How to Register a DBA in Georgia

When a business operates under a name that is not its legal name then it is using a "fictitious name," a "trade name" or a "doing business as" (DBA) name. The legal name of a business is the name on its organizing documents when the business is a corporation, limited liability company, limited partnership or limited liability partnership. For a sole proprietorship or general partnership, the legal name of the business is the name or names of the owners. In Georgia, if your company is going to operate with a DBA then you must file the trade name with the clerk of the Superior Court in the county in which you plan to do business.

• 1

  Research the trade name in the Clerk of Courts Office for the Superior Court in the county in Georgia in which you intend to run your business to ensure that it is not being used by another business in the county. This is the county in which your business will mainly do business.

• 2

  Obtain DBA filing forms from the Clerk of Court's Office. While some counties, such as Liberty County, have the form available for download from their websites, you can neither submit the form nor pay the fees online. Furthermore, because you must ensure that the trade name is available by going to the Clerk of Court's Office, you can easily pick up a physical copy of the form there.

• 3

  Complete the filing form. The form requires you to provide the names and addresses of any business owners, the name and address of the business and the type of business conducted.

• 4

  Submit the form with the filing fee. The cost of the filing fee is not uniform throughout Georgia and depends on the county. The fees are usually $157 or greater. Call the Clerk of Court's Office prior to going there to verify the fee.

• 5

  Make arrangements to have the DBA registration published in the local newspaper. The Georgia trade name statute requires that the name be published in the newspaper once per week for two weeks. Ask the Clerk of Court's Office which newspapers are acceptable. The newspaper will charge a fee for publishing the name and the price of the fee depends on the newspaper.