50-State Surveys › Assumed-Name (DBA) Registration Requirements by State
Assumed-Name (DBA) Registration Requirements by State
If you do business under a name other than your legal name, must you register that name in this state, where do you file, and what publication, fee, term, and renewal rules apply?
51 of 51 jurisdictions verified
every entry statute-checked, oldest 2026-07-23
What this survey covers
This survey answers one question for a business operating under a name that is not its owner's legal name: must you register that "doing business as" (DBA) name, and if so, where, on what deadline, with what publication, fee, term, and consequences for skipping it. It covers the general assumed-name filing that banks and contract counterparties routinely ask for. It does not cover forming the business entity, reserving a corporate or LLC name, or registering a trademark — those are separate filings with separate legal effects.
The trigger is a name that differs from the owner's legal name. California defines a fictitious business name for an individual as one that "does not include the surname of the individual or a name that suggests the existence of additional owners," and for an LLC or corporation as "any name other than" the name on file with the Secretary of State. Florida's Fictitious Name Act reaches "any name under which a person transacts business in this state, other than the person's legal name." In both, a business that uses its exact registered legal name files nothing. Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 17900; Fla. Stat. § 865.09.
Where you file is the main split
The central difference between states is the filing office. California is a county state: you file the fictitious business name statement with "the clerk of the county in which the registrant has his or her principal place of business," or with the Clerk of Sacramento County if you have no California location. Florida is a statewide state: you register with the Division of Corporations of the Department of State. A third group uses a dual scheme — a state such as Texas has businesses file with the county clerk while registered entities file with the Secretary of State, so the office depends on who you are. Alaska is a structural outlier: each operating name needs its own business license, while a separate filing is available for exclusive name rights. Wyoming takes the opposite approach and makes its statewide trade-name registration optional. A handful of states run no general assumed-name registry at all, so the honest answer there is that no state filing is required (a county filing may still apply). Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 17915; Fla. Stat. § 865.09; Alaska Stat. §§ 43.70.020 and 10.35.040; Wyo. Stat. § 40-2-104.
Publication and term vary too
A minority of states make you publish notice of the name in a newspaper. California requires the statement to be published in a general-circulation newspaper in the filing county "once a week for four successive weeks," with a proof-of-publication affidavit filed afterward. Florida instead makes a single newspaper advertisement a condition of the filing itself — you certify you have advertised the name "at least once" before registering. Most states require no publication at all.
Terms do not follow one uniform model. California and Florida use five-year terms, Vermont reregisters every five years, D.C. renews every two years on a fixed April calendar, and Wyoming's optional registration lasts ten years. Alaska again separates the tracks: the operating license is annual or biennial, while optional name protection runs through the fifth calendar year. Cal. Gov. Code § 6064; Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 17917; Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 17920; Fla. Stat. § 865.09; 11 V.S.A. § 1635; D.C. DLCP Form TN-2; Wyo. Stat. § 40-2-105.
Registration protects the public, not usually the name
Registering a DBA is mostly public notice, not a property right. Florida says so in plain terms: registration "is for public notice only, and does not give rise to a presumption of the registrant's rights to own or use the name registered," nor does it affect trademark or prior business-name rights. California's chapter is likewise "designed to make available to the public the identities of persons doing business under the fictitious name," and is "not intended to confer any right or advantage" on those who fail to comply.
That majority pattern has important exceptions. Some registries reject names that are not distinguishable on the agency's records; Alaska's optional Chapter 35 registration goes further and grants exclusive state-record use plus injunction and damages remedies. Even then, a DBA filing should not be treated as a substitute for federal or state trademark analysis. Fla. Stat. § 865.09; Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 17900; Alaska Stat. § 10.35.040.
Noncompliance consequences range from none to daily fines
Curable court-access bars recur, but they are not the only enforcement model. In California, a business operating under an unregistered fictitious name may not "maintain any action upon or on account of any contract made" in that name until the statement is filed and published. In Florida, a noncomplying business "may not maintain any action, suit, or proceeding in any court of this state" until it complies, and an aggrieved party "may be awarded reasonable attorney fees and court costs." Both bars are curable — you register, then you can sue — and neither voids the underlying contracts. D.C. uses a similar curable bar while expressly preserving contracts and defenses.
Other states fine the conduct directly. Vermont adds $50 per day, capped at $10,000 per year, plus overdue fees. At the other end, Wyoming imposes no nonfiling penalty because Chapter 2 registration is optional; its liability attaches to knowingly fraudulent registration instead. Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 17918; Fla. Stat. § 865.09; D.C. Code § 47-2855.03; 11 V.S.A. § 1626; Wyo. Stat. §§ 40-2-104 and 40-2-108.
How to use the table
Start with whether the state requires registration at all and under what statute. Then find the filing office — this is where states differ most — and the deadline. Check for a publication step, since most states have none and the few that do impose real cost and timing. Read the fee, term, and renewal together. Finally, treat name exclusivity and the noncompliance penalty as separate columns: name protection may be absent, record-limited, or express, and nonregistration may mean a curable suit-bar, a daily fine, another civil or criminal consequence, or nothing where filing is voluntary.
Get this answered for your state
This survey compares every state side by side. Ezel applies your state's law to your specific situation and answers with citations to the statutes.
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| State | Governing law and scheme | Who must register | Filing office | Filing deadline | Publication requirement | Filing fee | Term and renewal | Name exclusivity | Penalty for noncompliance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama verified 2026-07-30 | Ala. Code §§ 8-12-6 through 8-12-19 — optional statewide trade-name registration within the trademark/service-mark article; not a mandatory general DBA filing |
No one is required by Article 2 merely because a different business name is used. Any person who adopts and uses a trade name in Alabama may choose to register it as a mark (§§ 8-12-6(5), (10)–(11), 8-12-8(a)) |
Alabama Secretary of State; file the optional mark-registration application on the Secretary's form (§ 8-12-8(a)) |
None because registration is optional. The applicant must already have adopted and used the trade name in Alabama and must state first-use dates (§ 8-12-8(a)) |
None. The complete current Article 2 application and registration scheme, §§ 8-12-6 through 8-12-19, contains no newspaper notice or proof-of-publication step |
$30 for registration; Secretary may require a fee for each class included in a multi-class application. Assignment recordation is separately $30 (§§ 8-12-8(d), 8-12-11, 8-12-14(a)) |
5 years. If still in use, renew for successive 5-year terms during the 6 months before expiration; renewal fee $30 and continued-use statement required (§ 8-12-10) |
Registration can be refused for confusing similarity and gives the registered owner statutory infringement remedies, but good-faith common-law rights remain and registration is not conclusive ownership (§§ 8-12-7(6), 8-12-16, 8-12-18, 8-12-19) |
None for skipping the optional registration. Knowingly procuring a false or fraudulent registration creates liability for all resulting damages (§ 8-12-15) |
| Alaska verified 2026-07-26 | AS 43.70 and 12 AAC 12 require a statewide business license for each operating name; AS 10.35 provides a separate optional statewide registration for exclusive name rights |
Each nonexempt business must license every name under which it operates or advertises. An unincorporated/DBA business may additionally register the name for exclusivity (AS 43.70.020; 12 AAC 12.020; AS 10.35.040, .500) |
Alaska DCCED, Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing: Business Licensing for the per-name license; Corporations Section for optional AS 10.35 registration |
Obtain the per-name business license before engaging in business. Optional exclusive registration has no numeric deadline, but the official form requires the corresponding Alaska business license first (AS 43.70.020; Form 08-557) |
None. AS 43.70, 12 AAC 12, and AS 10.35 contain no newspaper-publication or proof-of-publication step |
$50 annual or $100 biennial business license per name; half-price for a qualifying senior or disabled-veteran sole proprietor. Optional name registration and renewal: $25 each (AS 43.70.030; 12 AAC 12.010; 3 AAC 16.010) |
License: annual or biennial calendar-year-based term. Optional registration: through December 31 of the fifth calendar year including the filing year; renew October 1-December 31 for the next 5 calendar years (12 AAC 12.040; AS 10.35.060-.070) |
Business license gives no exclusivity. Optional AS 10.35 registration requires distinguishability and grants exclusive use plus injunction and damages remedies (§ 10.35.040) |
Knowingly operating without a current per-name business license can draw a civil fine up to $300. Skipping optional AS 10.35 registration has no stated fine; the registrant simply does not receive that chapter's exclusivity and remedies (§§ 43.70.020(e), 10.35.040, .080) |
| Arizona verified 2026-07-25 | Dual alternative scheme: required county fictitious-name certificate under A.R.S. § 44-1236 for covered non-partnership businesses, satisfied instead by an optional statewide Secretary of State trade-name certificate under §§ 44-1460–44-1460.07 |
A non-partnership person or corporation transacting under a fictitious name that does not show the owner must record the county certificate, unless it has filed a Secretary of State trade-name certificate (§ 44-1236(A), (E)). Partnerships are excluded from the county mandate but may register statewide (§ 44-1460(A)) |
County recorder where the place of business is located (§ 44-1236(A)); alternative statewide filing with the Secretary of State (§§ 44-1236(E)(1), 44-1460(A)) |
No numeric start-up deadline. The county-certificate duty applies when transacting under the fictitious name, and the business cannot sue on a transaction made in that name until it records (§ 44-1236(A), (D)); statewide registration is optional |
None — neither § 44-1236 nor the statewide trade-name article (§§ 44-1460–44-1460.07) requires newspaper publication |
