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Orange County, California, handles DBAs as fictitious business names. You file a statement with the Orange County Clerk-Recorder, not with the state. This page explains the county steps. The state view is on the California DBA page, and the neighboring county is on the Los Angeles County page.
There is no state register
The clerk's FBN portal says California law requires FBNs to be filed at the county level and that there is no statewide registry. If you work in several counties, check whether each one needs its own filing.
Who needs a fictitious business name
The clerk explains the test. For an individual, a fictitious name is any name that does not include the owner's last name, or that implies more owners, such as "and Company" or "Associates". For a corporation, LLC or limited partnership, it is any name other than the exact name on record with the Secretary of State. The clerk gives some exceptions, including nonprofit organizations and certain real estate investment trusts.
An FBN statement is a public record. The clerk notes that banks often ask for a copy before opening a business account.
How to search
- Open the portal linked above and choose the FBN name search.
- Search the name you want. The portal searches statements filed within the last 10 years.
- Read the result. It gives the registration number, business name, file date, expiration date and owner names.
- Search spelling variants too.
The clerk recommends searching before you start an application. It also says it files any properly completed statement and does not check for duplicate or similar names, so a clean search matters.
How to file
The portal lets you complete the application online and print it. You then bring the signed application to a county office, or mail it with the fee to the Clerk-Recorder. Checks and money orders are payable to the Orange County Clerk-Recorder. Check the clerk's page for current fees, because we did not source a fee from this page.
The statement must show a business mailing address. The clerk says state law no longer requires a residential address, and that post office boxes, postal mailboxes and mail service addresses are not allowed. An owner, partner or recognized officer of the corporation or LLC signs.
Publication
After filing, you must start publishing within 30 days in a newspaper of general circulation in the county. It runs once a week for four consecutive weeks. The clerk adds that one purpose of the rule is to establish your legal rights under the name, and that rights may not be protected if you skip publication.
Rights to the name
The clerk quotes Business and Professions Code section 14411. A filing creates a rebuttable presumption of an exclusive right to the name in that county if you are the first to file and actually trade under it. Enforcing it is up to the business, not the county.
Changes, expiry and abandonment
No changes can be made to a filed statement. If facts change, a new statement is filed and published. A statement expires five years from filing, and you re-file every five years. If you stop using the name, file a Statement of Abandonment and publish it.
What a DBA does not do
It does not form a company. Compare the two in DBA vs LLC and read how to file a DBA. To form an LLC, see California LLC.
This is general information, not legal or tax advice.
Ready for a company behind the name? Start your LLC.