DBA · New Jersey

How to File an Alternate Name for an LLC in New Jersey

By Edmond Hui · Last updated October 6, 2026

Short answer

New Jersey requires an LLC that does business under a name other than its own to register an alternate name. An LLC does not need to register an alternate name if it also uses its actual name in the same dealings in a way that is not deceptive about who it is. Register the alternate name before using it.

New Jersey Alternate Name at a Glance

Requirement: Required
Where to file: See How an LLC files
Fee: See Cost and renewal
How long it lasts: 5 years
Newspaper notice: None found
File online: Yes

How an LLC Files

An LLC files the Certificate of Registration of Alternate Name with the Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services.

New Jersey's LLC law sends an LLC's alternate name to the state, but the older county trade name law exempts only corporations by name. No state source we read tells an LLC to file with the county clerk as well.

Filing needs the LLC registered on the state's records.

You can file online.

An out-of-state LLC whose own name is not available in New Jersey adopts a different name for New Jersey when it registers to do business there, which is a separate step from registering an alternate name.

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

Cost and Renewal

The filing fee is $50.00. The $50 fee applies to each registration and each five-year renewal. An LLC that used the name before registering it pays an extra $50 for each year of unregistered use.

The registration has a 5-year term.

Renewal costs $50.00.

Publication

We found no publication step for an LLC's alternate name filing in New Jersey.

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 cannot bring a lawsuit arising from dealings under an unregistered alternate name until it registers, and one that fails to register within 60 days of being notified forfeits a penalty of $200 to $500.

Sole proprietors

New Jersey requires a sole proprietor who does business under a name other than their legal name to register a trade name. A partnership files the same way unless its name includes the real names of all its partners. A sole proprietor or partnership trading under an unfiled name is guilty of a misdemeanor.

A sole proprietor registers a trade name with the county clerk in each county where the business operates.

Filing needs a sworn (verified) statement.

The filing fee is $50.00. State law sets a $50 county clerk fee for filing the certificate. The trade name law also provides a $5 fee for the duplicate the county clerk forwards to the Secretary of State, collected by the county clerk.

We found no publication step for a sole proprietor's trade name filing in New Jersey.

Requirement	Required
Where to file	County office (county clerk)
Fee	See Cost and renewal
How long it lasts	Not confirmed
Newspaper notice	None found
File online	Not confirmed

Next steps

Frequently Asked Questions

: New Jersey requires an LLC that does business under a name other than its own to register an alternate name. An LLC does not need to register an alternate name if it also uses its actual name in the same dealings in a way that is not deceptive about who it is. Register the alternate name before using it.
: An LLC files the Certificate of Registration of Alternate Name with the Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services. New Jersey's LLC law sends an LLC's alternate name to the state, but the older county trade name law exempts only corporations by name. No state source we read tells an LLC to file with the county clerk as well. Filing needs the LLC registered on the state's records.
: The filing fee is $50.00. The $50 fee applies to each registration and each five-year renewal. An LLC that used the name before registering it pays an extra $50 for each year of unregistered use.
: The registration has a 5-year term. Renewal costs $50.00.
: We found no publication step for an LLC's alternate name filing in New Jersey.
: Registering does not give the LLC ownership of, or an exclusive right to, the name.
: An LLC cannot bring a lawsuit arising from dealings under an unregistered alternate name until it registers, and one that fails to register within 60 days of being notified forfeits a penalty of $200 to $500.
: New Jersey requires a sole proprietor who does business under a name other than their legal name to register a trade name. A partnership files the same way unless its name includes the real names of all its partners. A sole proprietor or partnership trading under an unfiled name is guilty of a misdemeanor. A sole proprietor registers a trade name with the county clerk in each county where the business operates.

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 New Jersey 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.

pub.njleg.gov/statutes/STATUTES-TEXT.zipN.J.S.A. 42:2C-9, Use of name other than actual limited liability company name (Legislature full-text statutes file)
nj.gov/treasury/revenue/New Jersey Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services
njportal.com/DOR/BusinessAmendments/Home/FAQNew Jersey DORES, Business Charter Amendment Service FAQ
njportal.com/dor/businessamendmentsNew Jersey DORES, Business Charter Amendment Service
business.nj.gov/pages/business-namesBusiness.NJ.gov, Business Names

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.