Secretary of State trade-name filing: $10 under the office's filing instructions. Section 44-1236 sets no county dollar amount; the county recorder's recording fee applies |
County certificate: no expiration stated, but a new certificate is required on an ownership change (and on a corporate transfer of the name) (§ 44-1236(B)–(C)). State registration: 5 years; renew during the 6 months before expiration for another 5 years (§ 44-1460.02) |
State registration has a narrow statutory priority: if earlier than corporate articles or a corporate-name reservation, it gives the registrant the exclusive right to use the name, while preserving earlier common-law rights (§ 44-1460.05). County recording has no comparable grant in § 44-1236 |
Curable suit-bar for the required county route: no action on a contract or transaction made in the fictitious name until the certificate is recorded (§ 44-1236(D)). The statewide filing is optional, so not choosing it carries no separate penalty |
| Arkansas verified 2026-07-27 | Ark. Code §§ 4-70-201–206, 4-27-404, and 4-38-122 — county filing for persons covered by the assumed-name subchapter; state filing for corporations and LLCs, with a second county copy for most domestic corporations |
A person using a name other than the real name of the individual conducting the business, unless excluded by § 4-70-201; corporations and domestic/foreign LLCs have separate pre-use fictitious-name filing duties (§§ 4-27-404, 4-38-122) |
County route: clerk of every county where business is or will be conducted. Corporation/LLC route: Secretary of State; a domestic corporation also files the returned copy in its registered-office county unless that office is in Pulaski County (§§ 4-70-203, 4-27-404, 4-38-122) |
Before conducting business under the assumed or fictitious name; the statutes provide no grace period (§§ 4-70-203, 4-27-404, 4-38-122) |
None — the complete county, corporation, and LLC filing provisions require no newspaper notice or proof of publication |
$1 statutory county-clerk fee. Current domestic corporation and LLC filing: $22.50 online or $25 paper; domestic LP, LLP, and LLLP schedules list $15 paper filings |
No fixed expiration or periodic renewal. Ownership withdrawal triggers a county certificate; corporations and LLCs must cancel after ceasing use of the fictitious name (§§ 4-70-204, 4-27-404, 4-38-122) |
State filings are screened against Secretary of State records, but corporation and LLC compliance expressly gives no exclusive right to the fictitious name (§§ 4-27-404, 4-38-122) |
County route: violation and $25–$100 fine for each day. Corporation/LLC route: claims under an instrument naming only the DBA cannot be enforced until compliance plus a $300 civil penalty, while obligations against the entity remain enforceable (§§ 4-70-202, 4-27-404, 4-38-122) |
| California verified 2026-07-23 | Fictitious Business Names Act, Bus. & Prof. Code §§ 17900–17930 — county-level filing plus newspaper publication |
Anyone regularly transacting business for profit under a name that omits the owner's surname or implies other owners; for an LLC or corporation, any name other than its Secretary of State-registered name (§§ 17900, 17910) |
Clerk of the county of the principal place of business; Clerk of Sacramento County if the registrant has no California location (§ 17915) |
Within 40 days of starting to transact business under the name (§ 17910(a)) |
Publish in a general-circulation newspaper in the filing county once a week for four successive weeks (Gov. Code § 6064), within 45 days of filing; file a publication affidavit within 45 days after publication ends (§ 17917) |
The chapter sets no filing fee; the county clerk charges its own fee and the registrant separately pays the newspaper's publication cost (§§ 17910–17930, § 17917) |
Expires five years from the filing date; refile a new statement to continue (also expires 40 days after a change in the stated facts, or on an abandonment filing) (§ 17920) |
None — filing is public notice only and is 'not intended to confer any right or advantage'; exclusive rights come from trademark law, not this filing (§ 17900(a)) |
No lawsuit on a contract made under the name until the statement is filed and published (curable, does not void the contract); a knowingly false statement is a misdemeanor, fine up to $1,000 (§§ 17918, 17930) |
| Colorado verified 2026-07-25 | Statewide Secretary of State trade-name system under C.R.S. §§ 7-71-101–107; mandatory for covered for-profit users, optional for nonprofits |
A person transacting under a name other than the person's true name; an ordinary general partnership triggers filing unless the business name contains every general partner's true name (§ 7-71-101). Nonprofit entities may file but are not required (§ 7-71-107) |
Colorado Secretary of State — online-only Statement of Trade Name matched to the filer's business type |
Before transacting business under the other name; an effective statement must already be on file (§ 7-71-101) |
None — Article 71 and the Secretary of State's filing workflow require no newspaper notice or proof of publication |
$20 initial online statement; $5 renewal; $10 withdrawal, change, or correction under the current Secretary of State fee schedule |
Reporting entity: perpetual while the entity remains compliant; delinquency/dissolution starts a one-year tail unless cured/reinstated or annually renewed. Other filers: through the last day of the 12th calendar month after filing; renew in the final 3 calendar months for 1 more year (§§ 7-71-104–105) |
None — the Secretary of State says trade names are not distinguishable or unique, multiple persons may file the same name, and a trade name cannot be reserved |
Curable bar on maintaining a Colorado debt-collection proceeding until filing; civil penalty up to $500 and possible injunction. Acts and property title remain valid, and the person may defend a case (§ 7-71-102) |
| Connecticut verified 2026-07-25 | Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 35-1a to 35-1e — one-town trade-name certificate filed with the local town clerk; the Secretary of the State supplies the form and statewide search system |
A person or business using a name other than the operator's real name must file. An entity using its exact registered name is exempt; a partnership name containing at least one partner's true surname remains allowed (§§ 35-1a(a), 35-1d(a)–(b)) |
Town clerk where the business is or will be principally transacted (§ 35-1a(b)). One principal-town filing covers a multi-town business; a foreign entity with no Connecticut office uses its resident agent's town (Secretary of the State guidance) |
Before transacting business under the assumed or fictitious name—the certificate must already have been issued (§ 35-1a(a), (d)) |
None — §§ 35-1a to 35-1e prescribe the application, acknowledgment, local filing, indexing, renewal, and penalties without a newspaper-publication step |
$20 for an application, renewal, amendment, cancellation, or other trade-name filing (§ 7-34a(a)(1)) |
Five years from issuance; renew during the six months before expiration. A timely renewal runs five years from the prior expiration date. Pre-2025 certificates expire Dec. 31, 2029 unless renewed (§§ 35-1a(d)–(e), 35-1b(a)) |
None — the clerk need not determine that the name is unique, and multiple businesses may use the same trade name (§ 35-1d(c); Secretary of the State guidance) |
Up to a $500 fine, up to 1 year of imprisonment, or both; noncompliance is also an unfair or deceptive trade practice (§ 35-1d(d)) |
| Delaware verified 2026-07-26 | 6 Del. C. ch. 31 — mandatory statewide Division of Revenue registry for persons/firms/associations; optional registration for corporations and LLCs |
A person, firm, or association doing business under a name that does not disclose the legal name of the person or every member (§ 3101). Legally incorporated companies are exempt, and corporation/LLC registration is optional (§§ 3107-3108) |
Delaware Division of Revenue through Delaware OneStop; statewide since Feb. 2, 2026, replacing county Prothonotary filing (§§ 3101, 3103; OneStop) |
Before engaging in, prosecuting, or transacting business under the trade name (§ 3101). No statutory deadline for optional corporation/LLC registration |
None. Chapter 31 requires registration but no newspaper notice or proof of publication |
$25 statewide DBA registration; updates and cancellation have no fee. An associated Delaware business license is separate (§ 3103; OneStop) |
DBA registration does not expire and requires no renewal. The associated business license has separate renewal/maintenance rules; firm/association membership changes must be filed within 10 days (§ 3102; OneStop) |
No statutory exclusive right or distinguishability screen in Chapter 31; the filing creates a searchable public registry identifying the trade name and its legal owners (§ 3103; Division of Revenue) |
For a required filer, up to $100, up to 3 months in jail, or both (§ 3106); willfully false affidavits are false swearing (§ 3105). Corporation/LLC registration is optional. An Aug. 23, 2026 technical amendment leaves the core § 3101 penalty unchanged |
| District of Columbia verified 2026-07-26 | D.C. Code §§ 47-2855.01-.03 and 17 DCMR ch. 89 — mandatory statewide trade-name registration with the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection |
Any person carrying on, conducting, or transacting District business under a trade name: a name that omits the true and real name of all persons conducting the business or suggests additional parties such as “company,” “and sons,” or “and associates.” An individual using the qualifying true name, or an entity using its exact registered name, does not trigger the trade-name filing (§§ 47-2855.01(7)-(8), 47-2855.02(a)) |
D.C. Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection, Corporations Division; file through CorpOnline (§§ 47-2855.01(2), 47-2855.02; DLCP) |
The statute requires registration when a person carries on, conducts, or transacts District business under the trade name and gives no grace period. A changed owner or changed wording/spelling requires cancellation plus a new registration before business continues under the changed facts (§§ 47-2855.02(a), 47-2855.03(c)) |
None. The current trade-name code and 17 DCMR ch. 89 impose registration but no newspaper notice or proof-of-publication step |
$55 registration; $55 renewal; $55 late-renewal fee; amendment and cancellation also cost $55 (DLCP fee schedule) |
Biennial. The first renewal is due April 1 of the second year from the registration year, and every two years thereafter. A late renewal may be filed through August 31 with an additional $55; DLCP cancels an unrenewed name on September 1 (DLCP; TN-2) |
The proposed trade name must be distinguishable on the Mayor's records from filing-entity names, reserved or registered entity names, other registered trade names, and government names (§ 47-2855.02(d)). This is a registry availability rule, not a trademark registration |
A person using an unregistered trade name cannot maintain a suit in a D.C. court until it completes registration. The failure does not invalidate its contracts or acts and does not prevent it from defending a suit (§ 47-2855.03(d)-(e)) |
| Florida verified 2026-07-23 | Fictitious Name Act, Fla. Stat. § 865.09 — statewide registration with the Division of Corporations |
Anyone who transacts business in Florida under 'any name … other than the person's legal name'; a licensed attorney or professional using their licensed name, or an entity registered and active with the Division under its legal name, is exempt unless the business name differs (§ 865.09(2)(c), (3), (7)) |
Division of Corporations of the Department of State — a single statewide filing (§ 865.09(2)(b), (3)(a)) |
