Do I need a fictitious business name (DBA) in Los Angeles County, and how do I file it?

A fictitious business name, often called a DBA ("doing business as"), is one of the first filings a new business owner meets, and it is part of the formation work described on our business law page. The rules are in Business and Professions Code sections 17900 to 17930, and in Los Angeles County the filing goes to the Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk. This page covers who must file, how the county process works, what it costs, and what happens if you skip it.

When do you need a fictitious business name statement?

Section 17910 requires every person who regularly transacts business in California for profit under a fictitious business name to file a statement no later than 40 days after starting to do business under that name. Section 17900 defines what counts as fictitious, and the answer depends on who owns the business:

• Sole owner. A name that does not include your surname, or that suggests other owners by using words such as "Company," "& Sons" or "& Associates"; words that merely describe the business do not count (section 17900(b)(1) and (c)).
• General partnership. A name that does not include the surname of each general partner, or that suggests additional owners (section 17900(b)(2)).
• Corporation. Any name other than the corporate name stated in its articles of incorporation (section 17900(b)(3)).
• LLC. Any name other than the name stated in its articles of organization (section 17900(b)(5)).

So a hypothetical bookkeeper named Lena Arakelian who works alone as "Arakelian Bookkeeping" may need no statement, while the same bookkeeper working as "Brand Boulevard Bookkeeping" or "Arakelian & Associates" does. A company formed as "Arakelian Ventures LLC" that sells under the name "Glendale Tutoring" needs a statement for that second name. The county notes that nonprofit corporations, organizations and associations are not required to file one.

How does filing work in Los Angeles County, step by step?

1. Search the name. The county offers a fictitious business name search (the county lists a $5 per name search fee). A county filing does not give you trademark rights: the statement form itself warns that filing does not authorize use of a name in violation of another's rights under federal, state or common law (section 17913(a)).
2. Prepare the statement. The statement lists the business name or names, the street address of the principal place of business, each owner, the type of owner (individual, partnership, LLC, corporation and so on) and the date you began using the name, or "Not applicable" if you have not started (section 17913). Since January 1, 2024, the county asks for a business mailing address instead of a residence address.
3. Choose how to file. The county accepts filings completely online, including proof of identity, signature and payment, with a $10.75 service fee; by in-person appointment, which can be booked up to three weeks ahead after you complete the online application; or by mail to its Norwalk headquarters, which is the only office that processes mail. The county says mail filings may take 6 to 8 weeks.
4. Prove identity. The county requires a notarized Affidavit of Identity with mailed statements, and valid identification for in-person filing (section 17913(d) and (f) allow this). If the owner is a corporation, LLC, limited partnership or limited liability partnership, the county requires a print-out from the California Secretary of State showing the entity is in existence and in good standing.
5. Pay the fee. $26 for one business name and one registrant, plus $5 for each additional name or registrant.
6. Publish. Within 45 days after filing, publish the statement in a newspaper of general circulation in the county, once a week for four successive weeks (section 17917(a); section 17924(a)). The county posts a list of adjudicated newspapers, each with its own price.
7. File the proof. Within 45 days after publication is complete, file the newspaper's affidavit of publication with the county clerk (section 17917(d)). The county accepts proof of publication online.

Section 17929 lists a base filing fee of $10, made subject to Government Code section 54985; the amount Los Angeles County charges today is the $26 shown above.

How long does a DBA last?

A statement expires five years from the date it was filed with the county clerk (section 17920(a)). It expires sooner, 40 days after any change in the facts it lists, with limited exceptions in section 17923 (section 17920(b)), and it ends when the registrant files a statement of abandonment (section 17920(c)). To keep the name, file a renewal before the expiration date. The county charges the same $26 for a renewal and does not require publication of a renewal with no changes; under section 17917(c), a refiling after expiration need not be published if nothing changed and it is filed within 40 days of the expiration date.

What changes the answer?

Whether the name includes your surname

For a sole owner or general partnership, the surname test in section 17900 decides whether a statement is needed at all. Adding words that suggest more owners turns a surname into a fictitious name.

Whether the business is an LLC or corporation

An LLC or corporation operating under its exact registered name does not need a statement; any other name does. Forming the entity is a separate filing with the Secretary of State, explained on our page about what an LLC or corporation costs to start and keep in California. And because the county asks for proof of good standing, a company that has been suspended cannot complete the filing until it fixes that; see what happens when a California LLC or corporation is suspended.

Where the business is located

The statement is filed in the county of the principal place of business in California (section 17915). A business based in Glendale files in Los Angeles County, and may also file in other counties as long as it meets the requirements in its home county.

