Idaho: Assumed-Name (DBA) Registration Requirements

Requirements one by one

Who must file, and when

Idaho Code § 30-21-803(1) defines the filing trigger differently by business type.
A filing entity or limited liability partnership uses an assumed business name
whenever it uses a name other than its true name. For an individual or another
type of business, the trigger is a name that does not include in full the true
names of every person with a financial interest.

Under § 30-21-805, the certificate must be delivered to the Secretary of State
before beginning to transact business under the name. Each assumed name
requires its own certificate.

Certificate contents and fee

Section 30-21-806 requires the certificate to state the assumed name, every
financial- or control-interest holder's true name and business address, the
general type of business, and the required signatures. One agent may sign on
behalf of everyone included on the certificate.

The Secretary of State's official form lists a $25 base filing fee. Filing
the paper form adds a $20 manual-processing charge, making the paper total
$45; filing online avoids that surcharge.

No publication, expiration, or renewal

The complete filing scheme in §§ 30-21-801 through 30-21-810 contains no
newspaper-publication step. Under § 30-21-807, the certificate takes effect
when filed and remains effective until canceled under § 30-21-809. There is no
fixed expiration date or renewal filing.

Section 30-21-808 requires an amendment within 90 days after the identity or
business address of a financial- or control-interest holder changes, or after
the certificate becomes materially misleading in another way.

Noncompliance consequences

Under § 30-21-810, a person that has not complied cannot maintain an Idaho court
action until the required certificate is filed. A person who suffers a loss
because of the noncompliance may recover the amount of that loss, attorney fees,
and costs. False, misleading, or incomplete certificate information counts as
noncompliance too.

What trips people up

• An assumed name is not a new entity. Section 30-21-807 says the filing
  does not create a legal person separate from the owner or entity using it.
• The individual-name test is not surname-only. Section 30-21-803 looks for
  the full true names of all people with a financial interest in the business.
• A later entity filing does not make the assumed name exclusive. Section
  30-21-802 says registration confers no exclusive right to use the name.
• Name acceptance and name ownership are different. Idaho Code § 30-21-804
  imposes name-format limits, but compliance still does not create an exclusive
  right under § 30-21-802.
• Changes can matter even though there is no renewal. The certificate can
  remain in effect indefinitely, but § 30-21-808 still imposes the 90-day
  amendment deadline when ownership, addresses, or other material facts change.

Common questions

Can one agent sign for everyone listed?

Yes. Section 30-21-806 allows either each listed person's signature or one
agent's signature on behalf of everyone included on the certificate.

Does the Act reach activity supporting a nonprofit purpose?

Yes. Section 30-21-803 defines transacting business to include activity likely
to produce a financial benefit for the purpose of supporting a charitable,
benevolent, or other nonprofit function.

How do I remove an assumed name after I stop using it?

Section 30-21-809 allows the user to file a certificate of cancellation with
the Secretary of State.

Statutes and sources

• Idaho Code §§ 30-21-802 through 30-21-806 — public-disclosure purpose,
  no exclusivity, assumed-name definition and trigger, filing deadline, separate
  certificates, and certificate contents. § 30-21-802; § 30-21-803; § 30-21-805; § 30-21-806 (accessed 2026-07-25).
• Idaho Code §§ 30-21-807 through 30-21-809 — effect and duration,
  separate-entity disclaimer, 90-day amendment duty, and cancellation.
  § 30-21-807; § 30-21-808; § 30-21-809 (accessed 2026-07-25).
• Idaho Code § 30-21-810 — suit bar, loss damages, attorney fees and costs,
  and treatment of false, misleading, or incomplete information.
  Official statute (accessed 2026-07-25).
• Idaho Secretary of State, Certificate of Assumed Business Name — $25
  base fee and $20 paper/manual-processing charge. Official form (accessed 2026-07-25).