DBA · Wisconsin

How to File a Trade Name for an LLC in Wisconsin

By Edmond Hui · Last updated October 6, 2026

Short answer

Wisconsin does not require an LLC to register a trade name; registering is optional. In Wisconsin this means registering the name as a trade name under Wisconsin's trademark law. An LLC files the Trademark Registration with the Department of Financial Institutions, Trademarks Bureau. The filing fee is $15.00.

Wisconsin Trade Name at a Glance

Requirement: Optional
Where to file: Department of Financial Institutions, Trademarks Bureau
Fee: $15.00
How long it lasts: 10 years
Newspaper notice: None found
File online: Yes

How an LLC Files

Registration is voluntary. The Department of Financial Institutions registers a business name (Doing Business As) as a trademark, and registering one is not the same as registering or reserving the LLC's own name.

An LLC files the Trademark Registration with the Department of Financial Institutions, Trademarks Bureau.

Filing needs a notarized signature and a sworn (verified) statement.

You can file online.

In Wisconsin, a business name (Doing Business As) is registered as a trademark with the Department of Financial Institutions, and registration is voluntary. Each name needs its own application and fee, and the signed application must be notarized before you upload it.

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

Cost and Renewal

The filing fee is $15.00.

The registration has a 10-year term.

It can be renewed for further 10-year periods, with the renewal filed within the six months before the term ends.

Renewal costs $15.00.

Publication

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

Does it protect the name?

Registering gives public notice of your claim to the name but not ownership of it.

Sole proprietors

Wisconsin does not require a sole proprietor to register a trade name; registering is optional. In Wisconsin this means registering the name as a trade name under Wisconsin's trademark law. Registration is voluntary. The Department of Financial Institutions registers a business name (Doing Business As) as a trademark.

A sole proprietor files the Trademark Registration with the Department of Financial Institutions, Trademarks Bureau.

Filing needs a notarized signature and a sworn (verified) statement.

The filing fee is $15.00.

The registration has a 10-year term.

It can be renewed for further 10-year periods, with the renewal filed within the six months before the term ends.

Renewal costs $15.00.

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

Requirement	Optional
Where to file	Department of Financial Institutions, Trademarks Bureau
Fee	$15.00
How long it lasts	10 years
Newspaper notice	None found
File online	Yes

Next steps

Frequently Asked Questions

: Wisconsin does not require an LLC to register a trade name; registering is optional. In Wisconsin this means registering the name as a trade name under Wisconsin's trademark law. Registration is voluntary. The Department of Financial Institutions registers a business name (Doing Business As) as a trademark, and registering one is not the same as registering or reserving the LLC's own name.
: An LLC files the Trademark Registration with the Department of Financial Institutions, Trademarks Bureau. Filing needs a notarized signature and a sworn (verified) statement.
: The filing fee is $15.00.
: The registration has a 10-year term. It can be renewed for further 10-year periods, with the renewal filed within the six months before the term ends. Renewal costs $15.00.
: We found no publication step for an LLC's trade name filing in Wisconsin.
: Registering gives public notice of your claim to the name but not ownership of it.
: Wisconsin does not require a sole proprietor to register a trade name; registering is optional. In Wisconsin this means registering the name as a trade name under Wisconsin's trademark law. Registration is voluntary. The Department of Financial Institutions registers a business name (Doing Business As) as a trademark. A sole proprietor files the Trademark Registration with the Department of Financial Institutions, Trademarks Bureau.

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 state trade name registration is not a federal trademark registration, 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 Wisconsin 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.

docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/statutes/statutes/132/01Wisconsin Statutes 132.01, Marks
dfi.wi.gov/Pages/BusinessServices/Trademarks/TrademarksFAQ.aspxWisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, Trademarks Frequently Asked Questions
dfi.wi.gov/Pages/BusinessServices/Trademarks/OnlineFilings.aspxWisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, Trademark Online Filings
dfi.wi.gov/Pages/BusinessServices/Trademarks/Fees.aspxWisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, Trademark Fees
dfi.wi.gov/Pages/BusinessServices/Trademarks/GeneralInformation.aspxWisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, Trademark General Information
dfi.wi.gov/Documents/BusinessServices/Trademarks/TrademarkFilingGuide.pdfWisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, Trademark Filing Guide
dfi.wi.gov/Pages/BusinessServices/Trademarks/SearchRegisteredTrademarks.aspxWisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, Trademark Search

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.