When you need a DBA
Your LLC has one legal name, the one on its state record. If you sell, invoice or take payments under a different name, most states want that name registered. That registration is a DBA ("doing business as"), also called an assumed, fictitious or trade name.
Your bank will usually ask for the filing before it accepts payments in that name. Some states add penalties. In Virginia, using a name without filing it is a misdemeanor, and the business cannot bring a lawsuit in the state's courts.
Your options
Register a DBA. The usual answer. It is usually one filing, $5 to $125 where the state takes it, and the LLC stays exactly as it is: same owners, same liability protection, same EIN (the company's federal tax ID number). You can hold several DBAs under one LLC.
Change the LLC's name. Better if the new name will be the only one you use. You amend the LLC's articles with the state instead, and the old name goes away.
Form a second LLC. Only worth it if the new line of business carries its own risk and you want it kept apart. A DBA gives no separate protection, but a second LLC means a second set of state filings and a second registered agent.
Rules in your state
The table answers four questions for an LLC: must you file, where, what it costs, and whether a newspaper notice follows. Rules for sole proprietors are often different and are not covered here.
Where an LLC files a DBA, and what it costs, in 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico
| State | For an LLC | Where you file | Fee | Lasts | Newspaper notice |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Optional | Secretary of State | $30 | 5 years | Not confirmed |
| Alaska* | Optional | Division of Corporations | $25 | 5 years | No |
| Arizona | Optional | Secretary of State | $10 | 5 years | No |
| Arkansas* | Required | Secretary of State, then a copy to the county clerk | $22.50 + county fee | Not stated | Not confirmed |
| California* | Required | County clerk | $26 (Los Angeles County) | 5 years | Yes |
| Colorado* | Required | Secretary of State | $20 | While the LLC stays active | Not confirmed |
| Connecticut* | Required | Town clerk | $20 (Bridgeport) | 5 years | No |
| Delaware* | Optional | Division of Revenue | $25 | Does not expire | No |
| Florida* | Required | Division of Corporations | $50 | 5 years | Yes |
| Georgia* | Required | Clerk of superior court | $175 (Fulton County) | Not stated | Yes |
| Hawaii | Optional | Business Registration Division | $50 | 5 years | No |
| Idaho* | Required | Secretary of State | $25 | Does not expire | No |
| Illinois* | Required | Secretary of State | $120 | To the next year ending in 0 or 5, then 5 years | No |
| Indiana* | Required | Secretary of State | $20 | Not stated | Not confirmed |
| Iowa* | Required | Secretary of State | $5 | Not stated | No |
| Kansas | No registry | Nowhere | No filing | n/a | n/a |
| Kentucky* | Required | Secretary of State, then the county clerk | $20 + $33 county | 5 years | No |
| Louisiana* | Required | Parish clerk of court | Set by each parish | Not stated | Not confirmed |
| Maine | Required | Secretary of State | $125 | Not stated | No |
| Maryland | Required | State Department of Assessments and Taxation | $25 | 5 years | No |
| Massachusetts* | Required | City or town clerk | $65 (Boston) | 4 years | No |
| Michigan | Required | Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs | $25 | 5 years | No |
| Minnesota* | Required | Secretary of State | $50 | 1 year, renewed free | Yes |
| Mississippi | Optional | Secretary of State | $25 | 5 years | Not confirmed |
| Missouri | Required | Secretary of State | $7 | 5 years | No |
| Montana | Required | Secretary of State | $20 | 5 years | No |
| Nebraska* | Optional | Secretary of State | $100 | 10 years | Yes |
| Nevada* | Required | County clerk | $25 (Clark County) | 5 years | No |
| New Hampshire | Required | Secretary of State | $50 | 5 years | No |
| New Jersey | Required | Division of Revenue | $50 | 5 years | No |
| New Mexico* | Not established | Not established | Not established | n/a | n/a |
| New York* | Required | Department of State | $25 | Does not expire | No |
| North Carolina* | Required | County register of deeds | $26 (Wake County) | Does not expire | No |
| North Dakota | Required | Secretary of State | $25 | 5 years | No |
| Ohio | Required | Secretary of State | $39 | 5 years | No |
| Oklahoma | Required | Secretary of State | $25 | Not stated | Not confirmed |
| Oregon | Required | Secretary of State | $50 | 2 years | No |
| Pennsylvania* | Required | Department of State | $70 | Not stated | Only in some cases |
| Rhode Island | Required | Department of State | $50 | Does not expire | No |
| South Carolina* | No state registry | Nowhere | No filing | n/a | n/a |
| South Dakota | Required | Secretary of State | $10 | 5 years | No |
| Tennessee | Required | Secretary of State | $20 | 5 years | Not confirmed |
| Texas* | Required | Secretary of State | $25 | Up to 10 years | No |
| Utah | Required | Division of Corporations | $22 | 3 years | No |
| Vermont | Required | Secretary of State | $70 | 5 years | No |
| Virginia | Required | State Corporation Commission | $10 | Not stated | No |
| Washington* | Required | Department of Revenue | $15 or $55 | Does not expire | No |
