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 county clerks in the Kansas counties where you want to conduct business under the DBA Name.

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 Kansas Secretary of State then you have to Register a DBA Name with the county clerks in the Kansas counties where you want to conduct business under the DBA Name.

Other names for a Kansas DBA Name include:

• Kansas Alternate Name
• Kansas Assumed Business Name
• Kansas Assumed Name
• Kansas Business Name
• Kansas Fictitious Name
• Kansas Trade Name

No.  You CANNOT Register a DBA Name with the Kansas Secretary of State.  In Kansas you are required to register a DBA Name with the Kansas cities or town in which you want to conduct business under your DBA Name.

Yes. You can register a Kansas DBA Name with the KS Secretary of State for a Kansas Corporation or a Kansas LLC.

Before a Kansas Corporation or LLC can register a DBA Name, the KS Corporation or KS LLC must be in good standing with the Kansas Secretary of State.

Yes. You can register a Kansas DBA Name even if you have not formed a Kansas 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 Kansas Secretary of State for an existing Kansas business.

You Reserve a Company Name with the Kansas Secretary of State for use with a Kansas business that will be formed and legally registered with the KS Secretary of State sometime in the future.


When you Register a Corporation or LLC with the Kansas Secretary of State 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 Kansas company by the Kansas Secretary of State.

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

No. The Kansas Secretary of State will not issue a good standing certificate (Certificate of Existence) for a registered Kansas DBA Name. Kansas good standing certificates are issued only for companies which have registered with the Kansas Secretary of State as a Corporation, LLC or LP.

You can renew the Kansas DBA Name before the expiration date if you want to retain ownership of the Kansas DBA Name.