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Starting, running, and growing a business will take a lot of dedication, time, and, yes, paperwork. One thing that many business owners should consider is getting a DBA name. A “Doing Business As” or DBA can offer many benefits depending on if you own a sole proprietorship, limited liability company (LLC), or other entity, and deciding to get one is entirely up to you.
The following are brief descriptions about each state’s DBA filing requirements. Keep in mind that this is not legal advice, and we encourage you to contact a business attorney and/or your Secretary of State’s office, county clerk, or other appropriate party for rules and regulations concerning DBAs in your state, county, or city.
All information last updated in April 2022.
Here is an alphabetical list of each state’s DBA cost and what it’s known as.
In Alabama, a DBA is known as a “trade name” and must be filed with the Secretary of State.
The fee is $30.
In Alaska, a DBA is known as a trade name, “assumed name,” or “also known as” and must be filed with the Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development’s Division of Corporations, Business, and Professional Licensing.
The fee is $25.
In Arizona, a DBA is known as a trade name and must be filed with the Secretary of State.
The fee is $10.
In Arkansas, a DBA is known as a “fictitious name” and must be filed with the Secretary of State.
The fee is $25 by mail and $22.50 online.
In California, a DBA is known as a “fictitious business name” and must be filed at the county level.
The fee will vary by county.
In Colorado, a DBA is known as a trade name must be filed with the Secretary of State.
The fee is $20.
In Connecticut, a DBA is known as a trade name and must be filed with the town hall wherever the business is located.
The fee will vary by city.
In Delaware, a DBA is known as a trade name or a fictitious name and must be filed at the county level.
In Washington, D.C., a DBA is known as trade name and must be filed with the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs.
The fee is $55.
In Florida, a DBA is known as a fictitious name and must be filed with the Department of State’s Division of Corporations.
The fee is $50.
In Georgia, a DBA is known as a trade name and must be filed at the county level.
In Hawaii, a DBA is known as a trade name and must be filed with the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs.
In Idaho, a DBA is known as an “assumed business name” and must be filed with the Secretary of State.
The fee is $25 online and $45 by mail.
In Illinois, a DBA is known as an “assumed name” and must be filed with a county clerk.
This state has unique filing fee requirements:
For sole proprietorships, general partnerships, and professional corporations, filing must be done at the county level, so fees will vary.
In Indiana, a DBA is called a fictitious business name and must be filed at the county level.
The fee will vary depending on the county and business type.
In Iowa, a DBA is called a fictitious name and must be filed with the Secretary of State.
The fee is $5.
In Kansas, a DBA is known as a fictitious name. Filing one can be unique since there is no procedure to do so. Things depend on the business location, meaning that filing may be done either at the county or city level.
The fee will vary.
In Kentucky, a DBA is called an assumed name and must be filed with the Secretary of State.
In Louisiana, a DBA is known as a trade name. Businesses requesting a DBA will need to publish an article in their local newspaper to announce their DBA filing. The filing must be done with the Secretary of State.
The fee is $75.
In Maine, a DBA is known as an assumed name and must be filed with the Bureau of Corporations at the Office of the Secretary of State.
The fee varies by county.
In Maryland, a DBA is known as a trade name and must be filed with the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT)
In Massachusetts, a DBA is known as an assumed name and must be filed at the local level. This means that rules, guidelines, and the fee will vary.
In Michigan, a DBA is called an assumed name. For sole proprietorships and general partnerships, it’s done at the county level, so prices and rules will vary.
Businesses with Articles of Incorporation or Organization will need to file with the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. Fees will also depend on the business type:
In Minnesota, a DBA is known as an assumed name and must be filed with the Secretary of State. The state requires that a Certificate of Assumed Name be filed and published in a newspaper prior to doing business. It can be published in any newspaper in the county where the business is located in. The certificate must be published for two consecutive issues.
The fee depends on the method: $50 online or $30 by mail.
In Mississippi, a DBA is called a fictitious name. The state doesn’t require businesses to register a DBA name. If doing so, it has to be done with the Secretary of State.
In Missouri, a DBA is called a fictitious name and must be filed with the Secretary of State.
