How to File a DBA With Your County
Several states, including California, Nevada, and North Carolina, require filing a DBA with the county rather than a state agency; a few, like Kansas and New Mexico, have no statewide DBA registry at all, leaving it entirely to local offices. File with the county clerk, clerk-recorder, or Register of Deeds in the county of your principal place of business, and confirm the fee and any publication requirement directly with that office, since both are typically set locally.
By LLC Register · Last reviewed October 2, 2026
Comprehensive Guide
Why Some States File DBAs at the County Level
Not every state centralizes DBA, fictitious name, or trade name filings with a single state agency. A number of states instead delegate this to the county (or, in parts of New England, the city or town), treating it as a local public record rather than a statewide one. If you're in one of these states, searching the Secretary of State's website for a DBA form won't get you very far; you need the specific county office instead.
California: County Clerk-Recorder
California is one of the clearest examples. Its Fictitious Business Name Statement is filed with the county clerk-recorder in the county of the LLC's (or individual's) principal place of business, not with the Secretary of State at all. The statutory base fee is $10 for the first name and owner, plus $2 for each additional name or owner on the same statement, but California's Government Code lets a county set a higher fee to recover its full filing cost, so many counties charge considerably more than the $10 base. Most counties also require newspaper publication of the statement within 30 days of filing, a requirement set alongside the county filing itself.
Nevada: No Statewide Registry at All
Nevada goes further than California: it has no statewide DBA registry whatsoever. A Fictitious Firm Name (FFN) certificate is filed with the county clerk in each Nevada county where you do business, with fees and forms set entirely by each county. Clark County, for example, charges $25 for the filing. If you operate in multiple Nevada counties, you may need to file separately in each one, since there's no single statewide filing that covers the whole state.
North Carolina: Register of Deeds, With a Statewide Search Layer
North Carolina files its Assumed Business Name with the Register of Deeds in each county where the LLC does business, under the state's Assumed Business Name Act. Unlike Nevada, North Carolina also maintains a statewide search tool through the Secretary of State, so the public can look up assumed names across counties in one place, even though the filing itself still happens locally at each county's Register of Deeds.
Kansas and New Mexico: No State Filing, Check Locally
Kansas has no statewide DBA registry at all; the Secretary of State's own foreign-application instructions state that DBA, fictitious, assumed, and trade names aren't registered with that office, and direct filers to check with their county or city for any local requirement instead. New Mexico works similarly: its Secretary of State doesn't register assumed or fictitious names for LLCs, and an LLC may operate under a trade name without any state filing at all, though a city or county may have its own local registration and fee worth checking.
States That Have Moved Away From County-Level Filing
The trend in some states has been toward consolidating DBA filing at the state level, which is worth knowing if older guides you find online are now out of date. Texas no longer requires an LLC to also file an Assumed Name Certificate with the county clerk; since House Bill 3609 took effect on September 1, 2019, filing with the Texas Secretary of State alone is sufficient. Delaware moved even more recently: as of February 2, 2026, Delaware's trade name (DBA) registration moved to a statewide registry through Delaware One Stop, replacing a system that had previously required filing with the county Superior Court Prothonotary where the business was located.
How to Confirm What Your County Requires
If you're in a county-filing state, search for your specific county's clerk, clerk-recorder, or Register of Deeds website rather than relying on general state-level guidance, since fees, forms, and any publication requirement are frequently set at the county level and can differ meaningfully from one county to the next within the same state.
Practical Considerations
If You Operate in Multiple Counties
In a state like Nevada, where there's no statewide filing, running your business across more than one county may mean filing separately in each county where you conduct business, each with its own fee. Confirm whether your specific activity in a second county actually triggers that requirement before assuming you need to file everywhere.
County Fees Can Change More Often Than State Fees
Because a county sets its own fee to cover its own filing costs, that fee can change independently of anything happening at the state level. Confirm the current fee directly with the specific county office rather than relying on a fee you saw cited elsewhere, even on another official source.
Keep Track of Which County Record You're In
If your business moves to a different county within the same state, check whether your DBA filing needs to move with it; a filing made in one county's records doesn't necessarily carry over automatically to a new county if you relocate your principal place of business.
Not Legal Advice
Filing requirements at the county level change and vary widely even within a single state. Confirm the current process, fee, and any publication requirement directly with your specific county's clerk, clerk-recorder, or Register of Deeds office.
Sources
The official sources used for this article.
California Legislature: Business and Professions Code Section 17929 | leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?sectionNum=17929.&lawCode=BPC |
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Nevada Secretary of State: County clerk information for filing a fictitious firm name | nvsos.gov/sos/businesses/resources/county-clerk-information-for-filing-a-fictitious-firm-name-or-dba-doing-business-as |
North Carolina Secretary of State: Assumed business names | sosnc.gov/divisions/business_registration/assumed_business_names |
Kansas Secretary of State: Register a business | sos.ks.gov/businesses/register-a-business.html |
Delaware Division of Revenue: Trade names FAQs | revenue.delaware.gov/trade-names-faqs |
Created by: LLC RegisterLast reviewed October 2, 2026
Updated: October 2, 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Which states file a DBA with the county instead of the state?
California, Nevada, and North Carolina are examples that require county-level filing, each through a different local office, such as a county clerk-recorder, county clerk, or Register of Deeds.
Does Nevada have a statewide DBA filing option?
No. Nevada has no statewide DBA registry; a Fictitious Firm Name certificate must be filed with the county clerk in each county where you do business, with fees set by each county.
Does Texas still require filing a DBA with the county clerk?
No. Since House Bill 3609 took effect on September 1, 2019, an LLC in Texas files its Assumed Name Certificate with the Secretary of State only, without also filing at the county level.
What should I do if my state has no statewide DBA registry?
Check directly with your county or city clerk's office. States like Kansas and New Mexico have no statewide DBA filing and direct businesses to check for any local registration requirement instead.
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