Assumed Name or DBA
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Assumed Name or DBA. A trading name that differs from a business’s registered legal name. Also called a fictitious name, a trade name, or doing business as.
Why it matters
It lets one registered entity trade under several names without forming several companies. What it does not do is create anything: there is no separate legal person, no liability separation, and in most states no exclusivity.
What to know
- Registered at state level in some states and county level in others, which is why a DBA can be genuinely hard to find.
- Confers no trademark rights.
- In many states it does not stop another business filing the same assumed name.
- The underlying entity remains liable for everything done under the assumed name.
Where assumed names are filed, by state
Some states hold assumed names centrally and some push them to county level. The state office below is the place to start.
| Jurisdiction | Business filings phone | Office hours | Official search |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | (334) 242-5324 | 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. | arc-sos.state.al.us |
| Alaska | (907) 269-8160 | 8:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m. | commerce.alaska.gov |
| Arizona | (602) 542-3026 | 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. | ecorp.azcc.gov |
| Arkansas | (501) 682-3409 | 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. | sos.arkansas.gov |
| California | (916) 657-5448 | 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. | bizfileonline.sos.ca.gov |
| Colorado | (303) 894-2200 | 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. | coloradosos.gov |
| Connecticut | (860) 509-6002 | 8:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m. | service.ct.gov |
| Delaware | (302) 739-3073 | 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. | icis.corp.delaware.gov |
| District of Columbia | — | — | corponline.dcra.dc.gov |
| Florida | (850) 245-6052 | 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. | search.sunbiz.org |
| Georgia | (404) 656-2817 | 8:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. | ecorp.sos.ga.gov |
| Hawaii | (844) 808-3222 | 7:45 a.m.-4:30 p.m. | hbe.ehawaii.gov |
| Idaho | (208) 334-2301 | 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. | sosbiz.idaho.gov |
| Illinois | (800) 252-8980 | 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. | apps.ilsos.gov |
| Indiana | (317) 234-9768 | 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. | bsd.sos.in.gov |
| Iowa | (515) 281-5204 | 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. | sos.iowa.gov |
| Kansas | (785) 296-4564 | 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. | kansas.gov |
| Kentucky | (502) 564-3490 | 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. | sos.ky.gov |
| Louisiana | (225) 925-4704 | 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. | coraweb.sos.la.gov |
| Maine | (207) 624-7752 | 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. | apps1.web.maine.gov |
| Maryland | (410) 767-1330 | 8:30 A.M to 4:30 P.M. | egov.maryland.gov |
| Massachusetts | (617) 727-9640 | 8:45 a.m.-4:00 p.m. | corp.sec.state.ma.us |
| Michigan | (517) 241-6470 | 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. | mibusinessregistry.lara.state.mi.us |
| Minnesota | (651) 296-2803 | 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. | mblsportal.sos.state.mn.us |
| Mississippi | (601) 359-1633 | 8:30 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. | corp.sos.ms.gov |
| Missouri | (573) 751-4153 | 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. | bsd.sos.mo.gov |
| Montana | (406) 444-3665 | 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. | biz.sosmt.gov |
| Nebraska | (402) 471-4079 | 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. | nebraska.gov |
| Nevada | (775) 684-5708 | 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. | esos.nv.gov |
| New Hampshire | (603) 271-3246 | 8:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m. | quickstart.sos.nh.gov |
| New Jersey | (609) 292-9292 | 8:30 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. | njportal.com |
| New Mexico | (505) 827-3600 | 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. | enterprise.sos.nm.gov |
| New York | (518) 473-2492 | 8:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. | apps.dos.ny.gov |
| North Carolina | (919) 814-5400 | 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. | sosnc.gov |
| North Dakota | (701) 328-2900 | 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. | firststop.sos.nd.gov |
| Ohio | (614) 466-3910 | 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. | businesssearch.ohiosos.gov |
| Oklahoma | (405) 522-2520 | 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. | sos.ok.gov |
| Oregon | (503) 986-2200 | 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. | sos.oregon.gov |
| Pennsylvania | (717) 787-1057 | 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. | file.dos.pa.gov |
| Rhode Island | (401) 222-3040 | 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. | business.sos.ri.gov |
| South Carolina | (803) 734-2158 | 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m. | businessfilings.sc.gov |
| South Dakota | (605) 773-4845 | 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. | sosenterprise.sd.gov |
| Tennessee | (615) 741-2286 | 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. | tncab.tnsos.gov |
| Texas | (512) 463-5555 | 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. | comptroller.texas.gov |
| Utah | (801) 530-4849 | 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. | businessregistration.utah.gov |
| Vermont | (802) 828-2386 | 7:45 a.m.-4:30 p.m. | bizfilings.vermont.gov |
| Virginia | (804) 371-9733 | 8:15 a.m.-5:00 p.m. | cis.scc.virginia.gov |
| Washington | (360) 725-0377 | 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. | ccfs.sos.wa.gov |
| West Virginia | (304) 558-8000 | 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m. | apps.sos.wv.gov |
| Wisconsin | (608) 261-7577 | 7:45 a.m.-4:30 p.m. | apps.dfi.wi.gov |
| Wyoming | (307) 777-7311 | 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. | wyobiz.wyo.gov |
Common questions
Is a DBA the same as an assumed name?
Yes. DBA, doing business as, assumed name, fictitious name and trade name all describe the same thing: operating under a name other than the registered legal one. The label depends on the state.
Does a DBA protect my business name?
Barely. It registers the fact that you trade under a name; it creates no exclusive right and does not stop anyone else using it. It is a disclosure, not a claim.
Do I file a DBA with the state or the county?
It depends on the state, and this trips people up. Some hold assumed names centrally, some push filing to county level, and a few require both. The state filing office is the place to start.
Do I need a DBA for an LLC?
Only if you trade under a name that is not the registered one. An LLC operating under its exact registered name generally does not need one.
Where you will see it
This term appears on business entity search results and in correspondence from the Secretary of State. If you met it on a search result and are not sure how it applies to a specific business, the record itself usually says more than the summary line does.
You can check a name against all 50 states and the District of Columbia from the search on our home page. Every result links back to the state office that holds the record.
Sources reviewed
The sources below were retrieved and confirmed in August 2026. Filing requirements and fees change with legislative sessions and agency rulemaking; check the state’s own page before acting on anything here. This page is general information, not legal or tax advice.
- Official business entity search portals for all 51 jurisdictions, each retrieved and confirmed to resolve. The full list appears in the table above.
Related
Other questions about the name itself, and the registers they apply to:
- Can two businesses have the same name?
- What names to avoid for an LLC
- Does registering a business name protect it?
- Florida business entity search
- California business entity search
- Texas business entity search
- New York business entity search
- Georgia business entity search
- Illinois business entity search