The fee is $7.
In Montana, a DBA is called an assumed name and must be filed with the Secretary of State.
In Nebraska, a DBA is known as a trade name and is not a legal requirement. If done, it must be filed with the Secretary of State.
The fee is $100.
In Nevada, a DBA is known as a “fictitious firm name” and must be filed at the county level. This means that regulations and cost will vary depending on the county.
In New Hampshire, a DBA is known as a trade name and must be filed with the Secretary of State.
In New Jersey, a DBA is known by different terms depending on the business type:
For an alternate name, a business will need to file form C-150G with the State Treasurer. For a trade name, registration is done at the county level via a Trade Name Certificate.
The fee for an alternate name is $50 and a fee for a trade name varies by county.
In New Mexico, a DBA is known as a trade name and isn’t required to file. However, if a business owner chooses to get one, it must be filed with the Secretary of State.
In New York, a DBA is known as a “certificate of assumed name” and must be filed with the New York State Department of State.
There is a general filing fee of $25 but additional fees will depend on location and business type. For example, for counties within New York City (The Bronx, Queens, etc.), the additional fee for corporations is $100 per county. For other counties, the fee is an additional $25 per county.
In North Carolina, a DBA is known as an “assumed business name certificate” and must be filed with the Register of Deeds office in the county the business is located in.
The fee depends on the county.
In North Dakota, a DBA is known as a trade name and must be filed with the Secretary of State.
In Ohio, a DBA can be known as a trade name or a fictitious name. Of the two, registering as a trade name ensures that no one else can use it. A DBA needs to be filed with the Secretary of State.
The fee is $39.
In Oklahoma, a DBA is known as a trade name and must be filed with the Secretary of State.
In Oregon, a DBA is known as an assumed business name and must be filed with the Secretary of State.
In Pennsylvania, a DBA is known as a fictitious name and must be filed with the Department of State.
The fee is $70.
In Rhode Island, a DBA is known as a fictitious business name and must be filed with the Secretary of State.
The fee is $50 for corporations, LLCs, and limited partnerships. The fee is $20 for nonprofits.
In South Carolina, a DBA is known as a fictitious name or an assumed name and must be filed at the local level. If the business is a limited partnership, it must file with the Secretary of State.
The fee will vary depending on the county or city.
For limited partnerships, the filing fee is $10.
In South Dakota, a DBA is known as a fictitious name and must be filed with the Secretary of State.
In Tennessee, a DBA is known as an assumed name (trade name and fictitious name are also sometimes used) and filing depends on the business type:
The fee for sole proprietorships and general partnerships varies by county and the fee for incorporated businesses is $20.
In Texas, a DBA is known as as an assumed name and filing depends on the business type:
The fee is $25 if filing with the Secretary of State but varies at the county level.
In Utah, a DBA is known as an assumed name and must be filed with the Division of Corporations and Commercial Code.
The fee is $22.
In Vermont, a DBA is known as an assumed business name and must be filed with the Secretary of State.
In Virginia, a DBA is known as a fictitious name and must be filed with the State Corporation Commission (SCC). Filing requirements are different for business entities and individuals, but both must done through the SCC.
In Washington, a DBA is known as a trade name and must be filed through the Department of Revenue.
In West Virginia, a DBA is known as a trade name and must be filed with the Secretary of State. Filing rules depend on the business type:
There is no fee for individuals, sole proprietorships, and general partnerships. The fee for other business entities is $25.
In Wisconsin, a DBA is known as a trade name and must be filed with the Department of Financial Institutions.
The fee is $15.
In Wyoming, a DBA is known as a trade name and must be filed with the Secretary of State.
If you need a DBA or want to learn more about what your business needs to be successful, then we can help. We offer many business services and aim to help you make your dream a reality. Want to learn more about DBAs? Review the DBA definition or our article on DBA myths for more information.
Written by Team ZenBusiness
ZenBusiness has helped people start, run, and grow over 700,000 dream companies. The editorial team at ZenBusiness has over 20 years of collective small business publishing experience and is composed of business formation experts who are dedicated to empowering and educating entrepreneurs about owning a company.
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