| West Virginia* | Required | Secretary of State | $25 | Not stated | No |
| Wisconsin | Optional | Department of Financial Institutions | $15 | 10 years | No |
| Wyoming* | Optional | Secretary of State | $100 | 10 years | No |
| District of Columbia | Required | Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection | $55 | 2 years | Not confirmed |
| Puerto Rico* | Optional | Departamento de Estado | $150 | 10 years | Official gazette |
* State notes: extra fees, deadlines and where to file
- *Alaska. Alaska wants a business license in the same name first; that license is a separate fee. Back to Alaska
- *Arkansas. Arkansas charges $22.50 online and $25 on paper. A stamped copy then goes to the county clerk where the registered office is, unless that is Pulaski County; the county charges its own recording fee. Back to Arkansas
- *California. Los Angeles County charges $5 more for each extra name or owner, and $10.75 to file online. Other counties set their own fee. Newspaper notice: Once a week for four weeks in a newspaper in the county, starting within 45 days of filing, then file the proof with the clerk within 45 days after it runs. Back to California
- *Colorado. Colorado accepts this filing online only. Back to Colorado
- *Connecticut. File with the town clerk of the town where the LLC mainly does business. Certificates filed before 2025 expire at the end of 2029. Back to Connecticut
- *Delaware. The LLC must keep a Delaware business license active. Back to Delaware
- *Florida. Newspaper notice: Advertise the name once in a newspaper in the county of your main place of business before you file. Back to Florida
- *Georgia. File in the county where the business is mainly carried on. Newspaper notice: Once a week for two weeks in the county legal newspaper. Back to Georgia
- *Idaho. Idaho charges $25 online; paper adds a $20 processing fee. Back to Idaho
- *Illinois. Illinois prorates the fee by the year you file: $150 in years ending in 0 or 5, falling $30 a year to $30 in years ending in 4 or 9. Renewal every five years is $150. Back to Illinois
- *Indiana. Indiana charges $20 online and $30 on paper. Back to Indiana
- *Iowa. An Iowa LLC adopts the name by resolution and files it with the state; LLCs do not also file with the county. Back to Iowa
- *Kentucky. A copy is then recorded with the county clerk where the registered agent is. State law sets that recording fee at $33 for up to five pages. Back to Kentucky
- *Louisiana. File with the clerk of court in each parish where the LLC does business; each clerk sets the fee. Registering the name with the Secretary of State as well is optional. Back to Louisiana
- *Massachusetts. File with the clerk of each city or town where the LLC has an office. Back to Massachusetts
- *Minnesota. Minnesota charges $50 online or in person and $30 by mail. The yearly renewal is free. Newspaper notice: Two issues in a row of a qualified newspaper in the county of the LLC's office. Back to Minnesota
- *Nebraska. Nebraska charges $100 online and $110 on paper. Newspaper notice: Once in a newspaper where the business is, then file the affidavit of publication within 45 days or the registration is canceled. Back to Nebraska
- *Nevada. File with the clerk of every county where the LLC does business. Back to Nevada
- *New Mexico. We found no state or county DBA registry for LLCs in New Mexico. Ask the Secretary of State before you rely on that. Back to New Mexico
- *New York. New York charges an LLC no county fees. A certified copy of the filing must be displayed at each place of business. Back to New York
- *North Carolina. One filing lists every county where the LLC does business. Back to North Carolina
- *Pennsylvania. Newspaper notice: Only if an individual is also listed as a party to the name. An LLC registering alone does not advertise. Back to Pennsylvania
- *South Carolina. South Carolina does not register DBAs at the state level. At least one county, Beaufort, has its own trade name form. Back to South Carolina
- *Texas. An LLC files only with the state, not the county. Back to Texas
- *Washington. Washington charges $5 for the trade name plus a business license handling fee: $10 when you add the name to an existing Washington license ($15 in all), or $50 with a new license ($55 in all). Back to Washington
- *West Virginia. Filing online adds a $1 processing charge. Back to West Virginia
- *Wyoming. Wyoming takes this filing by mail only. Back to Wyoming
- *Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico registers commercial names in its trademark registry, online. Publishing the gazette notice through the same system costs $75 more. Gazette notice: After approval, publish the notice the Departamento de Estado issues in its official gazette within 90 days. This is not a newspaper notice. Back to Puerto Rico
Where filing is with a county or town, the fee is for the biggest county or city, named; others set their own. Where the fee differs online and on paper, or a processing charge applies, the note for that state gives it. "Required" means an LLC using a name other than its registered name must file. "No" under newspaper notice means we read the state's DBA law and it has no notice requirement; "Not confirmed" means ask the filing office. "Not stated" means neither the office nor the statute gives an end date.