Before doing business under the name — you 'may not engage in business under a fictitious name unless the person first registers' (§ 865.09(3)(a)) |
Advertise the name at least once, before registering, in a newspaper in the county of the principal place of business; the registration certifies that ad (a single advertisement, not a multi-week run) (§ 865.09(3)(a)5) |
$50 to register (also $50 to cancel/reregister and $50 to renew) (§ 865.09(12)) |
Valid until December 31 of the 5th calendar year; renew between January 1 and December 31 of the expiration year for another 5 years (§ 865.09(5), (6)) |
None — registration 'is for public notice only, and does not give rise to a presumption of the registrant's rights to own or use the name,' does not reserve it, and does not affect prior trademark or entity-name rights (§ 865.09(8)) |
Cannot maintain any court action on behalf of the business until it registers (the contract stays valid, and the business may still defend a suit), and an aggrieved party 'may be awarded reasonable attorney fees and court costs' (§ 865.09(9)) |
| Georgia verified 2026-07-27 | O.C.G.A. §§ 10-1-490–10-1-493 — county superior-court-clerk filing plus two-week newspaper publication |
A person, firm, partnership, or entity using a trade or business name that does not disclose ownership or differs from its filed legal name; corporations, LPs, and LLCs using their exact filed names, and professionals using a partnership name, are exempt (§§ 10-1-490, 10-1-492) |
Clerk of the superior court in the county where the business is chiefly carried on; a domestic corporation files in the county of its legal domicile (§ 10-1-490) |
Before commencing business under the trade name (§ 10-1-490) |
Publish notice in the newspaper carrying the county sheriff's legal advertisements once a week for two weeks; no statewide post-filing deadline is stated (§ 10-1-490) |
$15 statutory clerk registration fee, plus the newspaper's publication charge; Georgia.gov says county forms and total payment procedures vary (§§ 10-1-490, 15-6-77(g)(10)) |
No fixed expiration or periodic renewal; file a new or amended registration when ownership changes, and Georgia.gov directs a new amended filing to change the trade name (§ 10-1-490) |
No exclusive name right is stated — the statute creates a county filing and alphabetical ownership index, and Georgia.gov directs applicants to search the county records (§ 10-1-490) |
Misdemeanor; contracts remain valid and lawsuits are not defeated, but an unregistered plaintiff is charged court costs (§§ 10-1-491, 10-1-493) |
| Hawaii verified 2026-07-25 | Haw. Rev. Stat. ch. 482, pt. II — optional statewide trade-name registration and protection |
No one is required to register. Any person claiming to be the sole original proprietor, or the proprietor's assignee, may apply (§ 482-2; DCCA) |
Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Business Registration Division (§ 482-2; DCCA) |
None because registration is optional. The application identifies the business in which the name is used (§ 482-2) |
None. Chapter 482, Part II contains no newspaper-publication step |
$50 for initial registration; optional expedited review is $20 (§ 482-2(c); DCCA) |
5 years while the name remains in actual use; renew for additional 5-year periods during the final 6 months for $50. Registration is revocable after 365 consecutive days of nonuse (§§ 482-3, -6) |
Constructive statewide notice and rejection of substantially identical registrations, but no ownership grant; prior common-law and other rights remain (§ 482-3; DCCA) |
No penalty for not registering because filing is optional. False filings can be a Class C felony or misdemeanor, and fraudulent registration creates liability for resulting damages (§§ 482-51, -52) |
| Idaho verified 2026-07-25 | Idaho Code §§ 30-21-801 to -810 — mandatory statewide Assumed Business Names Act filing |
A filing entity or LLP using any name other than its true name; an individual or other business using a name that does not fully include every financially interested person's true name (§ 30-21-803) |
Idaho Secretary of State (§ 30-21-805) |
Before beginning to transact business under the assumed name; file a separate certificate for each name (§ 30-21-805) |
None. Part 8 requires filing with the Secretary of State but no newspaper notice |
$25 base/online; paper filing adds a $20 manual-processing fee, for $45 total (official form) |
Effective upon filing until canceled; no expiration or renewal. Amend ownership, address, or materially misleading information within 90 days (§§ 30-21-807 to -809) |
None. Filing is public disclosure and confers no exclusive right to the name (§ 30-21-802) |
Cannot maintain an Idaho court action until filing; a person who suffers loss may recover the loss, attorney fees, and costs. False, misleading, or incomplete certificates also count (§ 30-21-810) |
| Illinois verified 2026-07-23 | Two schemes by who you are. Individuals and general partnerships file under the Assumed Business Name Act, 805 ILCS 405/1 et seq. — County Clerk filing plus mandatory newspaper publication. Corporations, LLCs, LPs, and LLPs are excluded from that Act (§ 4) and instead adopt an assumed name with the Secretary of State under their own governing act (e.g., Business Corporation Act, 805 ILCS 5/4.15) |
An individual or general partnership doing business under any name other than the real name(s) of the owner(s) files under the Assumed Business Name Act (§ 1). A corporation, LLC, LP, or LLP using a name other than its true registered name adopts an assumed name with the Secretary of State (§ 4; 805 ILCS 5/4.15). An entity using its exact registered name files nothing |
Individuals/partnerships: the County Clerk of each county where the business is conducted (§ 1). Registered entities: the Illinois Secretary of State (§ 4; 805 ILCS 5/4.15) |
Before conducting business under the name (§ 1; 805 ILCS 5/4.15(c)). On the county track you then publish within 15 days after filing and file proof of publication within 50 days (§ 1) |
County track only, and mandatory: publish notice of the filing in a county newspaper of general circulation "once a week for 3 consecutive weeks," first insertion within 15 days of filing, proof filed within 50 days — "Unless proof of publication is made ... the certificate ... is void" (§ 1). A home-based owner who reasonably fears for their safety may instead name the county clerk as agent for service of process and keep the home address confidential, with a court order or police report (§ 1a). The Secretary of State entity track has no publication |
County track: the County Clerk's statutory indexing-and-filing fee is $5 (§ 3), plus the separate newspaper-publication cost. Entity track: assumed-name filing and renewal fees are set by the entity's governing act (805 ILCS 5/4.15(e)) |
County track: no fixed term or renewal cycle, but a change of name, address, or added owner — or a move or added location in another county — requires a new certificate and republication (§ 1). Entity track: an assumed corporate name runs until the anniversary month in the next year evenly divisible by 5, renewable for 5-year periods with the annual report (805 ILCS 5/4.15(d)–(e)) |
County track: none — the certificate is an indexed public record and presumptive evidence of the facts, not a grant of rights (§ 3). Entity track: an assumed corporate name must be distinguishable from existing names (805 ILCS 5/4.15(a)), giving registered entities limited name priority; broader brand rights come from trademark law |
County track: conducting business without complying is a Class C misdemeanor, and "each day ... shall be deemed a separate offense" (§ 5); separately, without proof of publication the registration is void (§ 1). The Act imposes no general suit-bar |
| Indiana verified 2026-07-25 | Dual scheme under Ind. Code § 23-0.5-3-4: individuals and general partnerships use county recorders; filing entities use the Secretary of State |
An individual or ordinary general partnership using a name other than its real name, and a filing entity using a name other than the name in its organic record (§ 23-0.5-3-4(a), (e)). Surname and recorded-trust exemptions apply (§ 23-0.5-3-4(i)) |
Individual/general partnership: recorder of each county where it has a place of business or office. Filing entity: Indiana Secretary of State only (§ 23-0.5-3-4(a), (e)); the state FAQ confirms Secretary-of-State entities do not file at county level |
No numeric grace period. Section 23-0.5-3-4 applies while the business is conducting or transacting business under the assumed name |
None — § 23-0.5-3-4 requires the certificate but contains no newspaper notice or proof-of-publication step |
Secretary of State: per name, $20 electronic/$30 nonelectronic for a for-profit entity; $10/$26 for a nonprofit (§ 23-0.5-9-40). County: $25 base recording fee, subject to any authorized county housing surcharge (§ 36-2-7-10(c)) |
No fixed expiration or periodic renewal stated. A filer may record a discontinuance; a county filer must record a dissolution notice before dissolving (§ 23-0.5-3-4(c), (g)) |
Secretary-of-State assumed names must be distinguishable on the state records, subject to consent (§ 23-0.5-3-1(a)–(b)). The county-recording provisions create an index but state no comparable exclusive right (§ 23-0.5-3-4(b)) |
Class B infraction (§ 23-0.5-3-4(j)); a court may enter a judgment up to $1,000 for a Class B infraction (§ 34-28-5-4(b)) |
| Iowa verified 2026-07-25 | Dual scheme: Iowa Code ch. 547 county trade-name statement for nonexempt owners; listed registered entities file a fictitious-name resolution with the Secretary of State under their entity statute |
County route: a person using a name other than the true surname of every owner. Domestic/authorized LPs, LLCs, corporations, professional corporations, listed cooperatives, and nonprofits are exempt from ch. 547 but file an entity resolution if using a fictitious name (§ 547.1) |
County recorder where the business will be conducted for ch. 547 filers; Iowa Secretary of State for listed registered entities (§ 547.1; §§ 489.112(8), 490.401(5)) |
County statement must be recorded before conducting business under the name (§ 547.1). Entity statutes require delivery of the certified resolution when the entity uses the fictitious name, with no separate day count (§§ 489.112(8), 490.401(5)) |
None — neither ch. 547 nor the Secretary of State's fictitious-name resolution requires newspaper publication |
County route: $5 per page plus two $1 per-transaction surcharges (§§ 547.3, 331.604). Secretary of State entity resolution: $5 (official form 635_9999) |
No fixed expiration or periodic renewal in the cited statutes or official form. County filers record a new verified statement when ownership changes (§ 547.2) |
County recording does not grant statutory exclusivity. A Secretary of State fictitious name becomes part of the entity-name distinguishability records, but filing is not trademark registration (§ 489.112(2)(f)) |
County-route violation is a simple misdemeanor, and each day is a separate offense (§§ 547.4–.5). The listed registered entities are exempt from that ch. 547 penalty (§ 547.1) |
| Kansas verified 2026-07-25 | No general Kansas DBA registration scheme; the Secretary of State expressly does not register assumed, fictitious, trade, or DBA names |
No state DBA filer. Sole proprietors do not register with the Secretary of State, and general partnerships need not register; registered entities file under their legal names (Secretary of State guidance) |
None for a DBA. The Kansas Secretary of State does not accept a DBA, fictitious-, assumed-, or trade-name registration |
None — no state DBA filing exists |
None under a statewide DBA-registration law; Kansas has no such filing scheme |
None for a DBA filing because Kansas does not offer one |
