DBA means "Doing Business As".  If you are an Individual Sole Proprietor and want to do business under a name which is different from your legal name then you have to Register a DBA Name with the District of Columbia Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs.

If you are a Corporation or LLC and want to do business under a name which is different from the name which is registered with the District of Columbia Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs then you have to Register a DBA Name with the District of Columbia Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs.

In District of Columbia a DBA Name is called a Trade Name.

In District of Columbia a DBA Name is called a Trade Name. Other names for a District of Columbia Trade Name include:

• District of Columbia Alternate Name
• District of Columbia Assumed Business Name
• District of Columbia Assumed Name
• District of Columbia Business Name
• District of Columbia Fictitious Name

Yes. You can Register a Trade Name with the District of Columbia Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs.

Yes. You can register a District of Columbia Trade Name with the DC Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs for a District of Columbia Corporation or a District of Columbia LLC.

Before a District of Columbia Corporation or LLC can register a DBA Name, the DC Corporation or DC LLC must be in good standing with the District of Columbia Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs.

Yes. You can register a District of Columbia Trade Name even if you have not formed a District of Columbia Corporation or LLC. In fact that's what most skilled craftsman and professionals do when they want to use a business name other their own name.

You Register a DBA Name with the District of Columbia Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs for an existing District of Columbia business.

You Reserve a Company Name with the District of Columbia Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs for use with a District of Columbia business that will be formed and legally registered with the DC Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs sometime in the future.


When you Register a Corporation or LLC with the District of Columbia Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs there are certain tax and administrative obligations which must be met to keep the company in Good Standing.  Failing to keep up with those obligations can result in the administrative dissolution of your District of Columbia company by the District of Columbia Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs.

The District of Columbia state fees for Registering a DBA Name are less than the fees for Registering a Corporation in District of Columbia or Forming a LLC in District of Columbia and there are no tax or reporting obligation for a Registered District of Columbia DBA Name.

No. The District of Columbia Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs will not issue a good standing certificate (Certificate of Existence) for a registered District of Columbia Trade Name. District of Columbia good standing certificates are issued only for companies which have registered with the District of Columbia Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs as a Corporation, LLC or LP.

You can renew the District of Columbia Trade Name before the expiration date if you want to retain ownership of the District of Columbia Trade Name.