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How to File a DBA in Arizona

In Arizona a DBA is a trade name registered with the Secretary of State for $10. Registration is voluntary and lasts five years, with no newspaper publication. Attorney review available.

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Introduction

For a filing fee of just $10, Arizona lets a business register a trade name, its term for a DBA, meaning a name different from the business's legal name; the registration puts the name on the public record but creates no separate legal entity. Registering a trade name in Arizona is voluntary. The Arizona Secretary of State says a trade name is similar to a doing business as (DBA) name and is not legally required, but it is an acceptable business practice, so a business may choose to file to put its name on the public record. You register statewide with the Arizona Secretary of State, not with a county, under Arizona Revised Statutes 44-1460, and the filing fee is $10. Filing a trade name does not create a corporation or an LLC, does not shield the owner from liability, and does not give a trademark or an exclusive right to the name; the Secretary of State states plainly that a trade name does not grant exclusive rights to a business name. Registering does place your use of the name on the public record and gives you priority as against later filers. Arizona does not require you to publish the trade name in a newspaper. A trade name lasts five years from the date it is received, and you renew it for another five years by filing a renewal with the Secretary of State for a $10 fee. DocDraft builds your Arizona trade name application from your facts, with attorney review available before you file.

Key Things to Know

  1. 1

    Arizona registers a DBA as a trade name for a $10 fee under Arizona Revised Statutes 44-1460. A trade name is a business name different from your legal name, placed on the public record, and it creates no separate legal entity.

  2. 2

    Registering a trade name in Arizona is voluntary. The Secretary of State says it is not legally required but is an acceptable business practice, so you file to put your name on the public record and establish priority, not because the law forces you to.

  3. 3

    You register statewide with the Arizona Secretary of State, not with a county clerk. The filing fee is $10, so Arizona has one statewide fee rather than fees that vary by county.

  4. 4

    Arizona does not require you to publish the trade name in a newspaper. Once the Secretary of State records your trade name there is no publication step and no affidavit of publication to file.

  5. 5

    An Arizona trade name lasts five years from the date it is received by the Secretary of State. You renew it for another five years by filing a renewal with the Secretary of State for a $10 fee.

  6. 6

    A trade name does not give you an exclusive right to the name. The Secretary of State states that a trade name does not grant exclusive rights to a business name, so registering gives you a public record and priority as against later filers, not ownership of the name.

  7. 7

    A trade name does not limit your liability. A sole proprietor who registers a trade name is still personally responsible for the business, and for liability protection you would form an LLC or a corporation.

Key decisions before you file

Before you file a DBA (Doing Business As) in Arizona, a few decisions shape the document: which option to choose and what each one means. The DBA (Doing Business As) guide walks through them.

Open the DBA (Doing Business As) guide

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TRADE NAME REGISTRATION (ARIZONA DBA) (Filed with the Arizona Secretary of State under Arizona Revised Statutes section 44-1460 and following)

This application registers a trade name, commonly called a DBA, under which the applicant named below will conduct business in Arizona. Registration is voluntary; the Arizona Secretary of State treats a trade name as similar to a doing business as name that is not legally required but is an acceptable business practice. It is filed statewide with the Secretary of State, not with a county.

  1. Trade Name. The trade name being registered is [TRADE NAME]. The name must be distinguishable on the record from other names already on file, and it does not include a word such as Corporation, Incorporated, LLC, or Limited unless the applicant is in fact that type of entity.

  2. Applicant. The full legal name of the applicant is [APPLICANT LEGAL NAME], with address [APPLICANT ADDRESS]. The applicant is [an individual / a general partnership / a limited liability company / a corporation / other]. If the applicant is an entity, its state of organization is [STATE].

  3. Owner of Record. The owner that will use the trade name is [OWNER NAME AND ADDRESS]. For a general partnership, the partnership is the owner of record and the partners are identified.

  4. Principal Place of Business. The street address of the principal place of business is [STREET ADDRESS, CITY, AZ ZIP], located in [COUNTY] County, Arizona.

  5. Nature of Business. The general type of business conducted under the trade name is [DESCRIBE THE BUSINESS], and the applicant has used the name since [DATE FIRST USED, OR STATE NOT YET STARTED].

  6. Filing and Fee. The applicant files this application with the Arizona Secretary of State and pays the $10 filing fee. Arizona has one statewide trade name fee; there is no county filing and no separate county fee.

  7. No Publication. Arizona does not require the applicant to publish the trade name in a newspaper. No publication step and no affidavit of publication follow this filing.

  8. Term and Renewal. This trade name is effective for five years from the date it is received by the Secretary of State. To keep the name, the applicant files a renewal for another five years and pays the $10 renewal fee, and files a $3 amendment if the owner, address, or legal name on file changes.