None for a DBA. A separate entity-name reservation lasts 120 days, and a separate partnership-authority statement is canceled after 5 years (§§ 17-7923, 56a-303) |
No exclusivity from using a DBA because no DBA registration exists. A separate reservation of a future entity name can confer exclusive use for 120 days (§ 17-7923) |
None for failure to make a nonexistent state DBA filing; separate entity-formation, foreign-registration, licensing, and trademark rules may still apply |
| Kentucky verified 2026-07-25 | KRS 365.015 and 365.990 — mandatory assumed-name certificate with a split county-only or state-and-county route by business type |
An individual or listed business organization that conducts Kentucky business under a name or style other than its statutory real name; exact-real-name use does not trigger the filing (§ 365.015(1)–(2)) |
Individual: county clerk where the principal place of business is maintained. Listed entities: Secretary of State, then a stamped copy with the registered-agent county clerk or, if no agent is required, principal-office county clerk; state only if neither is in Kentucky (§ 365.015(3)) |
Before conducting or transacting Kentucky business under the assumed name (§ 365.015(2)(a)) |
None — KRS 365.015 requires the certificate filings but no newspaper notice or proof of publication |
Secretary of State: $20 per certificate, amendment, or renewal. County clerk: $33 for an assumed-name filing up to 5 pages, plus $3 per additional page; the applicable route may require one or both fees (§ 365.015(11); § 64.012(1)(a)) |
Five years from filing; renew during the final 6 months for successive 5-year terms, using the original filing route; withdraw when use ends (§ 365.015(4)–(5)) |
No automatic protection from others' use, although a Secretary of State-filed name must be distinguishable from names already on that office's records (§ 365.015(2)(d), (7)) |
$25–$100 fine, 10–30 days' imprisonment, or both; each continuing day is a separate offense (§ 365.990(1)) |
| Louisiana verified 2026-07-25 | Dual system: mandatory parish assumed-business-name certificate under La. R.S. 51:281–284 for covered noncorporate users; separate optional statewide trade-name registration under La. R.S. 51:211–219 |
A person transacting under a name other than the real name of the individual conducting the business; corporations are exempt, and a partnership is exempt when its name includes the real name of at least one person transacting the business (§§ 51:281, 51:283) |
Mandatory DBA: clerk of court in every parish where the person conducts or intends to conduct business; register of conveyances in New Orleans. Optional trade-name protection: Louisiana Secretary of State (§§ 51:281, 51:214) |
Before transacting business under the assumed name; a license collector may not issue the business license without the clerk/register certificate (§ 51:281) |
None — §§ 51:281–284 require filing and notarized acknowledgment but no newspaper notice or publication affidavit |
Parish DBA: no fixed fee stated in §§ 51:281–284; obtain the current recording/certificate charge from each clerk. Optional Secretary of State trade-name registration or renewal: $75; reservation: $25 (§ 49:222(B)(5)) |
Parish DBA certificate: no expiration or renewal stated. Optional state trade-name registration: 10 years; renew during the final 6 months for another 10 years, with late renewal still available to the prior registrant (§ 51:216) |
Parish filing states ownership identity but grants no exclusive-name right. Optional state registration is availability-screened against trade, LLC, partnership, and corporate names; the Secretary of State says filing makes the name unavailable to others, and a reservation gives 120 days of exclusive use (§§ 51:213–215) |
Violation of the parish-filing subpart: $25–$100 fine, 10–60 days' imprisonment, or both; each day of continued business is a separate offense. A license issuer who skips the certificate is also punishable (§ 51:284) |
| Maine verified 2026-07-25 | 31 M.R.S. ch. 1 plus entity-specific statutes — mandatory dual municipal/state assumed-name scheme |
Sole proprietors using a name other than their own and general partnerships/associations (§§ 1-2); corporations, LLCs, LPs, and LLPs using a name other than their legal entity name (entity statutes; Secretary of State) |
Municipal clerk where the business is carried on for sole proprietors/general partnerships; Maine Secretary of State for registered entities (§§ 1-2, 7; entity statutes) |
Before commencing business for municipal filings; before transacting business under the assumed name for registered entities (§§ 1-2; 13-C M.R.S. § 404(4); 31 M.R.S. § 1510(3)) |
None. The municipal and state statutes require filing but no newspaper notice |
Municipal fee is not fixed by state statute and varies by clerk; state filing is $125 for a for-profit entity or $25 for a nonprofit corporation (Secretary of State form) |
No fixed expiration or renewal for either route. Municipal filings remain on the local record; state entity filings remain until terminated |
Municipal names are not screened for availability. State entity names are screened for distinguishability, but filing alone does not establish actual use or defeat prior rights (Secretary of State; entity statutes) |
Municipal-route failure: $5 for each day in default; a false sworn certificate is perjury (§§ 3, 5). Unregistered entity use may be enjoined by the Attorney General or an adversely affected person (13-C M.R.S. § 404(6); 31 M.R.S. § 1510(5)) |
| Maryland verified 2026-07-25 | Statewide trade-name certificate under Md. Code, Corps. & Ass'ns § 1-406, recorded in SDAT's public agency record |
A person engaged in a mercantile, trading, or manufacturing business as an agent, or doing business or trading under a designation, title, or name other than the person's own name (§ 1-406(a)); SDAT's form accepts individuals and legal entities |
Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT), Charter Division — statewide, online through Maryland Business Express or by trade-name application |
Before commencing operation of the business under the trade name (§ 1-406(a)) |
None — § 1-406 and SDAT's current application require filing with the Department but no newspaper notice or affidavit of publication |
$25 for initial registration and $25 for each amendment, cancellation, or renewal (§ 1-406(e)); optional expedited service costs extra |
5 years from filing; renew within the 6 months before expiration for another 5 years (§ 1-406(f)). If not renewed, SDAT forfeits the trade name and requires a new application |
Record-level distinguishability, not substantive ownership: trade-name filers are included in Subtitle 5's entity-name records (§§ 1-501, 1-504), but SDAT says acceptance confers no greater right to use the name and is not a trademark filing |
Section 1-406 states no separate fine or suit-bar for merely omitting registration. Willfully and knowingly filing a false certificate is a misdemeanor: up to $1,000, 1 year imprisonment, or both (§ 1-406(h)) |
| Massachusetts verified 2026-07-25 | Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 110, § 5 — municipal business-certificate system, filed with city and town clerks rather than a statewide DBA registry |
Any person conducting business under a title other than the real name of the person conducting it, individually or as a partnership (§ 5). A business using its exact legal name does not trigger the certificate |
Clerk of every city or town where the business has an office (§ 5); a business with offices in multiple municipalities files in each |
No numeric start-up deadline; § 5 requires the certificate whenever a person is conducting business under the other title |
None — § 5 requires a sworn municipal filing but no newspaper notice or proof of publication |
Municipal fee. The statutory default is $1, but a city or town may set a different fee by local action (ch. 262, § 34, opening clause and cl. (20)) |
4 years from issue; renew every 4 years while the business continues or the certificate lapses and is void (§ 5). File a sworn update for withdrawal, residence change, or business-location change |
The § 5 certificate itself states no exclusive-right grant. Separate corporate-name law may block a new corporation whose name is the same as or likely to be mistaken for an existing corporation's or other business's trade name (ch. 156D, § 4.01(b)) |
Fine of up to $300 for each month the § 5 violation continues |
| Michigan verified 2026-07-28 | Split scheme: Act 101 of 1907, MCL §§ 445.1–445.5, requires county filing for covered noncorporate users; corporations, LLCs, and limited partnerships file statewide under MCL §§ 450.1217, 450.4206, and 449.1104 |
A person using a name other than the owner's real name must file; Act 101 covers individuals, general partnerships, trusts, fiduciaries, and other contracting entities except corporations and limited partnerships (§§ 445.1, 445.4). Corporations, LLCs, and LPs file when using a name other than the name in their formation or authority record (§§ 450.1217, 450.4206, 449.1104) |
County route: clerk of every county where the business is conducted, intended, or has an office (§ 445.1). Entity route: Michigan LARA Corporations Division / MiBusiness Registry (Form 541) |
County route: before commencing business under the name (§ 445.2). Entity route: no separate grace period; the certificate is the statutory route for transacting under the assumed name (§§ 450.1217, 450.4206, 449.1104) |
None — the current county and entity statutes require filing but no newspaper notice |
Oakland County's current form charges $10; Act 101 still contains both $6 filing language and a separate $10 indexing/filing provision, so confirm locally (§§ 445.1, 445.3). LARA: $10 for business corporations and LPs; $25 for LLCs (Form 541 fee schedule; § 450.5101) |
County certificate: 5 years; renew before expiration for another 5 years (§ 445.1a). Corporation, LLC, and LP certificate: through December 31 of the fifth full calendar year after filing; renew no earlier than 90 days before expiration for another 5 full calendar years (§§ 450.1217, 450.4206, 449.1104) |
No substantive name right from an entity certificate; county clerks may reject a misleading, already-filed, or confusingly similar name, but that is record screening rather than trademark protection (§ 445.2; §§ 450.1217, 450.4206, 449.1104) |
County-route violation: misdemeanor, $25–$100 fine, up to 30 days in jail, or both, with each day separate; contracts remain valid, but suit is barred until compliance (§ 445.5). The cited entity assumed-name sections state no separate DBA-specific penalty |
| Minnesota verified 2026-07-25 | Minn. Stat. §§ 333.001–333.065 — statewide Secretary of State certificate, followed by county newspaper publication |
Any person conducting a commercial business under a name that does not state the statutory true name of every interested person: full individual name, every partner's full name, or the entity's full legal name, depending on form (§§ 333.001, 333.01) |
Minnesota Secretary of State; the filed certificate states the assumed name and business address plus every person conducting the business and that person's address (§ 333.01) |
Before commencing business under the assumed name (§ 333.02) |
After filing, publish the certificate in a qualified newspaper in the county of the principal or registered office for two successive issues; the Secretary of State says the newspaper returns an affidavit that the business should retain (§ 333.01) |
$30 statutory fee for an initial certificate or other nonrenewal assumed-name filing; annual renewal is free. The current form charges $50 for expedited in-person or online filing and $30 by mail (§ 333.055) |
