Quick answer. A DBA (also called an assumed name, trade name or fictitious business name) is filed wherever the state says: a state office in 30 jurisdictions, a county or town clerk in 7, and in 12 it depends on whether an individual or an entity owns the name. State fees we confirmed run from $5 (Washington) to $150 (Illinois), and 7 states require a newspaper notice.
Already filed? The DBA renewal date calculator takes the state, who owns the name and the filing date, and gives the expiry or renewal date and any newspaper deadline.
Business name filing rules in all 50 states and DC
Select a column heading to sort. "State fee" is the state office's fee; where only a county or town takes the filing it shows "No state fee". "Not confirmed" means no official page we opened said it.
Setting up the books for the new name? A free bookkeeping health check.
| Source | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | trade name | State office | $30 | 5 years | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Official page |
| Alaska | business name registration | State office | Not confirmed | 5 years, to December 31 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Official page |
| Arizona | trade name | State office | $10 | 5 years | Not required | Yes | Official page |
| Arkansas | fictitious name | Depends on the owner | $25 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Official page |
| California | fictitious business name (FBN) statement | County | No state fee | 5 years | Yes | Some counties | Official page |
| Colorado | trade name (Statement of Trade Name) | State office | Not confirmed | Individuals: 1 year; entities: no expiry | Not confirmed | Yes | Official page |
| Connecticut | trade name certificate | City or town | No state fee | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Official page |
| Delaware | trade name | State office | $25 | No expiry | Not confirmed | Yes | Official page |
| District of Columbia | trade name | State office | $55 | Renew every 2 years | Not confirmed | Yes | Official page |
| Florida | fictitious name | State office | $50 | 5 years, to December 31 | Yes | Yes | Official page |
| Georgia | trade name (DBA) | County | No state fee | No expiry | Yes | Not confirmed | Official page |
| Hawaii | trade name | State office | $50 | 5 years | Not required | Not confirmed | Official page |
| Idaho | assumed business name (ABN) | State office | $25 | No expiry | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Official page |
| Illinois | assumed business name (assumed name for LLCs and corporations) | Depends on the owner | $150 | Individuals: see the rule; entities: up to 5 years | Yes, county filings | Some counties | Official page |
| Indiana | assumed business name | Depends on the owner | $30 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Official page |
| Iowa | trade name | Depends on the owner | No state fee | No expiry | Not required | Not confirmed | Official page |
| Kansas | Not confirmed | No state registry | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Official page |
| Kentucky | assumed name | Depends on the owner | No state fee | Individuals: 5 years; entities: 5 years | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Official page |
| Louisiana | trade name | State office | $50 | 10 years | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Official page |
| Maine | assumed name (Statement of Intention to Do Business Under an Assumed Name) | Depends on the owner | $125 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Official page |
| Maryland | trade name | State office | $25 | 5 years | Not confirmed | Yes | Official page |
| Massachusetts | business certificate (DBA) | City or town | No state fee | 4 years | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Official page |
| Michigan | assumed name | Depends on the owner | No state fee | Individuals: 5 years; entities: 5 years, to december 31 | Not confirmed | Some counties | Official page |
| Minnesota | assumed name | State office | $50 | See the rule | Yes | Yes | Official page |
| Mississippi | fictitious name | State office | $25 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Official page |
| Missouri | fictitious name | State office | $7 | 5 years | Not confirmed | Yes | Official page |
| Montana | assumed business name | State office | $20 | 5 years | Not confirmed | Yes | Official page |
| Nebraska | trade name | State office | $100 | 10 years | Yes | Not confirmed | Official page |
| Nevada | fictitious firm name | County | Not confirmed | 5 years | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Official page |
| New Hampshire | trade name | State office | $50 | 5 years | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Official page |
| New Jersey | alternate name (entities); trade name (sole proprietors and partnerships) | Depends on the owner | $50 | Individuals: see the rule; entities: 5 years | Not confirmed | Yes | Official page |
| New Mexico | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Official page |
| New York | assumed name (certificate of assumed name) | Depends on the owner | $25 | Not confirmed | Not required | Not confirmed | Official page |
| North Carolina | assumed business name certificate | County | No state fee | No expiry | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Official page |
| North Dakota | trade name | State office | $25 | 5 years | Not required | Not confirmed | Official page |
| Ohio | trade name registration or fictitious name report | State office | $39 | 5 years | Not required | Not confirmed | Official page |
| Oklahoma | trade name report | State office | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Official page |
| Oregon | assumed business name (ABN) | State office | $50 | 2 years | Not confirmed | Yes | Official page |
