Connecticut: Assumed-Name (DBA) Registration Requirements
The short answer
Yes. Before using an assumed or fictitious name, file the Secretary of the State's trade-name application with the town clerk where the business is principally transacted. The filing costs $20, requires an acknowledged signature, needs no newspaper publication, and lasts five years; noncompliance can bring up to a $500 fine, up to one year of imprisonment, and an unfair-trade-practice claim.
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This is the general rule in Connecticut. Ezel applies current Connecticut law to your specific facts and answers with citations to the statutes.
| Governing law and scheme | 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 |
|---|---|
| Who must register | 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)) |
| Filing office | 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) |
| Filing deadline | Before transacting business under the assumed or fictitious name—the certificate must already have been issued (§ 35-1a(a), (d)) |
| Publication requirement | None — §§ 35-1a to 35-1e prescribe the application, acknowledgment, local filing, indexing, renewal, and penalties without a newspaper-publication step |
| Filing fee | $20 for an application, renewal, amendment, cancellation, or other trade-name filing (§ 7-34a(a)(1)) |
| Term and renewal | 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)) |
| Name exclusivity | 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) |
| Penalty for noncompliance | 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)) |
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Requirements one by one
Who must file, and where
Section 35-1a prohibits transacting business under an assumed or fictitious name
unless a trade-name certificate has been issued. The application goes to the
town clerk where the business is principally transacted. The Secretary of the
State describes this as a one-town rule: operating in several Connecticut towns
does not require a separate filing in each one.
The application must identify the trade name and the filer. Natural-person
applications list each operator; a registered corporation, limited partnership,
limited liability partnership, or LLC supplies its Secretary of the State
business ID and registered legal name. Each natural person—or an authorized
officer for an organization—must sign, and the signature must be acknowledged
before an officer qualified to administer oaths.
Fee, term, and renewal
Section 7-34a sets a $20 fee for an application, renewal, amendment,
cancellation, or other trade-name filing.
A certificate lasts five years. Section 35-1b opens the renewal window six
months before expiration and closes it on the expiration date. A timely renewal
runs five years from the old expiration date. Certificates issued before January
1, 2025, follow a transition rule: they expire December 31, 2029, unless renewed.
Name rights and consequences for skipping the filing
The town clerk does not have to decide whether a proposed trade name is unique.
The Secretary of the State confirms that multiple businesses may use the same
trade name, so this filing is public notice rather than trademark protection.
Section 35-1d supplies the enforcement rule. A violation can bring a fine of up
to $500, imprisonment for up to one year, or both. Noncompliance is also deemed
an unfair or deceptive trade practice under § 42-110b.
What trips people up
- The statewide database does not change the filing office. The Secretary of
the State provides the forms and statewide search system, but the application
still goes to the principal town's clerk. - The signature must be acknowledged. The state instructions say the signer
presents the form to a town clerk, notary, or another authorized officer, who
confirms identity and voluntary execution. - Older certificates now have an end date. A certificate that once appeared
permanent expires December 31, 2029, unless renewed under the new five-year
system.
Common questions
Does an LLC using its exact registered name need a trade-name certificate?
No. Section 35-1d exempts a registered entity that operates under the name in its
formation or registration document. A different public-facing name triggers the
filing.
Must I publish the trade name in a newspaper?
No. The current trade-name chapter contains no publication step. It requires the
state form, acknowledgment, town-clerk filing, fee, and renewal instead.
Does filing stop someone else from using the same name?
No. Section 35-1d says the town clerk need not determine that a name is unique,
and the Secretary of the State says multiple businesses may use the same trade
name. Trademark and unfair-competition rights are separate.
Statutes and sources
- Conn. Gen. Stat. § 35-1a — filing trigger, application contents, principal-town office, acknowledgment, and five-year term. Official CGA chapter snapshot (accessed 2026-07-25).
- Conn. Gen. Stat. § 35-1b — six-month renewal window, amendments, and cancellation. Official CGA chapter snapshot (accessed 2026-07-25).
- Conn. Gen. Stat. § 35-1d — exact-name and partnership exceptions, no uniqueness review, criminal penalty, and unfair-trade-practice consequence. Official CGA chapter snapshot (accessed 2026-07-25).
- Conn. Gen. Stat. § 7-34a(a)(1) — $20 filing fee. Official CGA chapter snapshot (accessed 2026-07-25).
- Connecticut Secretary of the State trade-name instructions — forms, one-town rule, foreign-entity fallback, acknowledgment workflow, and nonexclusive-name guidance. Official guidance (accessed 2026-07-25).
Source links
Every statute quoted above, linked, with the date we checked it.
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