Effective on filing; file a free renewal in every later calendar year. A certificate expires in the calendar year after a year in which renewal was missed and may be reinstated with the renewal plus $25 (§ 333.055). Amend and republish within 60 days after filed information becomes incorrect (§ 333.035) |
No exclusive right to the assumed name: identical assumed names may coexist. The name still must be distinguishable from specified entity names and registered state marks unless consent, a prior-right decree, or a qualifying nonuser affidavit is filed (§ 333.055) |
A defendant may stay the unregistered business's contract or transaction action until filing; § 333.06 also imposes a $250 cost or judgment adjustment and a $250 cost when the noncompliant business defends. Violations additionally carry § 8.31 enforcement and private remedies (§§ 333.06, 333.065) |
| Mississippi verified 2026-07-25 | Miss. Code §§ 75-93-1 to -31 — centralized statewide voluntary registration, not a mandatory DBA filing (§ 75-93-3) |
No one must register. Any defined entity using a name other than its legal name may register voluntarily; the definition includes sole proprietors, partnerships, corporations, LLCs, nonprofits, trusts, and other undertakings (§§ 75-93-5, -7) |
Mississippi Secretary of State; one fictitious business name per application (§ 75-93-7) |
No initial deadline because registration is voluntary. After registering, file an amendment within 30 days after a material change to the application information (§ 75-93-9) |
None — Chapter 93 requires no newspaper publication |
$25 for registration or renewal; no separate fee when an entity required to file an annual report submits the registration or renewal with that report (§ 75-93-21) |
5 years; expires December 31 of the fifth-anniversary year. Renew January 1–December 31 of the expiration year for another 5 years (§ 75-93-11) |
None. Registration is public notice only, creates no presumption of exclusive rights, and does not preserve the name against another user's later use or registration (§§ 75-93-7, -13) |
None for not registering because registration is voluntary. Knowingly obtaining or applying for registration through a false or fraudulent representation is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine up to $500 (§§ 75-93-3, -31) |
| Missouri verified 2026-07-25 | Statewide Fictitious Name Act, Mo. Rev. Stat. §§ 417.200–417.230; one Secretary of State registration rather than county filings |
Every person, general partnership, corporation, or other business organization using a name other than its true name (§§ 417.200, 417.210.1). A licensed-profession partnership or entity is not deemed engaged in business for this section (§ 417.210.6) |
Missouri Secretary of State, Corporations Division — online through the business portal or by current form Corp. 56 |
The Act uses two formulations: § 417.200 says it is unlawful to transact under the name without first registering; § 417.210.1 directs filing within 5 days after beginning business under the name |
None — the Fictitious Name Act and current Corp. 56 registration form contain no newspaper notice or proof-of-publication step |
$7 through 2026-12-31: $2 under § 417.220 plus the temporary $5 technology fee under § 417.018. Section 417.018 is scheduled to expire after that date, leaving the $2 fee absent another change; qualifying Missouri active-duty/Guard owners receive a statutory waiver |
5 years; renew within the 6 months before expiration for another 5 years (§ 417.210.7, .9–.10). An expired registration cannot be renewed and requires a new filing |
None — the Secretary of State's current form says registration gives no name protection and does not prevent another person or entity from adopting and using the same name |
Misdemeanor under § 417.230; the Secretary of State says the local prosecuting attorney may bring charges |
| Montana verified 2026-07-26 | Mont. Code Ann. §§ 30-13-201 to -217 — mandatory statewide assumed-business-name registration |
Any individual, partnership, corporation, LP, LLC, LLP, or other association transacting business under a name other than its full, true, and correct name (§§ 30-13-201, -203) |
Montana Secretary of State (§§ 30-13-203 to -204) |
No numeric day-count. A person transacting business under the assumed name must register (§ 30-13-203) |
None. Part 2 requires a Secretary of State application but no newspaper notice |
$20 registration; $20 renewal; $20 amendment; cancellation has no fee (Secretary of State fee schedule; § 30-13-217) |
5 years; renew for another 5 years during the final 90 days or the Secretary of State cancels the registration (§ 30-13-206) |
Registry-level protection: the Secretary of State rejects a name that is the same as or not distinguishable from specified registered or reserved names and marks; another business may contest registration (§ 30-13-202) |
A person doing business without an effective certificate may not maintain a Montana court suit or action under that assumed name (§ 30-13-215); missed required amendments cause cancellation (§ 30-13-210) |
| Nebraska verified 2026-07-25 | Neb. Rev. Stat. §§ 87-208 to -219.01 — voluntary statewide trade-name registration with statutory name screening and civil remedies |
No one is required to register. Any individual or legal/commercial entity that adopts a name other than its true name may register voluntarily (§§ 87-208, -210) |
Nebraska Secretary of State (§ 87-210) |
No initial filing deadline because registration is voluntary. After registration, publish and file proof within 45 days (§ 87-219) |
Publish the duplicate registration once in a general-circulation newspaper in the business's city or village, or otherwise in the county; file proof with the Secretary of State within 45 days or registration is canceled (§ 87-219) |
$100 electronic or $110 paper for registration and renewal; proof of publication has no fee (§§ 87-210, -211; official form) |
10 years from registration; renew for successive 10-year terms by filing within the final 6 months and stating the name is still in use (§ 87-211) |
Meaningful statutory protection: confusingly similar trade or entity names are rejected, and a registrant may sue for injunction, profits, damages or $1,000 statutory damages, and attorney fees; prior good-faith common-law rights remain (§§ 87-209, -216 to -218) |
None for choosing not to register. Failure to publish and file proof within 45 days cancels a registration; knowingly fraudulent registration creates liability for resulting damages (§§ 87-214, -215, -219) |
| Nevada verified 2026-07-25 | NRS ch. 602 — county-by-county assumed/fictitious-name certificates; statewide rules with optional county renewal ordinance |
Every person using a name different from the legal name of each owner; registered limited partnerships under ch. 87A or 88 are exempt (§§ 602.010, 602.080) |
County clerk of every Nevada county where the business is conducted (§ 602.010(1)) |
No later than 1 month after starting business under the name; filing before starting is allowed (§§ 602.010(2), 602.030) |
None for the registrant. If a county adopts five-year expiration, the county clerk—not the business—publishes and mails notice of the new renewal requirement (§ 602.035(4)) |
$20 base county-clerk fee, plus an optional county additional fee up to $5; total statutory range $20–$25 (§ 19.013(1)–(2)) |
County-specific: a county may make certificates expire after 5 years; if it does, renew by expiration and each renewal lasts 5 years. Without such an ordinance, ch. 602 sets no expiration (§ 602.035) |
No general exclusivity or ownership grant; the clerk rejects names that imitate government or violate the natural-person-name rule (§ 602.017) |
Cannot start or maintain an action arising from the DBA business until the certificate is filed; doing business without compliance is also a misdemeanor (§§ 602.070, 602.090) |
| New Hampshire verified 2026-07-25 | N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. ch. 349 — mandatory statewide trade-name registration with name reservation and remedies |
A sole proprietor using any name other than the proprietor's own; every partnership, trust, or association; and a registered entity using a name other than its registered name (§ 349:1) |
New Hampshire Secretary of State, Corporation Division (§§ 349:5, -7) |
No stated day-count for the initial filing; registration is required while doing business under the trade name. Partner additions/withdrawals are due in 10 days and discontinuance in 30 days (§§ 349:1, -2) |
None. Chapter 349 requires state filing but no newspaper notice |
$50 initial registration; $50 renewal; $10 for discontinuance, partner addition, or withdrawal (§ 349:7) |
5 years. Renew by expiration; a 30-day post-expiration grace period applies, then registration is discontinued and the name is abandoned and free (§§ 349:6, -8) |
Registration reserves the distinguishable name and supports injunction/profits remedies, but prior good-faith common-law rights remain (§§ 349:1, -6, -10, -11) |
Failure to comply is a violation for a natural person and a misdemeanor for any other person; fraudulent registration adds damages and misdemeanor/felony exposure (§§ 349:9, -10) |
| New Jersey verified 2026-07-23 | Dual scheme by entity type: individuals and general partnerships file a trade-name certificate with the county clerk (Trade Name Act, N.J.S.A. 56:1-1 to 56:1-7); corporations, LLCs, and LPs register an 'alternate name' with the state (N.J.S.A. 14A:2-2.1 and parallel entity statutes) |
An individual or general partnership transacting business under any name other than the owners' real names must file (56:1-2; 56:1-1 for a partnership using '& Co.'). A corporation, LLC, or LP using a name other than its formation name must register an alternate name (14A:2-2.1(1)). An entity using its exact formation name — or a partnership using all members' true names — files nothing (56:1-5); LLPs have no alternate-name provision |
Split by entity type: the county clerk of each county where an individual/partnership transacts business, with a duplicate forwarded to the Secretary of State (56:1-2, 56:1-3); the Division of Revenue & Enterprise Services for a corporate, LLC, or LP alternate name (14A:2-2.1(2)) |
No fixed statutory deadline; register before or when you begin using the name. An alternate name used before it is registered triggers back-fees of $50 for each year of prior use (14A:2-2.1(5)) |
None — New Jersey requires no newspaper publication for either a county trade name or a state alternate name |
Individual/partnership trade name: $5 to the county clerk plus $5 for the Secretary of State duplicate (56:1-3). Corporate, LLC, or LP alternate name: $50 (renewal $25 for corporations/LPs, $50 for LLCs), set by the Division of Revenue fee schedule |
Individual/partnership trade-name certificate: no statutory expiration or renewal. Alternate name: effective five years, renewable for successive five-year periods within three months before expiration (14A:2-2.1(3)) |
None for either route — a trade name confers no exclusive right, and an alternate-name registration does not 'grant to the registrant ... any right in the name as against any prior or subsequent user' (14A:2-2.1(4)); it does not affect trademark or unfair-competition rights |
Individual/partnership: operating under an unregistered trade name 'shall be guilty of a misdemeanor' (56:1-4). Corporate/LLC/LP: a curable suit-bar — the entity may not 'maintain any action ... arising out of a contract or act in which it used such alternate name until it has filed' (14A:2-2.1(6)); nonregistration does not void contracts or bar defending, and a false first-use statement forfeits a $200–$500 penalty (14A:2-2.1(7)) |
| New Mexico verified 2026-07-25 | No general DBA registry. Narrow foreign-corporation qualification fallback under NMSA 1978 § 53-17-3(B)(1), not an ordinary assumed-name filing |
