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

Other names for a North Carolina DBA Name include:

• North Carolina Alternate Name
• North Carolina Assumed Business Name
• North Carolina Assumed Name
• North Carolina Business Name
• North Carolina Fictitious Name
• North Carolina Trade Name

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

Yes. You can register a North Carolina DBA Name with the NC Secretary of State for a North Carolina Corporation or a North Carolina LLC.

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

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

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


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

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

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

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