DBA · Arkansas

How to File a Fictitious Name for an LLC in Arkansas

By Edmond Hui · Last updated October 6, 2026

Short answer

Arkansas requires an LLC that trades under another name to register a fictitious name. File before the LLC starts doing business under the name. We found no publication step for an LLC's fictitious name filing in Arkansas.

Arkansas Fictitious Name at a Glance

Requirement: Required
Where to file: See How an LLC files
Fee: See Cost and renewal
How long it lasts: Not confirmed
Newspaper notice: None found
File online: Yes

How an LLC Files

File before the LLC starts doing business under the name.

An LLC files the Application for Fictitious Name with the Secretary of State and with the county.

Arkansas's LLC statute requires filing the fictitious name only with the Secretary of State, but the state's form says the filed copy must also be filed with the county clerk where the registered office is, unless that is Pulaski County. Following the form means two filings.

You can file online.

Arkansas's county assumed name law does not apply to an LLC that filed its certificate of organization with the Secretary of State.

Open the filing office's site · Open the filing page

Cost and Renewal

The Secretary of State charges $25 to file on paper and $22.50 online. The county clerk filing that the state's form also requires carries a separate charge set by the county.

Publication

We found no publication step for an LLC's fictitious name filing in Arkansas.

Does it protect the name?

Registering does not give the LLC ownership of, or an exclusive right to, the name.

If you skip it

An LLC that signs a contract only under an unfiled fictitious name cannot enforce its own rights under that contract in Arkansas courts until it files and pays a $300 civil penalty. The other party can still enforce the LLC's obligations against it.

Sole proprietors

Arkansas requires a sole proprietor who trades under another name to register an assumed name.

A sole proprietor registers an assumed name with the county clerk.

The fee is set by each county.

Requirement	Required
Where to file	County office (county clerk)
Fee	Set by each county
How long it lasts	Not confirmed
Newspaper notice	Not confirmed
File online	Not confirmed

Next steps

Frequently Asked Questions

: Arkansas requires an LLC that trades under another name to register a fictitious name. File before the LLC starts doing business under the name.
: An LLC files the Application for Fictitious Name with the Secretary of State and with the county. Arkansas's LLC statute requires filing the fictitious name only with the Secretary of State, but the state's form says the filed copy must also be filed with the county clerk where the registered office is, unless that is Pulaski County. Following the form means two filings.
: The Secretary of State charges $25 to file on paper and $22.50 online. The county clerk filing that the state's form also requires carries a separate charge set by the county.
: We found no publication step for an LLC's fictitious name filing in Arkansas.
: Registering does not give the LLC ownership of, or an exclusive right to, the name.
: An LLC that signs a contract only under an unfiled fictitious name cannot enforce its own rights under that contract in Arkansas courts until it files and pays a $300 civil penalty. The other party can still enforce the LLC's obligations against it.
: Arkansas requires a sole proprietor who trades under another name to register an assumed name. A sole proprietor registers an assumed name with the county clerk.

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.

Sources

Each entry below is a document recorded in our verified Arkansas sources, and each entry says what the document is. Some statutory text is read from an accurate mirror rather than from the state's own host, and those say so.

arkleg.state.ar.us/Acts/FTPDocument?path=%2FACTS%2F2021R%2FPublic%2F&file=1041.pdf&ddBienniumSession=2021%2F2021RArkansas Act 1041 of 2021, Ark. Code 4-38-122 Use of fictitious names, as enacted; later amendments not checked
arkleg.state.ar.us/Acts/FTPDocument?path=%2FACTS%2F2021R%2FPublic%2F&file=1041.pdf&ddBienniumSession=2021%2F2021RArkansas Act 1041 of 2021, Ark. Code 4-38-122(f) and (g), as enacted; later amendments not checked
arkleg.state.ar.us/Acts/FTPDocument?path=%2FACTS%2F2021R%2FPublic%2F&file=1041.pdf&ddBienniumSession=2021%2F2021RArkansas Act 1041 of 2021, Section 29 amending Ark. Code 4-70-201(c), as enacted; later amendments not checked
sos.arkansas.gov/business-commercial-services-bcs/forms-fees/llcArkansas Secretary of State, LLC Forms and Fees
sos.arkansas.gov/uploads/bcs/DN-18_2.pdfApplication for Fictitious Name, form DN-18
sos.arkansas.gov/uploads/bcs/DBA_Handbook_-_Updated_2026.pdfDoing Business in Arkansas, Arkansas Secretary of State (rev. 8-2026)
sos.arkansas.gov/corps/search_all.phpArkansas Secretary of State, Search Incorporations, Cooperatives, Banks and Insurance Companies
sos.arkansas.gov/uploads/bcs/DN-18_2.pdfApplication for Fictitious Name, form DN-18
arkleg.state.ar.us/Acts/FTPDocument?path=%2FACTS%2F2021R%2FPublic%2F&file=1041.pdf&ddBienniumSession=2021%2F2021RArkansas Act 1041 of 2021, Section 29 amending Ark. Code 4-70-201(c), as enacted; later amendments not checked

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.