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 Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation.

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 Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation then you have to Register a DBA Name with the Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation.

Other names for a Maryland DBA Name include:

• Maryland Alternate Name
• Maryland Assumed Business Name
• Maryland Assumed Name
• Maryland Business Name
• Maryland Fictitious Name
• Maryland Trade Name

Yes. You can Register a DBA Name with the Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation.

Yes. You can register a Maryland DBA Name with the MD Department of Assessments and Taxation for a Maryland Corporation or a Maryland LLC.

Before a Maryland Corporation or LLC can register a DBA Name, the MD Corporation or MD LLC must be in good standing with the Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation.

Yes. You can register a Maryland DBA Name even if you have not formed a Maryland 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 Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation for an existing Maryland business.

You Reserve a Company Name with the Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation for use with a Maryland business that will be formed and legally registered with the MD Department of Assessments and Taxation sometime in the future.


When you Register a Corporation or LLC with the Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation 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 Maryland company by the Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation.

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

No. The Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation will not issue a good standing certificate (Certificate of Existence) for a registered Maryland DBA Name. Maryland good standing certificates are issued only for companies which have registered with the Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation as a Corporation, LLC or LP.

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