No ordinary business must file a general DBA. A foreign corporation whose name conflicts may use a board resolution adopting a distinguishable fictitious name as one route to qualify (§ 53-17-3) |
No office for a general DBA. The narrow foreign-corporation resolution is filed with the New Mexico Secretary of State as part of qualification (§ 53-17-3(B)) |
None for an ordinary DBA. A foreign corporation using the narrow fallback submits it before receiving authority and before transacting business in New Mexico (§§ 53-17-1, -3) |
None — § 53-17-3 and the official fictitious-name resolution contain no newspaper-publication step |
No general DBA fee. The official foreign-corporation resolution states no separate fictitious-name fee; the underlying foreign-qualification fee is separate and outside this survey |
No fixed DBA term or renewal. The narrow foreign-corporation resolution has no stated expiration; a later unavailable corporate-name change suspends authority until the corporation changes the name or otherwise complies (§ 53-17-4) |
No general DBA exclusivity. The narrow foreign-corporation name must not be confusingly similar to protected corporate, reserved, or registered names (§ 53-17-3(B)(1)) |
No penalty for skipping a nonexistent general DBA filing. A foreign corporation must obtain authority before transacting business, including satisfying the applicable name rule (§§ 53-17-1, -3) |
| New York verified 2026-07-23 | General Business Law § 130 (Article 9-B) — a dual scheme by entity type: individuals, general partnerships, and unincorporated associations file with the county clerk of each county; corporations, limited partnerships, and LLCs file with the Department of State |
Anyone conducting business under a name other than "his or its real name," or as a partnership (§ 130(1)). A corporation's, LP's, or LLC's "real name" is the name in its formation document; using a trade or divisional name together with the real name counts as using the real name and needs no filing (§ 130(1-a)) |
Dual by entity type: the county clerk of EACH county where business is conducted — for an individual, general partnership, or unincorporated association (§ 130(1)(a)); the Department of State — for a corporation, limited partnership, or LLC (§ 130(1)(b)) |
Before conducting business under the name — filing is a precondition (§ 130(1)); an amended certificate is due within 30 days of a change in the certified facts (§ 130(3)) |
None — § 130 requires no newspaper publication. Instead a certified copy of the certificate must be "conspicuously displayed" at each business premises (§ 130(4)) |
County track: the clerk's filing/indexing fee under CPLR § 8021(b)(2) — $100 in the five New York City counties, $25 in all other counties. State track: $25 to the Department of State (§ 130(5)(b)(1)), plus a per-county fee under CPLR § 8021(b)(2) ($100 NYC / $25 other) for each county the entity does business in (§ 130(5)(b)(2)) |
No expiration and no renewal; the certificate stays on file until a certificate of discontinuance is filed when the business or the assumed-name use ends (§ 130(10)) |
None — acceptance of a certificate "shall not be construed to confer any right to or interest in any trade name," and it does not affect common-law trade-name rights (§ 130(8-a)) |
Curable suit-bar plus a misdemeanor. A noncomplying business is "prohibited from maintaining any action or proceeding in any court in this state on any contract, account or transaction" in the assumed name "until the certificate ... has been ... filed"; knowingly failing to file or knowingly filing a false statement is a misdemeanor (§ 130(9)) |
| North Carolina verified 2026-07-23 | Assumed Business Name Act, G.S. §§ 66-71.1 to 66-71.15 (enacted 2016, effective Dec. 1, 2017) — a county register-of-deeds filing that feeds a statewide Secretary of State database; one filing covers every county |
Any "person" (individual, partnership, LLC, corporation, LP, LLP, trust, and more) that engages in business under an "assumed business name" — for an individual, any name other than the individual's real name; for a registered entity, any name other than its name on file with the Secretary of State (§ 66-71.3). An entity using its exact registered name files nothing; political and referendum committees are exempt (§ 66-71.4(c)) |
Register of deeds of a county where the person is or will be engaged in business; if the business spans multiple counties, "filing is required in only one of those counties," and the register transmits the record to the Secretary of State's statewide database (§§ 66-71.4(a), 66-71.10) |
Before commencing — "Before any person engages in business in this State under an assumed business name, the person must file" (§ 66-71.4(a)); amendments within 60 days of a change (§ 66-71.7) |
None — the Act requires no newspaper publication |
The Act sets no fee; the register of deeds charges the uniform statewide recording fee — $26 for the first 15 pages, plus $4 per additional page (G.S. § 161-10(a)(1)) |
No expiration and no renewal — a certificate "is effective upon filing and remains in effect until withdrawn" (§ 66-71.12(a)); file a certificate of withdrawal when you stop using the name (§ 66-71.8) |
None — "Compliance with this Article does not confer any exclusive rights to the use of an assumed business name in this State" (§ 66-71.12(b)) |
No suit-bar. A person who fails to file is "liable to any person injured by the failure" for that party's reasonable expenses and attorneys' fees in tracing the real name (§ 66-71.14(b)); knowingly signing a false certificate is a Class 1 misdemeanor (§ 66-71.14(a)) |
| North Dakota verified 2026-07-26 | N.D. Cent. Code ch. 47-25 (trade names) and ch. 45-11 (fictitious partnership names) — mandatory statewide Secretary of State filings |
Trade-name users whose name omits the owner's specified legal name; partnerships using a name that omits the partners' names, subject to statutory exceptions (§§ 47-25-01 to -02; 45-11-01) |
North Dakota Secretary of State; electronic filing is authorized and the FirstStop portal is the current filing route (§§ 47-25-02 to -02.1; 45-11-01 to -02.1; SOS guidance) |
Trade name: before engaging in business under it (§ 47-25-02). Partnership: no numeric day-count, but a partnership transacting under the covered name must file (§ 45-11-01) |
None. Neither chapter requires newspaper notice or proof of publication |
Trade name: $25. Partnership: $25 plus $3 for each member beyond two, capped at $250; renewals are $25 (§§ 47-25-04; 45-11-01, -04.1) |
5 years. Trade names renew during the final 90 days; partnership certificates renew every 5 years and are canceled if renewal is missed (§§ 47-25-04; 45-11-04.1) |
Both routes require distinguishability or consent; a registered trade-name owner may sue to prohibit another person's use (§§ 47-25-01, -03; 45-11-01) |
Trade-name chapter prohibits use before registration but states no separate fine or suit bar; noncomplying partnerships cannot sue on partnership-name contracts or transactions until filing (§§ 47-25-02; 45-11-04) |
| Ohio verified 2026-07-23 | Trade name / fictitious name law, R.C. §§ 1329.01–1329.10 — statewide registration with the Secretary of State on two tracks: register a "trade name" (gives priority) or report a "fictitious name" (public notice only) |
Any person doing business under a name that is not its name of record with the Secretary of State. Registering a trade name is optional; but a person using a fictitious name it has not registered as a trade name "shall report the use" (§ 1329.01(A)(2), (D)). An entity operating under its exact registered name files nothing (§ 1329.01(A)(2)) |
Ohio Secretary of State (Business Services Division); no county filing (§ 1329.01(B), (D)) |
Trade name: none (registration is permissive). Fictitious name: report "within thirty days after the date of the first use of the fictitious name" (§ 1329.01) |
None — Chapter 1329 requires no newspaper publication; the Secretary of State filing completes registration |
$39 to register a trade name or report a fictitious name; $25 to renew (§ 1329.01(C), (E); § 111.16(S)(2)–(3)) |
Five years from the date of registration or report; renew on a form filed within the six months before expiration for another five years (a general partnership must renew whenever a named partner leaves) (§ 1329.04) |
Split. A registered TRADE NAME gives priority: the Secretary of State will not register a later trade name not "distinguishable" from it or from an existing entity name or mark (§§ 1329.01(A)(1), 1329.02). A FICTITIOUS NAME report is public notice only and confers no exclusive right (§ 1329.01(A)(2)) |
Curable suit-bar: a person may not "commence or maintain an action" in the trade or fictitious name until it complies with § 1329.01, but may then sue on pre-compliance contracts (§ 1329.10(B)). The Attorney General may seek an injunction against a noncomplying user on the Secretary of State's request (§ 1329.10(A)). Does not void contracts |
| Oklahoma verified 2026-07-25 | Okla. Stat. tit. 18, §§ 1140–1142 — mandatory statewide trade-name report |
A corporation or other business entity doing Oklahoma business under a name other than its legal name; 'business entity' includes corporations, business and common-law trusts, LLCs, any unincorporated business, and every form of partnership (§ 1140) |
Oklahoma Secretary of State (§ 1140) |
No numbered grace period; the filing duty applies when the entity is doing Oklahoma business under the nonlegal name (§ 1140) |
None — §§ 1140–1142 require the Secretary of State report but no newspaper notice or publication affidavit |
$25 for the required report (§ 1142(A)(1)) |
No fixed term or renewal cycle stated; file a withdrawal when ceasing Oklahoma business under the trade name, and amend specified report changes (§§ 1140.1, 1140.3) |
Registry-level protection: the Secretary of State rejects the same or an indistinguishable filed name absent consent or a court decree; the statute does not declare broader trademark ownership (§§ 1140–1141) |
No specific fine, jail term, civil penalty, or suit bar for nonfiling stated in the trade-name provisions (§§ 1140–1142) |
| Oregon verified 2026-07-28 | ORS chapter 648 — one statewide Secretary of State registration that identifies each covered county or selects all counties; no county-clerk filing |
A person using a name that does not conspicuously disclose every owner's real and true name, including words suggesting added owners, in a county where the business, a physical facility, or an employee is located (ORS 648.005, 648.007). Exact legal-name use does not require filing |
Oregon Secretary of State, Corporation Division; the application lists each covered county or selects all counties (ORS 648.010) |
Before carrying on, conducting, or transacting covered business under the name, and registration must remain current (ORS 648.007(1)) |
None — chapter 648 and the Secretary of State application require registration but no newspaper notice or publication affidavit |
$50 nonrefundable processing fee for a new registration (ORS 648.115; ORS 56.140(4)) |
Two years; apply and pay within the 30 days before the second anniversary and each second anniversary after that, or the registration may be administratively canceled (ORS 648.017) |
Limited record screening, not ownership of the name: ordinarily must be distinguishable on Secretary of State records, but an affidavit may overcome a conflict; registration grants no exclusive right and superior rights can still prevail (ORS 648.051, 648.135(3)) |
Curable bar on maintaining a business claim; opposing plaintiff may recover $500 or greater actual name-identification costs, with possible prevailing-party attorney fees; chapter violation also carries a civil penalty up to $100 (ORS 648.135, 648.990) |