State or local. In most states one filing with a state office covers the whole state. In California, Connecticut, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Nevada and North Carolina you file locally instead, and the fee depends on the county or town; the table shows the fee in the biggest one. Nevada and Louisiana want a filing in each county or parish where the LLC does business, and Massachusetts in each city or town where it has an office.
The newspaper notice. California, Florida, Georgia, Minnesota and Nebraska make you publish the name in a local paper, and Pennsylvania does when an individual is also listed. The paper sets the price, so ask for its legal notice rate before you file. In Florida the notice runs before you file. California wants proof filed within 45 days after the notice finishes running, and Nebraska cancels the registration if proof is not filed within 45 days of registering. In the states marked Not confirmed, ask the filing office.
How to file
Doing it yourself or using a service
Where the state takes the filing, it is usually a short online form, and filing it yourself costs only the government fee. If you would rather not, these companies file DBAs. Each price below is the service fee; the government fee is extra.
CorpNet
$99 service fee
Good to know
- Checks that the name is available, then prepares and files the DBA.
- Refunds its service fee in full within 60 days if you are not satisfied.
- Phone support on weekdays, 7 am to 5 pm Pacific.
Watch for
- Adds a 3% convenience fee on top of the service price.
- Its DBA page does not say it places the newspaper notice.
Bizee
$99 service fee
Good to know
- One flat $99 service fee; the state fee is added at checkout once you pick your state.
Watch for
- Its DBA pages do not list what the fee covers beyond the filing, or whether it places the newspaper notice.
LegalZoom
from $99 service fee
Good to know
- The $99 Standard package includes a name search and the filing, and places the newspaper notice and files the proof where your state or county requires it.
- Refiles at no cost if a filing is rejected because of its own error.
Watch for
- The $119 Premium package adds an attorney plan that renews at $49 a month after 30 days unless you cancel.
- Filing and publication fees are extra.
Choosing between them. If your state requires a newspaper notice, LegalZoom's Standard package is the one of the three that says it places the notice for you. If you want your money back if you are unhappy, CorpNet offers a 60-day refund of its fee. If you want one flat fee and will place any notice yourself, Bizee lists a single $99 service fee. What each company says is taken from its own pages on Sep 25, 2026.
For the other filings an LLC ends up needing, and who sells them, see who files what.
Common questions
How much does it cost to add a DBA to an LLC? $5 to $125 where the state files it, from Iowa at the low end to Maine at the high end. A newspaper notice, where required, is extra.
Does the DBA need its own EIN? No. It is a name the LLC uses, so it uses the LLC's EIN.
Does a DBA protect the name? Usually not. It is a public record of who is behind the name. Virginia's filing office says it cannot decide who has the right to use one. A trademark protects a brand.
Can I file online? In most states. Some take it on paper only, including Connecticut and Wyoming.
Do I need one in every state where the LLC works? In each state where you use the name and the table says Required. If the LLC works in a second state, it usually needs a foreign registration there first.
Sources & research process
Each row was read on Sep 25, 2026 from the filing office's instructions, form or fee schedule, and the statute where the office did not say. Where an official code site blocked access, the statute was read on a public mirror. Every row was checked a second time the same day, and differences were settled on the government's own pages where they could be read. Where filing is local we read the largest county or city and name it. Service prices were read on each company's own site. We re-read every row each quarter.
Some links on this site are affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you sign up through them, at no extra cost to you. This does not affect our recommendations.