A company is said to be “doing business as” when the name underwhich they operate their business differs from its legal,registered name. Some states require dba or fictitious businessname filings to be made for the protection of consumers conductingbusiness with the entity.
If you’re starting a sole proprietorship or a partnership, youhave the option of choosing a business name or dba (“doing businessas”) for your business. If you want to operate your business undera name other than your own (for instance, Carol Axelrod doingbusiness as “Darling Donut Shoppe”), you may be required by thecounty, city or state to register your fictitious name. (Note: Nofictitious business name may include the words “corporation,””Inc.,” “incorporation” or “Corp.” unless it’s a corporationregistered with the Secretary of State.)
Procedures for filing for a fictitious name vary among states.In many states, all you have to do is go to the county offices andpay a registration fee to the county clerk. In other states, youalso have to place a fictitious name ad in a local newspaper for acertain amount of time. The cost of filing a fictitious name noticeranges from $10 to $100. Your local bank may also require afictitious name certificate to open a business account for you; ifso, they can tell you where to go to register.
In most states, corporations don’t have to file fictitiousbusiness names unless the corporations do business under namesother than their own. Incorporation documents have the same effectfor corporate businesses as fictitious name filings do for soleproprietorships and partnerships.
