DBA · West Virginia

How to File a Trade Name for an LLC in West Virginia

By Edmond Hui · Last updated October 7, 2026

Short answer

West Virginia requires an LLC that does business under a name other than its own to register a trade name. This applies to a corporation, LLC, limited partnership, limited liability partnership, business trust or voluntary association. The trade name must be distinguishable from other names on the Secretary of State's records.

West Virginia Trade Name at a Glance

Requirement: Required
Where to file: Secretary of State, Business and Licensing Division
Fee: See Cost and renewal
How long it lasts: Not confirmed
Newspaper notice: None found
File online: Yes

How an LLC Files

An LLC files the Application for Trade Name (DBA) with the Secretary of State, Business and Licensing Division.

You can file online.

A sole proprietor or general partnership must already be registered with the West Virginia State Tax Department, or the Secretary of State will reject the trade name form. An LLC or corporation uses a different form from a sole proprietor.

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

Cost and Renewal

The fee is $25, and an online filing adds a $1 processing fee, for $26 in all.

Publication

We found no publication step for an LLC's trade name filing in West Virginia.

If you skip it

Willfully trading under an unregistered trade name is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of $25 to $100, up to 30 days in jail, or both.

Sole proprietors

West Virginia requires a sole proprietor who does business under a name other than their legal name to register a trade name. A sole proprietor must file for any name other than the owner's real name. A general partnership must list and have every partner sign the form.

A sole proprietor files the Trade Name (DBA) Registration with the Secretary of State, Business and Licensing Division.

Filing needs acknowledgment before a clerk or notary.

There is no filing fee. A paper filing costs $0, and an online filing costs $1, the portal's processing fee.

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

Willfully trading under an unregistered trade name is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of $25 to $100, up to 30 days in jail, or both.

Requirement	Required
Where to file	Secretary of State, Business and Licensing Division
Fee	See Cost and renewal
How long it lasts	Not confirmed
Newspaper notice	None found
File online	Yes

Next steps

Frequently Asked Questions

: West Virginia requires an LLC that does business under a name other than its own to register a trade name. This applies to a corporation, LLC, limited partnership, limited liability partnership, business trust or voluntary association. The trade name must be distinguishable from other names on the Secretary of State's records.
: An LLC files the Application for Trade Name (DBA) with the Secretary of State, Business and Licensing Division.
: The fee is $25, and an online filing adds a $1 processing fee, for $26 in all.
: We found no publication step for an LLC's trade name filing in West Virginia.
: Willfully trading under an unregistered trade name is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of $25 to $100, up to 30 days in jail, or both.
: West Virginia requires a sole proprietor who does business under a name other than their legal name to register a trade name. A sole proprietor must file for any name other than the owner's real name. A general partnership must list and have every partner sign the form. A sole proprietor files the Trade Name (DBA) Registration with the Secretary of State, Business and Licensing Division.

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 West Virginia 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.

code.wvlegislature.gov/47-8-2/West Virginia Code 47-8-2, Business not to be conducted under assumed name without filing certificate of true name
code.wvlegislature.gov/47-8-3/West Virginia Code 47-8-3, Indexing of forms filed with Secretary of State
code.wvlegislature.gov/47-8-4/West Virginia Code 47-8-4, Business entities not to conduct business under assumed name without certificate of trade name
code.wvlegislature.gov/47-8-5/West Virginia Code 47-8-5, Penalty for violations
code.wvlegislature.gov/59-1-2/West Virginia Code 59-1-2, Fees to be charged by Secretary of State
sos.wv.gov/business/registration-and-waivers/register-trade-name-dbaWest Virginia Secretary of State, Register a Trade Name (DBA)
sos.wv.gov/media/311/download?inlineWest Virginia Secretary of State, Form TN-1, Trade Name (DBA) Registration
sos.wv.gov/media/306/download?inlineWest Virginia Secretary of State, Form NR-3, Application for Trade Name (DBA)

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.