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 authorities in the South Carolina cities or towns 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 South Carolina Secretary of State then you have to Register a DBA Name with the authorities in the South Carolina cities or towns where you want to conduct business under the DBA Name.

Other names for a South Carolina DBA Name include:

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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