  9. Rights and Declaration. The applicant declares that the information in this application is true. Registering a trade name does not grant exclusive rights to the name; it places the use of the name on the public record and gives priority as against later filers. Filing does not create a separate legal entity, does not grant a trademark, and does not limit the personal liability of a sole proprietor or general partner.

Dated: ____________

[APPLICANT SIGNATURE] [PRINTED NAME AND TITLE]

Note: This Arizona application follows Arizona Revised Statutes sections 44-1460 and following. Registration is voluntary, filed statewide with the Secretary of State for a $10 fee, with a five-year term and no newspaper publication. For other states and the generic template, see the DBA (Doing Business As) hub.

Arizona Requirements for DBA (Doing Business As)

Register With the Secretary of State

In Arizona a DBA is a trade name registered statewide with the Arizona Secretary of State, not with a county clerk (Arizona Revised Statutes 44-1460). There is no county filing for an Arizona trade name.

Voluntary Registration

Registering a trade name in Arizona is voluntary. The Secretary of State says it is not legally required but is an acceptable business practice, so you file to put the name on the public record and establish priority rather than because the law forces you to.

Statewide Ten Dollar Fee

Arizona has one statewide trade name filing fee of 10 dollars, paid to the Secretary of State. The fee does not vary by county because the filing is made at the state level.

The Trade Name

The exact trade name to register. It must be distinguishable on the record from other names on file, and it must not include a word such as Corporation, Incorporated, LLC, or Limited unless the applicant is that type of entity.

Applicant and Owner of Record

The full legal name and address of the applicant, the type of applicant, and the owner that will use the trade name. For a general partnership, the partnership is the owner of record and the partners are identified.

No Newspaper Publication

Arizona does not require publication of a trade name in a newspaper. Once the Secretary of State records the trade name there is no publication step and no affidavit of publication to file.

Five Year Term and Renewal

An Arizona trade name lasts five years from the date it is received by the Secretary of State. File a renewal for another five years for a 10 dollar fee, and a 3 dollar amendment if the owner, address, or legal name on file changes.

No Entity, No Trademark, No Liability Shield

An Arizona trade name is only a name registration. The Secretary of State states it does not grant exclusive rights to the name, it creates no separate legal entity, and it does not limit the personal liability of a sole proprietor or general partner.

Frequently Asked Questions

In Arizona a DBA is a trade name, a public filing that lets a person or company do business under a name different from its legal name. You register it with the Arizona Secretary of State under Arizona Revised Statutes 44-1460, and registration is voluntary rather than required. It connects the name to you on the public record, but it does not create a separate legal entity, protect the name, or limit your liability.

In Arizona a DBA (trade name) is only a name registration you file with the Secretary of State; it creates no new entity and gives no liability protection. An Arizona LLC is a separate legal entity you form by filing Articles of Organization with the Arizona Corporation Commission, and it shields the personal assets of the owners. You can have both, since an existing LLC can register a trade name to run a brand under another name. Choose based on whether you need liability protection or just a different operating name.

You register a trade name with the Arizona Secretary of State, statewide, not with a county clerk (Arizona Revised Statutes 44-1460). The filing fee is $10. Because filing is at the state level, Arizona has one fee rather than fees that vary by county. Registration is voluntary, so you file when you want your business name on the public record.

No. Arizona does not require you to publish a trade name in a newspaper. Once the Secretary of State records your trade name, there is no publication step and no affidavit of publication to file. This is different from some states that require a notice to run in a local newspaper after filing.

An Arizona trade name lasts five years from the date it is received by the Secretary of State. To keep using the name you file a renewal, which extends it for another five years, and the renewal fee is $10. Track the five-year expiration so your registration does not lapse, and file an amendment if an owner, address, or the legal name on file changes.

Registering a trade name in Arizona is voluntary. The Secretary of State says a trade name is not legally required but is an acceptable business practice, so you are not forced to file the way some states require. Many businesses still register because a bank often asks for a trade name certificate to open an account under the business name, and registering places your use of the name on the public record with priority as against later filers.

No. The Arizona Secretary of State states that a trade name does not grant exclusive rights to a business name, so another business could use a similar name. A trade name also creates no separate legal entity, so a sole proprietor who registers one remains personally liable for the business. For exclusive name rights you would seek a trademark, and for liability protection you would form an LLC or a corporation.

Yes. An Arizona trade name application identifies the person or entity that owns the business and will use the name, and a general partnership registers in the partnership name with the partners as the owner of record. The registration ties the trade name to that owner on the Secretary of State record. If the owner or the legal name on file later changes, you file an amendment with the Secretary of State for a $3 fee.