| Pennsylvania | fictitious name | State office | $70 | Not confirmed | Yes, if an individual is listed | Not confirmed | Official page |
| Rhode Island | trade name (individuals); fictitious business name (entities) | Depends on the owner | $50 | Individuals: see the rule; entities: no expiry | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Official page |
| South Carolina | DBA | City or town | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Official page |
| South Dakota | fictitious name statement | Depends on the owner | $10 | 5 years | Not confirmed | Yes | Official page |
| Tennessee | assumed name | State office | $20 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Yes | Official page |
| Texas | assumed name certificate | Depends on the owner | $25 | Individuals: 10 years; entities: 10 years | Not confirmed | Yes | Official page |
| Utah | assumed name (DBA) | State office | $22 | 3 years | Not required | Not confirmed | Official page |
| Vermont | business name (trade name) | State office | $70 | 5 years | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Official page |
| Virginia | assumed or fictitious name certificate | State office | $10 | No expiry | Not required | Yes | Official page |
| Washington | trade name | State office | $5 | No expiry | Not required | Yes | Official page |
| West Virginia | trade name (DBA) | State office | $25 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Yes | Official page |
| Wisconsin | trade name (registered as a mark) | State office | $15 | 10 years | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Official page |
| Wyoming | trade name | State office | $100 | 10 years | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Official page |
New Jersey: LLCs, corporations and limited partnerships register an alternate name with the state ($50, five years); sole proprietors and partnerships register a trade name in their county. The steps are in our start a business in New Jersey guide.
Who files where
The split that trips people up is owner type. In Texas, an LLC files its assumed name certificate with the Secretary of State while a sole proprietor files with the county clerk. Illinois, Michigan, New York and Virginia divide the same way, and Rhode Island sends individuals to the city or town clerk. Florida, Minnesota, Washington and Pennsylvania use one state office for everyone. California, Georgia and North Carolina keep every filing at the county, LLCs included.
Newspaper notices and their deadlines
Where a notice is required, the deadline usually runs from the filing date. Illinois county filings must start within 15 days and have the certificate of publication back within 50, or the registration is void. California counties want four weekly runs starting within 30 or 45 days, depending on the county. Florida flips the order: the ad runs before you register. The calculator puts these on dates.
General information, not legal advice; we are not lawyers. Checked November 2026 against each state's Secretary of State, county or town clerk, or statute site, linked in the table. Fees and forms change, and a county or town office can add its own steps, so confirm with the filing office before you file. We don't file DBAs or trade names for anyone.
Common questions
Do I need a DBA if the business uses my own legal name?
Usually not. The official pages we read tie the filing to using a name other than the owner's: Washington, for a sole proprietor not using their full legal name or an entity not using its registered name; Missouri, for anyone doing business under a name other than their true name; Colorado, for an individual not using their legal first and last name. Adding words to your name generally counts as a different name, so check the state's own wording.
Which states require a newspaper notice for a DBA?
On the pages we read: California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois (county filings), Minnesota, Nebraska and Pennsylvania (when an individual is listed). The number of runs and the deadline differ: California four weeks in a row, Illinois three, Georgia two, Minnesota two issues, Florida and Nebraska once. North Dakota's statute has no notice requirement.
Is a DBA filed with the state or the county?
It depends on the state, and often on who owns the name. A state office takes the filing in 30 jurisdictions here; a county office in 4 (California, Georgia, Nevada and North Carolina); a city or town clerk in Connecticut, Massachusetts and South Carolina. In 12 more (Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, South Dakota and Texas) the office depends on the owner or the filer can choose. Kansas's Secretary of State says it doesn't register DBAs at all, and South Carolina's sends owners to the city or county.
How long does a DBA registration last?
From three years (Utah) to ten (Louisiana, Nebraska, Wyoming, and Texas certificates). Colorado makes an individual renew every year and Minnesota requires an annual renewal. Some never expire: Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Virginia and Washington, on the pages we read. The calculator works out the date from your filing date.
Does registering a DBA give me ownership of the name?
Not by itself, according to the offices that address it. Hawaii's registration division says registering a trade name does not grant ownership of it, and Arizona's Secretary of State calls registration not legally required. A trade name filing records who is behind a name; trademark rights are a separate question for an attorney.
Why do some states show 'Not confirmed'?
A fact goes in the table only after we read it on the state's or county's own site. Elsewhere a blank means the pages we opened didn't state that detail.
Related: DBA renewal date calculator · LLC annual report requirements by state · Start a business in New Jersey