Filing a DBA in Georgia
A DBA, which is short for Doing Business As, is also called a Trade Name in Georgia.
Regardless of whether the owner of the Trade Name is an individual, LLC, or corporation,
Georgia Trade Names are filed at the county level, with the Clerk of Superior Court,
pursuant to the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, OCGA, 10-1-490 (business laws
are found in Title 14 of the OCGA).
How to File a Georgia DBA
In Georgia, DBAs or Trade Names are registered by submitting an application, along
with the filing fee, to the Clerk of Superior Court. ClickAndInc.com can perform
a DBA name search at the county level
to help ensure that your name is available for use in that county before you submit
your application. In addition to name availability, there are other issues and factors
that should go into deciding
how to name your business, which you should look into.
As each county is different, each county has its own form to complete. However,
the typical information required on the Trade Name application is as follows:
- The Trade Name or DBA name of your business (in other words, the name under which
you would like to do business, other than your legal personal or corporate name)
- The name(s) of the owner(s) of the DBA—these can be either individuals, or
corporate entities registered in Georgia
- Business address
- Home address—this must typically be a physical address
- Notarized signature of owner(s)—both the signature and the notary stamp/seal
should be originals
Additional Responsibilities of a Georgia DBA
Once filed, state law requires that you publish notice of your filing in a newspaper
of general circulation in that county. Some counties require a specific newspaper;
others let you choose your own. It's a good idea to contact the Office of the Clerk
of Superior Court to determine publication requirements prior to submitting your
application.
When ClickAndInc.com files your Georgia DBA,
we take care of this publication requirement for you, leaving you less to worry
about.
Georgia Startup Quicklinks
For information on other types of businesses in Georgia, please explore the links
below.