Skip to content

How to File a DBA in Georgia

In Georgia a DBA is a trade name registered with your county Clerk of Superior Court, then published in the county legal organ newspaper for two weeks. Attorney review available.

Find out where you stand in Georgia

What kind of business is registering the name?

DocDraft provides document preparation, not legal advice.

Introduction

Georgia routes a DBA through the Clerk of Superior Court in the county where the business operates, a court office rather than the Secretary of State; the filing lets a person or business use a name different from the owner's legal name and creates no separate legal entity. Georgia calls it a trade name, and you register it with the Clerk of Superior Court of the county where the business is chiefly carried on (O.C.G.A. 10-1-490), not with the Georgia Secretary of State, because Georgia has no statewide DBA filing. There is no single statewide form or fee; each county Clerk of Superior Court sets its own recording fee, so the cost depends on your county. As an example, DeKalb County charges about $174, and other metro-Atlanta counties run in a similar range, so confirm the current amount with your own county clerk. 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. After you file, Georgia requires you to publish notice of the filing in the county's official legal organ, the newspaper that prints the sheriff's advertisements, once a week for two weeks, and you pay the newspaper a separate publication charge. A Georgia trade name registration has no periodic renewal; it stays in effect until the ownership changes, and you file a new registration on a change of ownership or to change the name. DocDraft builds your Georgia trade name registration from your facts, with attorney review available before you file.

Key Things to Know

  1. 1

    Georgia calls a DBA a trade name and registers it with the county Clerk of Superior Court, with no statewide filing option. It lets you carry on business under a name different from the owner's legal name, and it creates no separate legal entity.

  2. 2

    You register the trade name with the Clerk of Superior Court of the county where the business is chiefly carried on (O.C.G.A. 10-1-490). Georgia has no Secretary of State DBA filing.

  3. 3

    There is no statewide Georgia form or fee. Each county Clerk of Superior Court sets its own recording fee (for example, DeKalb County charges about $174), so confirm the amount with your county.

  4. 4

    After you file, Georgia requires you to publish notice of the filing in the county's official legal organ, the newspaper that prints the sheriff's advertisements, once a week for two weeks (O.C.G.A. 10-1-490).

  5. 5

    A Georgia trade name registration has no periodic renewal. It stays in effect until the ownership changes, and you file a new registration on a change of ownership or to change the name.

  6. 6

    A DBA gives you no ownership of or exclusive right to the name, and it does not limit your liability. A sole proprietor with a trade name is still personally responsible for the business.

  7. 7

    You must register a trade name in Georgia when you carry on business under a name that does not disclose the individual ownership, such as a name that leaves out an owner's surname or suggests other owners.

Key decisions before you file

Before you file a DBA (Doing Business As) in Georgia, 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

Customize your DBA (Doing Business As) Template with DocDraft

Georgia Requirements for DBA (Doing Business As)

  • File With the Clerk of Superior Court

    In Georgia a DBA is a trade name registered with the Clerk of Superior Court of the county where the business is chiefly carried on, not with the state (O.C.G.A. 10-1-490). Georgia has no Secretary of State DBA filing.

  • County-Set Recording Fee

    There is no statewide Georgia fee. Each county Clerk of Superior Court sets its own recording fee, so confirm the amount with your county. As an example, DeKalb County charges about 174 dollars, plus a separate newspaper publication charge.

  • The Trade Name

    The exact trade name to register. It must not include a word such as Corporation, Incorporated, LLC, or Limited unless the registrant is that type of entity, and a filing is required when the name does not disclose the individual ownership of the business.

  • Registrant and Owners

    The full legal name and address of the registrant, the type of registrant, and the name and address of each owner. For a partnership, every partner is listed so the ownership behind the name is disclosed.

  • County of Filing

    The county where the business is chiefly carried on, which sets the Clerk of Superior Court where you file. For a domestic corporation using a name other than its corporate name, the filing county is the county of its legal domicile.

  • Newspaper Publication

    After filing, publish notice of the registration in the county official legal organ, the newspaper that prints the sheriff advertisements, once a week for two weeks, and pay the newspaper a separate publication charge (O.C.G.A. 10-1-490).

  • No Periodic Renewal

    A Georgia trade name registration has no periodic renewal. It stays in effect until the ownership changes, and you file a new registration only on a change of ownership or to change the name.

  • No Entity, No Trademark, No Liability Shield

    A Georgia DBA is only a name registration. It creates no separate legal entity, gives no exclusive right or trademark in the name, and does not limit the personal liability of a sole proprietor or general partner.

Frequently Asked Questions