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 Ohio Secretary of State.

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 Ohio Secretary of State then you have to Register a DBA Name with the Ohio Secretary of State.

Other names for an Ohio DBA Name include:

• Ohio Alternate Name
• Ohio Assumed Business Name
• Ohio Assumed Name
• Ohio Business Name
• Ohio Fictitious Name
• Ohio Trade Name

There is a difference between a Trade Name and a Fictitious Name in Ohio.

A Trade Name gives the owner exclusive rights in Ohio to the Trade Name. Other businesses will not be able to register an Ohio Trade Name that is overly similar to yours without your permission. A Fictitious Name Registration does not come with exclusive rights.

Yes. You can Register a DBA Name with the Ohio Secretary of State.

Yes. You can register an Ohio DBA Name with the OH Secretary of State for an Ohio Corporation or an Ohio LLC.

Before an Ohio Corporation or LLC can register a DBA Name, the OH Corporation or OH LLC must be in good standing with the Ohio Secretary of State.

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

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


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

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

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

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