| Pennsylvania verified 2026-07-23 | Fictitious Names Act, 54 Pa.C.S. §§ 301–332 — a single statewide registry with the Department of State; county filing was abolished (§ 311) |
Any entity conducting business in PA under a name other than its proper name must register (§ 303(b)(1)); exempted are nonprofit and professional activities, activities barred by law from fictitious-name use, and unincorporated associations (§ 303(b)(2)). An entity using its exact proper name files nothing; voluntary registration is also allowed (§ 303(a)) |
The Department of State (Corporation Bureau), statewide, on Form DSCB:54-311 (§ 311(a)) — no county filing |
No numeric deadline; an entity must register before or while conducting business under the fictitious name (§ 303(b)), and registration is a precondition to maintaining a lawsuit (§ 331) |
Only where the entity includes an individual party: publish notice one time in the county of the principal office (§ 311(g)); 'officially publish' means two county newspapers, one a designated legal journal where one exists (19 Pa. Code § 17.208). Proof is kept in business records, not filed. An entity with no individual party need not publish |
$70 to register; $70 for each amendment, cancellation, or withdrawal (15 Pa.C.S. § 153(a)(6)) |
None — the registration does not expire and there is no renewal cycle; the former decennial (ten-year) filing requirement was deleted by amendment in 2000 (§ 321). File an amendment when the facts change (§ 312); cancel or withdraw under § 313 |
None — registration 'does not render the name unavailable for use by another entity' (§ 303(d)) and 'imparts no legal right' beyond avoiding the § 331 suit-bar (§ 332(a)); it is not a trademark |
Curable suit-bar: an unregistered entity 'shall [not] be permitted to maintain any action in any tribunal' of PA until it registers (§ 331(a)); nonregistration does not void contracts or bar defending a suit. Substantial good-faith compliance avoids the bar (§ 331(c)); the former civil penalty was deleted in 2022 |
| Rhode Island verified 2026-07-26 | R.I. Gen. Laws ch. 6-1 plus entity statutes — mandatory dual statewide trade-name/fictitious-name system |
Unincorporated owners using a trade name rather than their true names; partnership/joint-venture names containing a partner's real surname are exempt (§§ 6-1-1 to -3). Registered corporations, LLCs, and nonprofits file for any alternate fictitious name (entity statutes; Department of State) |
Rhode Island Department of State for both routes, using the trade-name registry for unincorporated businesses and the corporate filing system for registered entities (§§ 6-1-1, 6-1-9; Department of State) |
Before doing business under the name. Chapter 6-1 bars transacting without filing; corporations must file before commencing under the fictitious name (§§ 6-1-1, 7-1.2-402) |
None. Neither the trade-name chapter nor the corporation/LLC fictitious-name statutes require newspaper publication |
Unincorporated trade name: $20 registration and free annual renewal. Fictitious name: $50 profit entity or $20 nonprofit (§ 6-1-2; Department of State) |
Trade names renew annually, free, Sept. 1–Nov. 30 starting the year after registration; missed renewal can lead to cancellation after notice (§ 6-1-7; Department of State). Entity fictitious names have no annual renewal and continue until abandonment, dissolution, or loss of the foreign entity's registration (§§ 7-1.2-402, 7-16-9) |
Trade name must be distinguishable from trade names registered in the same municipality; entity fictitious-name availability is tested against the statewide entity-name registry (§ 6-1-1; § 7-16-9; Department of State) |
Trade-name violation: up to 1 year in jail or a $500 fine, plus a curable suit bar; contracts remain valid and defenses remain available (§§ 6-1-4, -6). Corporations and LLCs also face a curable suit bar on contracts or transactions under the unfiled name (§§ 7-1.2-402, 7-16-9) |
| South Carolina verified 2026-07-25 | No general statewide DBA registry; official state guidance directs ordinary users to local government. Narrow statewide limited-partnership assumed-name certificate under S.C. Code § 33-42-45 |
Ordinary sole proprietors, general partnerships, corporations, and LLCs have no general state DBA filing. A domestic LP or registered foreign LP conducting or intending to conduct business under a name other than the name on its formation/registration certificate must file (§ 33-42-45) |
General DBA: no state filing office; check the municipality/county where the business operates. LP exception: South Carolina Secretary of State |
General DBA: no statewide deadline. LP exception: the certificate is required when the LP conducts or intends to conduct under the other name, but § 33-42-45 sets no separate day-count deadline |
No statewide newspaper publication for an ordinary DBA or the LP assumed-name certificate; local business-license or county documentation rules may vary |
General DBA: no state fee. LP assumed-name certificate: $10 under the current Secretary of State form; local license or filing charges may apply separately |
General DBA: no state registration term. LP certificate: through December 31 of the fifth full calendar year after filing; renew for additional five-full-calendar-year periods by filing a new certificate during the 90 days before expiration (§ 33-42-45(c)) |
No general DBA registration or state-law exclusivity. An LP assumed name may not be deceptively similar to an authorized domestic/foreign LP name or reserved LP name; the Secretary of State cautions that entity filing does not itself provide an exclusive right to use a name |
No general statewide DBA nonregistration penalty because there is no general filing duty. For an LP, failure to file does not invalidate contracts, bar maintaining or defending a case, or make a limited partner liable as a general partner (§ 33-42-45(e)); the section states no separate fine |
| South Dakota verified 2026-07-26 | S.D. Codified Laws ch. 37-11 — mandatory statewide fictitious-name registry with online state or paper county filing |
Any person regularly conducting business, unless the name plainly shows every interested person's true surname or is already on file in a required Secretary of State business filing (§ 37-11-1) |
Electronically with the Secretary of State, or on paper with any South Dakota register of deeds; county filings enter the same state system (§§ 37-11-1, -3) |
No numeric day-count. The filing duty applies to a person regularly engaging in or conducting the covered business (§ 37-11-1) |
None. Chapter 37-11 requires a filing but contains no newspaper notice or proof-of-publication step |
$10 for a new filing or renewal; $10 for a statement after a qualifying ownership change (§§ 37-11-1, -2) |
5 years; SOS renewal window opens 30 days before expiration and closes on the expiration date; an expired name requires a new filing (§ 37-11-1; SOS guidance) |
No statutory exclusivity. The Secretary of State describes its role as strictly ministerial and does not regulate name use or protection (SOS guidance) |
Until the required statement is filed, the business cannot maintain an action under the name, recover anything, or enforce a right arising from its operations (§ 37-11-5) |
| Tennessee verified 2026-07-25 | Entity-specific statewide assumed-name system under T.C.A. §§ 48-14-101 (for-profit corporations), 48-54-101 (nonprofits), 48-207-101 and 48-249-106 (LLCs), plus partnership statutes listed on current form SS-4402; no general county fictitious-name act |
A domestic or authorized foreign corporation or LLC using a name other than its true entity name must file before transacting under it (T.C.A. §§ 48-14-101(d), 48-207-101(d), 48-249-106(d)). Current form SS-4402 also accepts nonprofits, partnerships, and limited partnerships. It is not an individual/sole-proprietor form |
Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable Organizations — statewide filing on form SS-4402 or through the online business portal |
Before transacting business in Tennessee under the assumed name (§§ 48-14-101(d), 48-207-101(d), 48-249-106(d)) |
None — the governing assumed-name sections and current SS-4402 filing require no newspaper notice |
$20 for registration, change, cancellation, or renewal under the current Secretary of State forms-and-fees schedule |
5 years from filing. Corporations and LLCs renew for another 5 years during the 2 months before expiration (§§ 48-14-101(d), 48-207-101(d), 48-249-106(d)); failure to renew causes Secretary of State cancellation |
Registry priority, not a trademark guarantee: the assumed name must be distinguishable on the Secretary of State's records, while unfair-competition, common-law, equity, state, and federal name rights remain intact (§§ 48-14-101(b), (g); 48-249-106(b), (h)) |
No separate assumed-name fine or contract suit-bar appears in the cited name sections. Failure to renew cancels the filed right; dissolution or revocation also triggers cancellation (§§ 48-14-101(f), 48-249-106(g)) |
| Texas verified 2026-07-23 | Assumed Business or Professional Name Act, Bus. & Com. Code ch. 71 — a dual scheme: county clerk for unincorporated businesses, Secretary of State for entities (§§ 71.001, 71.051, 71.101) |
Anyone regularly conducting business or rendering professional services under an assumed name — for an individual, a name omitting the surname; for a partnership, one omitting each general partner's name; for a corporation/LP/LLC/LLP/foreign filing entity, any name other than its formation name (§ 71.002). An entity using its exact formation name files nothing (§ 71.003(b)) |
Unincorporated persons file with the county clerk of each county where they do business (§ 71.054); corporations, LPs, LLPs, LLCs, registered series, and foreign filing entities file with the Secretary of State (§ 71.103(a)) — the old entity county-and-state rule was repealed in 2019 |
No set number of days; file the certificate to be able to conduct business under the name. A certificate that becomes materially misleading must be replaced within 60 days (§ 71.152) |
None — Chapter 71 requires no newspaper publication |
County clerk: $2 per certificate plus 50¢ per name indexed (waivable for a military veteran); Secretary of State: $25 (§ 71.155) |
Up to 10 years, as stated in the certificate; renew within the six months before expiration or the certificate becomes void, with unlimited successive 10-year renewals (§§ 71.052, 71.151) |
None — filing gives no right to use a name in violation of unfair-competition or trademark law and 'does not in itself constitute actual use … for purposes of determining priority of rights' (§ 71.157) |
Cannot maintain a court action arising out of a contract using the assumed name until a certificate is filed (the contract stays valid), and the court may award the other side's service-of-process and attorney expenses (§ 71.201); an intentional violation is a Class A misdemeanor (§ 71.202) |
| Utah verified 2026-07-25 | Utah Code Title 42, ch. 2 — statewide Division of Corporations filing; recodified as §§ 42-2-101 to -205 effective Oct. 1, 2026 |
Any individual, association, partnership, corporation, or other person doing business in Utah under an assumed name; a corporation or LLC using its true legal name is exempt (§§ 42-2-5(2), 42-2-9(1), (3)) |
Utah Division of Corporations and Commercial Code; the filer must designate and maintain a Utah registered agent (§ 42-2-5(2)) |
No later than 30 days after beginning business under the assumed name (§ 42-2-5(3)(b)); unchanged on Oct. 1, 2026 (§ 42-2-201(1)) |
None — Chapter 2 requires the Division certificate and registered agent but no newspaper notice (§§ 42-2-5 to -10) |
