DBA and Assumed Names for an LLC, by State
By Edmond Hui · Verified October 7, 2026
Short answer
38 of the 49 states we verified require an LLC that uses another name to file for it. 9 make it optional or set no requirement we found, and 2 have no state filing for it. 1 state not yet verified: New Mexico.
DBA Filing Rules, State by State
| State | What it is called | Requirement | Where an LLC files | Fee | Newspaper notice |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Trade Name | Allowed; no requirement found | Secretary of State | See Cost and renewal | None found |
| Alaska | Business Name | Allowed; no requirement found | Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing | $25.00 | None found |
| Arizona | Trade Name | Optional | Secretary of State | See Cost and renewal | None found |
| Arkansas | Fictitious Name | Required | See How an LLC files | See Cost and renewal | None found |
| California | Fictitious Name | Required | County office (county clerk) | Varies by county | Required |
| Colorado | Trade Name | Required | Secretary of State | $20.00 | None found |
| Connecticut | Trade Name | Required | City or town clerk | $20.00 | None found |
| Delaware | Trade Name | Optional | Division of Revenue | See Cost and renewal | None found |
| Florida | Fictitious Name | Required | Division of Corporations | $50.00 | Required |
| Georgia | Trade Name | Required | See How an LLC files | Not confirmed | Required |
| Hawaii | Trade Name | Optional | Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Business Registration Division | See Cost and renewal | None found |
| Idaho | Assumed Name | Required | Secretary of State | See Cost and renewal | None found |
| Illinois | Assumed Name | Required | Secretary of State | See Cost and renewal | None found |
| Indiana | Assumed Name | Required | Secretary of State | See Cost and renewal | None found |
| Iowa | Fictitious Name | Required | Secretary of State | $5.00 | None found |
| Kansas | DBA | No state filing | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Kentucky | Assumed Name | Required | Secretary of State and county clerk | See Cost and renewal | None found |
| Louisiana | Assumed Name | Required | Parish office (parish clerk of court) | Not confirmed | None found |
| Maine | Assumed Name | Required | Secretary of State | $125.00 | None found |
| Maryland | Trade Name | Required | State Department of Assessments and Taxation | See Cost and renewal | None found |
| Massachusetts | Business Certificate | Required | City or town clerk | Varies by city or town | None found |
| Michigan | Assumed Name | Required | See How an LLC files | $25.00 | None found |
| Minnesota | Assumed Name | Required | Secretary of State | See Cost and renewal | Required |
| Mississippi | Fictitious Name | Optional | Secretary of State, Business Services Division | See Cost and renewal | None found |
| Missouri | Fictitious Name | Required | Secretary of State | See Cost and renewal | None found |
| Montana | Assumed Name | Required | Secretary of State | $20.00 | None found |
| Nebraska | Trade Name | Allowed; no requirement found | Secretary of State | See Cost and renewal | Required |
| Nevada | Fictitious Name | Required | County office (county clerk) | Not confirmed | None found |
| New Hampshire | Trade Name | Required | Secretary of State | $50.00 | None found |
| New Jersey | Alternate Name | Required | See How an LLC files | See Cost and renewal | None found |
| New Mexico | Not yet verified | Not yet verified | Not yet verified | Not yet verified | Not yet verified |
| New York | Assumed Name | Required | Department of State, Division of Corporations | $25.00 | None found |
| North Carolina | Assumed Name | Required | County office (register of deeds) | See Cost and renewal | None found |
| North Dakota | Trade Name | Required | Secretary of State | $25.00 | None found |
| Ohio | Fictitious Name | Required | Secretary of State | $39.00 | None found |
| Oklahoma | Trade Name | Required | Secretary of State | $25.00 | None found |
| Oregon | Assumed Name | Required | Secretary of State Corporation Division | $50.00 | None found |
| Pennsylvania | Fictitious Name | Required | Department of State | $70.00 | Not required |
| Rhode Island | Fictitious Name | Required | Department of State Business Services Division | See Cost and renewal | None found |
| South Carolina | DBA | No state filing | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| South Dakota | Fictitious Name | Required | Secretary of State | $10.00 | None found |
| Tennessee | Assumed Name | Required | Secretary of State | $20.00 | Not confirmed |
| Texas | Assumed Name | Required | Secretary of State | $25.00 | None found |
| Utah | DBA | Required | Division of Corporations and Commercial Code | $22.00 | None found |
| Vermont | Assumed Name | Required | Secretary of State | $70.00 | None found |
| Virginia | Assumed Name | Required | State Corporation Commission, Office of the Clerk | $10.00 | None found |
| Washington | Trade Name | Required | Department of Revenue, Business Licensing Service | See Cost and renewal | None found |
| West Virginia | Trade Name | Required | Secretary of State, Business and Licensing Division | See Cost and renewal | None found |
| Wisconsin | Trade Name | Optional | Department of Financial Institutions, Trademarks Bureau | $15.00 | None found |
| Wyoming | Trade Name | Optional | Secretary of State, Business Division | $100.00 | None found |
1 state not yet verified: New Mexico.
Related DBA and naming guides
Frequently Asked Questions
This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. It reports what each state's filing office publishes about registering a business name, with the sources this page cites. A filing here does not register a federal trademark, and fees and forms change between our reviews. Confirm with the office named on this page before you file.
Edmond Hui · Founder, MyStateLLC
Edmond Hui is a software engineer and serial entrepreneur based in New York who has founded multiple online businesses across e-commerce, media, and information publishing. Before transitioning into tech, he spent years as a commercial real estate professional closing deals totaling over 100,000 square feet, giving him firsthand experience with business formation and entity structuring. He built MyStateLLC to provide the free, state-specific LLC guidance he wished existed when forming his own companies.