DBA · Pennsylvania

How to File a Fictitious Name for an LLC in Pennsylvania

By Edmond Hui · Last updated October 6, 2026

Short answer

Pennsylvania requires an LLC that does business under a name other than its own to register a fictitious name. Registration is not mandatory for nonprofit or professional activities, though they may still register voluntarily. An LLC files the Registration of Fictitious Name with the Department of State. The filing fee is $70.00.

Pennsylvania Fictitious Name at a Glance

Requirement: Required
Where to file: Department of State
Fee: $70.00
How long it lasts: Not confirmed
Newspaper notice: Not required
File online: Yes

How an LLC Files

An LLC files the Registration of Fictitious Name with the Department of State.

You can file online.

In Pennsylvania the newspaper notice is needed only when an individual is a party to the registration, so an LLC registering a name on its own does not advertise. The notice is kept with the business records rather than sent to the Department of State.

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

Cost and Renewal

The filing fee is $70.00.

Publication

Pennsylvania's filing office says an LLC's filing needs no newspaper publication.

Does it protect the name?

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

If you skip it

A business that has not registered a fictitious name it is required to register cannot maintain a lawsuit in a Pennsylvania court until it registers. Its contracts stay valid and it can still defend itself in court.

Sole proprietors

Pennsylvania requires a sole proprietor whose business name is not their full name to register a fictitious name. A sole proprietor must register any business name that is not the owner's full name or does not readily identify the owner, including one that adds words suggesting other owners, such as and Sons or and Associates. Registration is not mandatory for nonprofit or professional activities.

A sole proprietor files the Registration of Fictitious Name with the Department of State.

The filing fee is $70.00.

Before or after filing, you must publish notice of the name once in two newspapers of general circulation in the county where the business's principal office or place of business is or will be located, one of which must be the county's legal newspaper (one is enough if the county has only one newspaper of general circulation).

Requirement	Required
Where to file	Department of State
Fee	$70.00
How long it lasts	Not confirmed
Newspaper notice	Required
File online	Yes

Next steps

Frequently Asked Questions

: Pennsylvania requires an LLC that does business under a name other than its own to register a fictitious name. Registration is not mandatory for nonprofit or professional activities, though they may still register voluntarily.
: An LLC files the Registration of Fictitious Name with the Department of State.
: The filing fee is $70.00.
: Pennsylvania's filing office says an LLC's filing needs no newspaper publication.
: Registering does not give the LLC ownership of, or an exclusive right to, the name.
: A business that has not registered a fictitious name it is required to register cannot maintain a lawsuit in a Pennsylvania court until it registers. Its contracts stay valid and it can still defend itself in court.
: Pennsylvania requires a sole proprietor whose business name is not their full name to register a fictitious name. A sole proprietor must register any business name that is not the owner's full name or does not readily identify the owner, including one that adds words suggesting other owners, such as and Sons or and Associates. Registration is not mandatory for nonprofit or professional activities. A sole proprietor files the Registration of Fictitious Name with the Department of State.

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 Pennsylvania 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.

palegis.us/statutes/consolidated/view-statute?txtType=PDF&ttl=54&div=0&chapter=3Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, Title 54 Chapter 3, Fictitious Names Act
palegis.us/statutes/consolidated/view-statute?txtType=PDF&ttl=15&div=0&chapter=1Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, Title 15 Chapter 1 (sections 102 and 153)
pa.gov/agencies/dos/programs/business/fees-and-paymentsPennsylvania Department of State, Fees and Payments
pa.gov/agencies/dos/programs/business/types-of-filings-and-registrations/fictitious-namesPennsylvania Department of State, Fictitious Names
pa.gov/content/dam/copapwp-pagov/en/dos/programs/business/guides/Business-Guide.pdfPennsylvania Department of State, A Guide to Business Registration in Pennsylvania
pa.gov/agencies/dos/resources/business-resources/forms-and-documents1Pennsylvania Department of State, Registration Forms and Documents
palegis.us/statutes/consolidated/view-statute?txtType=PDF&ttl=54&div=0&chapter=3Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, Title 54 Chapter 3, Fictitious Names Act, section 311(g)
palegis.us/statutes/consolidated/view-statute?txtType=PDF&ttl=54&div=0&chapter=3Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, Title 54 Chapter 3, Fictitious Names Act, section 303(b)(2)

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.