$22 for an assumed-name (DBA) registration under the Utah Department of Commerce FY2026 fee schedule; statute authorizes the Division to collect the required fee (§ 42-2-7) |
Three years. Current law gives 30 days after the Division mails expiration notice to make a new filing; effective Oct. 1, 2026, renewal opens 60 days before expiration and the post-notice 30-day period remains (§ 42-2-8; future § 42-2-204) |
Limited registry priority only — the name must be distinguishable in Division records, but filing does not authorize infringement or affect trademark, service-mark, or common-law trade-name rights (§§ 42-2-6.6, 42-2-9) |
No Utah court action as the DBA until compliance, plus a possible late filing fee up to 3 times the required filing fee (§ 42-2-10; future § 42-2-205) |
| Vermont verified 2026-07-26 | 11 V.S.A. ch. 15 — mandatory statewide assumed-business-name registration administered by the Secretary of State |
An individual doing business under an assumed name, a general partnership, or an unincorporated nonprofit association doing business in Vermont (§ 1621); and an authorized business organization conducting business under an assumed name (§ 1653). An individual name that includes the person's full proper name and an entity's complete registered name are not assumed names (Secretary of State) |
Vermont Secretary of State, Business Services Division; online filing through the Business Services portal is preferred (§§ 1621, 1653; Secretary of State) |
For an individual, partnership, or unincorporated nonprofit association under § 1621, not later than 10 days after commencing business. Section 1653 authorizes a business organization to conduct business under an assumed name by submitting a registration but states no separate numeric grace period |
None. Chapter 15 requires a Secretary of State filing but contains no newspaper notice or proof-of-publication step |
$70 initial registration; $65 five-year reregistration; $35 for an amendment or certificate of cessation (§§ 1625, 1635) |
Five years. Reregister within the 60 days before the original registration or last reregistration expires; the renewal fee is $65. If renewal is missed, the name becomes available to the first new applicant (§ 1635) |
The Secretary must reject a name that is not distinguishable on its records from registered/reserved business or entity names. Active records retain registry-level name rights, but this filing is not a trademark determination (§§ 1621(c), 1636; Secretary of State) |
A required filer may not maintain an action, counterclaim, crossclaim, or affirmative defense until registering, but contracts remain valid and it may defend an action. It also owes $50 per day, capped at $10,000 per year, plus overdue fees and other legal penalties (§ 1626) |
| Virginia verified 2026-07-23 | Chapter 5, "Transacting Business under Assumed Name," Va. Code §§ 59.1-69 to 59.1-76 — one statewide filing with the clerk of the State Corporation Commission (SCC); since Jan. 1, 2020 all filers use the SCC, not the circuit court (§§ 59.1-69, 59.1-74(B)) |
Any "person" — individual or entity — that conducts business under an assumed or fictitious name: "No person shall conduct or transact business ... under any assumed or fictitious name unless such person files ... a certificate" (§ 59.1-69(B)). A registered entity using its exact SCC name files nothing; you also may not use an assumed name to misrepresent your geographic location (§ 59.1-69(C)) |
Clerk of the State Corporation Commission (statewide), for individuals and entities alike; circuit-court filing was the pre-2020 route and no longer applies (§§ 59.1-70, 59.1-74(B)) |
Before conducting business under the name — filing is a precondition to transacting business (§ 59.1-69(B)); and a local business license will not issue until the certificate is filed and shown to the commissioner of the revenue (§ 59.1-74(B)) |
None — Chapter 5 requires no newspaper publication |
$10, set by statute: "The clerk of the Commission shall charge a fee of $10 for the filing of a certificate of assumed or fictitious name" (§ 59.1-70(C)) |
No expiration and no renewal; the certificate stays on file until the person files a certificate of release when it stops using the name (§ 59.1-70.1) |
None — the certificate is a public-disclosure filing (§ 59.1-69) and confers no exclusive right to the name; entity-name priority is a separate Title 13.1 matter and brand exclusivity comes from trademark law |
Curable suit-bar plus a criminal penalty. "No action shall be maintained in any of the courts ... unless and until the certificate ... has been filed," though noncompliance does not bar recovery once you file (§ 59.1-76). Violating the chapter is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine up to $2,500 and/or up to one year in jail (§ 59.1-75); signing a false certificate is a Class 1 misdemeanor (§ 59.1-75.1) |
| Washington verified 2026-07-23 | Registration of Trade Names Act, RCW ch. 19.80 — a single statewide registry with the Department of Revenue's Business Licensing Service; no county filing |
Any person — sole proprietor, general partnership, LP, LLC, or corporation — transacting business under a 'trade name' must register it (RCW 19.80.010). A trade name is one that omits the true and real name of everyone running the business, or adds words suggesting other parties like 'company' or 'and sons' (RCW 19.80.005(4)). An entity using its exact registered name, or a partnership using all partners' true names, files nothing |
The Department of Revenue, statewide, through its Business Licensing Service (RCW 19.80.005(2), 19.80.010); registration is part of the state Business License Application. No county filing (transferred from the counties to the state in 1979) |
No numeric deadline to register initially, but registration is a precondition to maintaining a lawsuit (RCW 19.80.040). A change in the persons running the business or in the wording/spelling of the name requires filing a cancellation plus a new registration 'before conducting or transacting any business' (RCW 19.80.025(3)) |
None — RCW ch. 19.80 requires no newspaper publication |
The statute fixes no dollar amount; the Department of Revenue sets fees by rule and they 'may not exceed the actual cost of administering this chapter' (RCW 19.80.045). The trade-name fee is a nominal charge collected with the Business License Application |
Tied to the business license: the Department may require renewal but 'not more often than annually,' timed to business-license renewal (RCW 19.80.080(1)). A trade name is cancelled on request or when the business license account goes inactive (RCW 19.80.080(2)) |
None — the chapter's stated purpose is disclosure of the owners and 'a central registry' of trade names (RCW 19.80.001); it confers no exclusive right and does not bar others from registering or using the same name. Brand rights come from trademark law |
Curable suit-bar: an unregistered user may not 'maintain any suit in any of the courts of this state until' registration is completed (RCW 19.80.040); failure does not impair contract validity and does not prevent defending a suit |
| West Virginia verified 2026-07-25 | W. Va. Code §§ 47-8-2 to -5 — mandatory statewide trade-name registration |
Individuals, sole proprietorships, and general partnerships using a name other than the owners' real names (§ 47-8-2); corporations, LPs, LLPs, LLCs, business trusts, and voluntary associations using a name other than their registered name (§ 47-8-4) |
West Virginia Secretary of State (§§ 47-8-2, -4) |
Before carrying on or transacting business under the assumed or trade name (§§ 47-8-2, -4) |
None. Article 47-8 requires a Secretary of State filing but no newspaper notice |
No fee for individuals, sole proprietorships, or general partnerships; $25 for corporations, LLCs, LPs, LLPs, voluntary associations, and business trusts (Secretary of State) |
No fixed expiration or renewal. A registered entity must withdraw the trade name when it discontinues use (§ 47-8-4(c)) |
Registration does not protect the trade name from use by others; entity names are screened for distinguishability (Secretary of State; § 47-8-4(a)(2)) |
Willful failure is a misdemeanor: $25–$100 fine, up to 30 days in county jail, or both (§ 47-8-5) |
| Wisconsin verified 2026-07-25 | Hybrid: narrow mandatory county corporate-appearing-name statement under Wis. Stat. § 134.17; otherwise optional statewide DFI trade-name/mark registration under ch. 132 |
County filing only for a person engaging in or advertising a mercantile or commission business under a corporate-appearing name, intending to obtain credit, when the name discloses none of the real names involved (§ 134.17(1)). Ordinary DBA users have no general registration mandate |
Required narrow filing: register of deeds in the county of the principal place of business. Optional general name/mark registration: Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions |
Required § 134.17 statement: before engaging in or advertising the covered business under the name. Optional ch. 132 registration: no pre-use deadline |
None for the § 134.17 business-name statement or § 132.01 optional mark registration. Section 132.04's publication rule is limited to ownership marks on specified containers, not ordinary DBAs |
County statement: general recording fee under § 59.43(2)(ag), currently $30 per document. Optional DFI name/mark registration or renewal: $15 (§ 132.01(3)); cancellation is free |
County § 134.17 statement: no expiration or renewal stated; verified amendments and discontinuances may be recorded. Optional DFI registration: 10 years, renewable during the final 6 months for another 10 years (§ 132.01(6)(b)) |
Optional registration supplies prima facie evidence of adoption and filing facts (§ 132.031), but ch. 132 preserves common-law rights (§ 132.25); registration is not conclusive ownership. Section 134.17 states no exclusive-name right |
Covered § 134.17 violation: fine up to $1,000, county jail up to 1 year, or both. No nonregistration penalty applies to the optional DFI name/mark route |
| Wyoming verified 2026-07-26 | Wyo. Stat. §§ 40-2-101 through 40-2-111 — optional statewide trade-name registration with the Secretary of State |
No one is required by Chapter 2 to register merely because a different business name is used. Any individual or legal/commercial entity that adopts and uses a Wyoming trade name may choose to register it (§§ 40-2-101(a)(ii), 40-2-104(a)) |
Wyoming Secretary of State, Business Division; the current application is mailed to the Business Division (§ 40-2-104; Secretary of State form) |
None because registration is optional. The name must already be in use in Wyoming before the registration application is filed (§ 40-2-104(a); Secretary of State instructions) |
None. Chapter 2 and the official registration instructions require no newspaper notice or proof of publication |
$100 optional registration; $50 renewal. An optional 120-day name reservation costs $30 (§§ 40-2-103 through 40-2-105) |
10 years. Renewal for another 10 years may be filed within the six months before expiration, must state that the name remains in use in Wyoming, and costs $50 (§ 40-2-105) |
A registrable name cannot be the same as or deceptively similar to a Wyoming-registered mark and must be distinguishable from business-entity names. A separate reservation gives exclusive use for 120 days; the Act preserves good-faith common-law rights (§§ 40-2-102, 40-2-103, 40-2-109) |
None for declining the optional registration. A person who knowingly procures a fraudulent registration is liable for resulting damages, action costs, and reasonable attorney fees; the Secretary may also cancel a false or fraudulent registration (§§ 40-2-107(a)(iv), 40-2-108) |
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