This page is general information, not legal or tax advice. Confirm the details with the office where you file.

Where to file a DBA: state or county

The SBA notes that requirements vary by business structure as well as by state, county, and municipality. In some states the filing goes to a state office, in others to the county clerk, and in some the answer depends on whether the owner is a person or a registered company. The table shows the office, fee and term for several of the largest states, taken from each state's own pages.

If your state is not in the table, search for its Secretary of State's assumed name, fictitious name or trade name page. The SBA notes that some counties and cities also require you to register your DBA, so check your county clerk's site as well.

How to file a DBA, step by step

The order is the same in most states. The forms and fees differ, so keep your state's filing page open while you work.

1. Choose the name and search it

   Search your state's business records and, where DBAs are filed locally, your county's records. The SBA warns that even with a DBA, trademark infringement laws will still apply, so also search the federal trademark database before you print anything.

2. Find the office that takes your filing

   Use the table above or your state's Secretary of State site. In Texas, for example, a sole proprietor files with the county clerk in each county in which a business office is or will be maintained, while an LLC or corporation files with the secretary of state.

3. Fill in the form

   Texas companies use Form 503. In Pennsylvania the form asks for a brief statement concerning the character or nature of the business. Have the name, your legal name and address, and the business address ready before you start.

4. Pay the fee and submit

   Pay the filing fee to the office that takes the form. Florida takes card payments only on its online filing: all payments by credit card must use the online registration.

5. Publish a notice if your state requires one

   California, Florida and Pennsylvania have newspaper notice rules, covered in the next section. Keep the newspaper's proof of publication with your business records.

6. Put the name to work

   Once the filing is accepted, you can use the name on your bank account, invoices and sales channels. Florida notes that most banks and financial institutions also require proof of registration when opening an account, and the SBA says that getting a DBA and federal tax ID number (EIN) allows you to open a business bank account.

How much does a DBA cost?

A DBA costs the filing fee, plus a newspaper notice in states that require one. Filing fees in the table range from a $5 fee for each trade name registered in Washington to $70 in Pennsylvania. In California the fee depends on the county, and the Secretary of State says to check with the county for specific requirements.

Ask the newspaper for its price for a legal notice before you file. Extra paperwork costs extra: in Florida a certified copy of the registration is $30.00 and a certificate of status is $10.00. In Texas, stopping use of a name with a statement of abandonment costs $10 for each statement of abandonment at the Secretary of State.

Newspaper publication rules

Some states require you to announce a new DBA in a local newspaper. The rules differ on timing and on who has to publish.

• California: the registrant publishes the statement in a newspaper of general circulation in the county where it was filed, within 45 days after a fictitious business name statement has been filed. The affidavit of publication goes back to the county clerk within 45 days after the completion of the publication.
• Florida: the name must be advertised at least once in a newspaper that is located within the county where your principal place of business is located. However, proof of advertisement is not required; you certify the name has been advertised when you sign the application.
• Pennsylvania: the Department of State says that if there is an individual listed in Box 4 of the Registration of Fictitious Name form [DSCB:54-311], advertising is required. In that case the advertisement should be placed in two newspapers of general circulation in the county in which the business will be located.

Ask the newspaper whether it is approved for legal notices in your county before you pay for one.

How long a DBA lasts and how to renew it

Each state sets how long a DBA lasts, and some states also end the registration early when your details change.

• Florida: a fictitious name is valid for 5 years. You can renew your fictitious name online or by mail.
• California: a statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the office of the county clerk, and it also expires 40 days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement.
• Texas: the certificate's term cannot exceed 10 years from the date of filing. To keep the name, a new assumed name certificate must be filed prior to the expiration of the current certificate. If your name, address or business structure changes, a new assumed name certificate must be filed within 60 days.
• Washington: a trade name will remain registered indefinitely until the owner requests that it be canceled.

Put the expiry date in your calendar when the filing is accepted.

How to register a business name as a sole proprietor

The SBA says you’re automatically considered to be a sole proprietorship if you do business activities but don’t register as any other kind of business. It also notes that sole proprietorships do not produce a separate business entity, so the DBA is how a sole proprietor registers a business name. The SBA confirms that sole proprietors are still able to get a trade name.

The SBA lists four different ways to register your business name: an entity name, a trademark, a DBA and a domain name. It adds that each of these name registrations are legally independent, so filing one does not give you the others. An entity name can protect the name of your business at a state level, and a trademark can protect the name of your business, goods, and services at a national level.

Where Nation fits

Questions about DBA registration