DBA Filing Fees by State

How This Table Was Built

The fees below are what each state charges an LLC to register an assumed, fictitious, or trade name, commonly called a DBA, as published by that state's filing agency as of October 2026. A DBA doesn't require forming a new entity; it's a separate filing layered on top of an LLC that's already registered. Fees, forms, and the agency you file with vary enough between states that it's worth confirming the current number on the official page before you file, since states update fees periodically.

LLC DBA Filing Fees, Low to High

This is a sample across the range, not every state; see our guide on how to find your state's DBA filing requirements to look up any state not listed here.

States Where There's No Single Published Fee

Four states don't have one clean statewide number for an LLC's DBA. Georgia and North Carolina file trade names with the county, Georgia through the Clerk of the Superior Court and North Carolina through the county Register of Deeds, so the fee is set locally rather than by the state. New Mexico has no state-level DBA filing for LLCs at all, according to the New Mexico Secretary of State; an LLC can operate under a trade name without any state filing, though a city or county may have its own local registration and fee. Arizona registers trade names with its Secretary of State, but a current fee wasn't published on the agency's trade-name page as of this review; check azsos.gov directly before filing there.

Why the Same State Can Have More Than One DBA Fee

Several states charge different amounts depending on what you're actually doing: a first filing, a renewal, a name change, or a cancellation. Illinois charges $120, $90, $60, or $30 depending on where the current year falls in its unusual five-year filing block, then $25 to change the name and $5 to cancel it. Maine charges $125 to register but only $20 to terminate the name. Don't assume the headline filing fee is the only cost you'll ever see for that DBA.

Sole Proprietors and Corporations: Don't Assume the LLC Fee Applies

The fees above are specifically what each state charges an LLC. In most states the same fee and form also apply to a sole proprietor or a corporation, since the trade-name registry doesn't distinguish by entity type, but that's not universal. Louisiana, for instance, charges a statewide trade name fee through the Secretary of State but routes a sole proprietor's local DBA through a separate parish-level filing with its own fee set by the parish. If you're filing as a sole proprietor, partnership, or corporation rather than an LLC, confirm the fee and process on your state's official page rather than assuming this table applies exactly as written.

Renewal Terms Vary as Much as the Fee Itself

A DBA's term length changes what the fee actually buys. Rhode Island's fictitious business name has no expiration date at all. Michigan's Certificate of Assumed Name expires December 31 of the fifth calendar year after filing. Oregon's Assumed Business Name renews every two years for $50. A $25 fee that lasts indefinitely, like Delaware's, is a different value proposition than a $25 fee that must be repeated every two or three years, so compare the renewal term alongside the sticker price.

Don't Compare Fees Without Comparing Terms

A low headline fee in one state and a higher one in another aren't directly comparable unless you also account for how long the registration lasts and whether renewal carries its own fee. A state charging $20 every two years can cost more over a decade than a state charging $70 once with no renewal.

Publication and County-Level Costs Can Add to the State Fee

Some states require newspaper publication of the DBA notice on top of the filing fee, which adds a separate cost set by the newspaper, not the state. Florida, for example, requires publishing notice in a county newspaper before filing the $50 Fictitious Name Registration. Factor this in before assuming the state's published fee is the total cost.

Changing or Canceling a DBA Often Costs Extra

Many states charge a separate fee to amend a DBA's name or address, or to cancel it when you stop using it, rather than folding that into the original filing fee. Missouri is a rare exception where cancellation carries no fee; most states charge something for either action.

Not Legal or Tax Advice

Filing fees and processes change, and a county-level requirement in your specific city may not appear in any state-level summary. Confirm current numbers on your state's or county's official page before budgeting for a DBA filing, and talk to a tax professional if you're unsure how DBA costs should be recorded for your business.