Assumed business name
North Carolina Assumed Business Name Certificates
In North Carolina a DBA is an assumed business name certificate, and it is recorded by a county Register of Deeds, not the Secretary of State. File in one county where you do business and the record is shared statewide. The recording fee is $26 (G.S. 161-10). We prepare and record it for $149 plus the $26 at cost.
North Carolina fees re-checked against the SOS schedule: October 30, 2026
Heads up: we are an independent company that prepares and submits North Carolina filings for owners. We are not the North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State and we do not give legal advice. Every state and county charge passes through at the exact amount billed, and anyone can file directly with the Business Registration Division for no service fee.
- Filed online with the NC Secretary of State
- We track your April 15 annual report
- Cited to NC General Statutes 57D and 55
- Talk to a filer: (386) 465-3937
North Carolina Assumed Business Name Certificates: the North Carolina specifics
Assumed business names go to the county, not Raleigh
Doing business under any name other than the exact registered name requires an assumed business name certificate filed with the Register of Deeds in a county where you do business (G.S. 66-71.4). One county filing covers the whole state, up to five names fit on one certificate, and the recording fee is $26.
Check it: North Carolina General StatutesWhat the certificate must say (G.S. 66-71.5)
The assumed name, a real name of the owner, the nature of the business, the street address of the principal place of business, and every county where the name is used. An assumed name cannot include "LLC" or "Inc." unless the owner is actually that kind of entity.
Check it: North Carolina General StatutesChanging or dropping a name
Amendments and withdrawals are filed in the same county as the original certificate. A withdrawal lists the book and page of the original filing and its SOS ID (G.S. 66-71.8).
Check it: North Carolina General StatutesSearch before you file
Assumed names recorded by every county are searchable on the Secretary of State's assumed business name search.
Check it: NC Department of the Secretary of StateWho needs a certificate
The Secretary of State's own example: John Smith runs a lawn business as "Smith Lawn Maintenance" and must file. So must two brothers trading as general partners, and so must any LLC or corporation using a name other than the one registered with the state. An LLC called Smith Holdings LLC that answers the phone as Smith Lawn Care needs one.
Source: www.sosnc.gov
One filing can cover all 100 counties
Since December 1, 2017, a single certificate can list one county, several, or all 100, and the fee does not change. The certificate is recorded and indexed at the Register of Deeds where you file and then uploaded to the Secretary of State's statewide database. Certificates filed under the old law expired on December 1, 2022, so a business that never refiled has no valid certificate today.
Source: www.sosnc.gov
What a certificate does not do
An assumed name is not exclusive. Two businesses can register the same assumed name, and registering does not protect you from a trademark claim by someone who used the name first. If you build your own certificate instead of using the state's form, the first page needs a 3-inch top margin for the Register of Deeds' recording stamp.
Source: www.sosnc.gov
North Carolina Assumed Business Name Certificates: questions
Yes, if it does business under any name other than its exact registered name, including dropping the "LLC".
Check it: North Carolina General StatutesNo. One certificate in one county where you do business is enough; list the other counties on it.
Check it: North Carolina General StatutesYes. Every filing on this site can be made directly with the NC Department of the Secretary of State, Business Registration Division, for the state fee alone. We charge a separate service fee to prepare and file it for you.
Check it: NC Department of the Secretary of StateGet your assumed name certificate recorded.
Heads up: we are an independent company that prepares and submits North Carolina filings for owners. We are not the North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State and we do not give legal advice. Every state and county charge passes through at the exact amount billed, and anyone can file directly with the Business Registration Division for no service fee.