Changes in ownership or address

Because a change in the listed facts makes the statement expire after 40 days (section 17920(b)), a new partner, a departing partner or a move generally calls for a new statement. If a partner is leaving, our page on what happens when a business partner wants out covers the larger questions, and the county's withdrawal filing removes a registered owner (it requires publication).

Stopping use of the name

When you stop doing business under a name filed in the previous five years, section 17922 requires a statement of abandonment, published the same way as the original statement, with an affidavit of publication filed afterward.

What happens if you do not file?

Section 17918 says a person transacting business under a fictitious name without complying with the chapter may not maintain an action on any contract made, or transaction had, in that name in a California court until the statement has been executed, filed and published. In practice, that can delay a lawsuit to collect an unpaid invoice until the filing is fixed, whether the case would go to small claims or the superior court; our page comparing small claims and hiring a lawyer in Los Angeles County explains that choice. Separately, knowingly filing or publishing a false statement is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $1,000 (sections 17913(c) and 17930, as quoted in section 17924).

A worked example

For example, imagine a hypothetical Glendale resident who starts a catering business on March 1 under the name "Brand Boulevard Kitchen," working alone and without forming a company. The name does not include her surname, so section 17910 requires her to file a statement no later than 40 days after she started, which falls in early April.

She files online on March 20 and pays $26 plus the $10.75 online service fee. She then has 45 days to begin publication, and she arranges for a newspaper on the county's list to run the statement once a week for four weeks. When the last notice runs, she has 45 more days to file the affidavit of publication. Five years from her March 20 filing date, the statement expires unless she renews it.

In her second year, her sister joins as an equal owner. That changes the facts in the statement, so it will expire 40 days later and a new statement listing both owners is needed. If a client had refused to pay a large invoice before she filed, section 17918 could have stopped her from suing on that contract until the statement was filed and published. Whether a delay in filing affects any particular claim depends on facts this example does not supply.

Common mistakes with fictitious business names

• Thinking an LLC needs no DBA for its brand. If the brand differs from the name in the articles of organization, section 17900 treats it as fictitious.
• Missing the publication step. Filing alone is not enough; the statement must be published and the affidavit filed, or section 17918 can bar contract lawsuits in that name.
• Relying on an old county page. Some county pages still say publication must begin within 30 days; the current statute, section 17917(a), says 45 days. Starting within 30 days satisfies both.
• Treating a DBA as a trademark. The filing does not protect the name against an earlier user; the statement form says so expressly.
• Forgetting the change rule. Adding or losing an owner or moving the principal place of business can end the statement in 40 days.
• Confusing a DBA with a business license. The county says it does not issue business licenses and directs owners to the city where the business operates.

What to do this week

1. Write down the date you first used the name with customers, on signs, invoices or a website, and count 40 days from it.
2. Run the county name search and a general search for the name online.
3. If the owner is an LLC or corporation, print proof of active status and good standing from the Secretary of State.
4. File the statement online or book an appointment, and keep the confirmation number.
5. Pick a newspaper from the county's list, confirm its price and schedule, and calendar the 45-day deadlines for starting publication and filing the affidavit.
6. Ask your city about a business license or tax registration.
7. If you are hiring, review the written notices a California employer must give new employees; the wage notice must list every name the business uses.

Frequently asked questions

Does a DBA protect my business name from competitors?

No. The required statement form says filing does not of itself authorize use of a name in violation of another's rights under federal, state or common law. Trademark protection is a separate question; the county refers trademark questions to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Do I need a DBA if my LLC uses its exact registered name?

No. For an LLC, a fictitious name is any name other than the one stated in its articles of organization, so using the exact registered name requires no statement. Each additional brand name does.

Do I have to publish a renewal?

Not if nothing has changed. The county says renewals do not require publication, and section 17917(c) says a refiling after expiration need not be published if the information is unchanged and it is filed within 40 days of the expiration date.

Can I file in another county too?

Yes. Section 17915 allows filing in other counties as long as you also meet the requirements in the county of your principal place of business.

How do I file a DBA by mail in Los Angeles County?

Mail filings go only to the county's Norwalk headquarters and must include the completed statement and a notarized Affidavit of Identity form. The county says mail processing may take 6 to 8 weeks, so online filing is faster if a deadline is close.

Do I need a lawyer to file a DBA?

Many owners file on their own. A lawyer is more useful for the decisions around it: whether to form an LLC or corporation, whether the name is safe to use, and how ownership is documented, which our page on whether a verbal business agreement is enforceable touches on.

How can Glendale Law help?

We help new and growing businesses choose a structure, put ownership in writing and make the state and county filings that go with it. Our article on protecting your business with strong contracts covers the agreements that should come next. Call (818) 244-9000 or request a consultation.