How to File a DBA in Hawaii
In Hawaii a DBA is a trade name you register in one statewide filing with the DCCA Business Registration Division for $50, with no newspaper publication. Attorney review available.
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Introduction
A Hawaii DBA is called a trade name, filed with the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA) on Form T-1, and it is the public record that lets a person or business use a name different from the owner's legal name; it creates no separate legal entity. Hawaii registers trade names in one statewide filing, not at the county level. You file Form T-1, the Application for Registration of Trade Name, with the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA) Business Registration Division, and the fee is $50 (Haw. Rev. Stat. 482-2). Under Hawaii law a trade name is any name used by a person to identify a business or vocation (Haw. Rev. Stat. 482-1). Hawaii does not require you to publish a notice of the trade name in a newspaper. Registering 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; it does give you a certificate that is constructive notice statewide of your claim to use the name (Haw. Rev. Stat. 482-3). Registration is not strictly required, because Hawaii recognizes common-law rights in a name used in business, but registering records your claim on the public record. A Hawaii trade name registration lasts five years and is renewed for additional five-year periods, with the renewal filed within the six months before it expires for a $50 fee (Haw. Rev. Stat. 482-3). DocDraft builds your Hawaii trade name application from your facts, with attorney review available before you file.
Key Things to Know
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Hawaii calls a DBA a trade name, and its registration lasts five years before it must be renewed. It is a public registration that lets you use a business name different from the owner's legal name; it creates no separate legal entity. Under Hawaii law a trade name is any name used to identify a business or vocation (Haw. Rev. Stat. 482-1).
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You register in one statewide filing with the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA) Business Registration Division, using Form T-1, the Application for Registration of Trade Name (Haw. Rev. Stat. 482-2). Hawaii has no county-level DBA filing.
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The filing fee is $50, the same across Hawaii, paid to the director when you file the application (Haw. Rev. Stat. 482-2). An optional $20 expedite fee is available for faster handling.
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Hawaii does not require you to publish a notice of the trade name in a newspaper. There is no publication step and no proof-of-publication filing.
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A Hawaii trade name registration lasts five years and can be renewed for additional five-year periods. File the renewal within the six months before it expires and pay a $50 fee (Haw. Rev. Stat. 482-3).
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A DBA does not give you any 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.
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Registration is not strictly required in Hawaii, because the state recognizes common-law rights in a name used in business. Registering gives you a certificate that is constructive notice statewide of your claim to use the name (Haw. Rev. Stat. 482-3).
Key decisions before you file
Before you file a DBA (Doing Business As) in Hawaii, a few decisions shape the document: which option to choose and what each one means. The DBA (Doing Business As) guide walks through them.
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Hawaii Requirements for DBA (Doing Business As)
In Hawaii a DBA is a trade name registered in one statewide filing with the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs Business Registration Division, not with a county clerk (Haw. Rev. Stat. 482-2). Hawaii has no county-level DBA filing.
You register using Form T-1, the Application for Registration of Trade Name, and pay the director a 50 dollar fee (Haw. Rev. Stat. 482-2). The fee is the same across Hawaii, and an optional 20 dollar expedite fee is available for faster handling.
The exact trade name to register. Under Hawaii law a trade name is any name used to identify a business or vocation (Haw. Rev. Stat. 482-1), and it should not include a word such as Corporation, Incorporated, LLC, or Limited unless the registrant is that type of entity.
The full legal name and address of the registrant, the type of registrant, and the name and address of each additional owner. For a general partnership, every partner is listed, and the registrant signs the application.
The street address of the principal place of business. A trade name registered in Hawaii is effective throughout the State, so there is no separate county-level filing based on where the business sits.
Hawaii does not require you to publish a notice of the trade name in a newspaper. There is no publication step and no proof-of-publication filing, so the registration is complete once the DCCA records it.
A Hawaii trade name registration is constructive notice statewide and lasts five years (Haw. Rev. Stat. 482-3). Renew it for additional five-year periods by filing within the six months before it expires and paying a 50 dollar fee.
A Hawaii DBA is only a name registration. It creates no separate legal entity, gives no separate trademark or exclusive right in the name, and does not limit the personal liability of a sole proprietor or general partner.
Frequently Asked Questions
In Hawaii a DBA is a trade name, a public filing that lets a person or company do business under a name different from the owner's legal name. You register it in one statewide filing with the DCCA Business Registration Division using Form T-1, the Application for Registration of Trade Name (Haw. Rev. Stat. 482-2). Under Hawaii law a trade name is any name used to identify a business or vocation. It connects the name to you on the public record. It does not create a separate legal entity, protect the name, or limit your liability.
In Hawaii a DBA (trade name) is only a name registration you file with the DCCA Business Registration Division; it creates no new entity and gives no liability protection. A Hawaii LLC is a separate legal entity you form by filing Articles of Organization with the same DCCA division, and it shields the owners' personal assets. 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 name.
You file one statewide Application for Registration of Trade Name (Form T-1) with the DCCA Business Registration Division, not with a county clerk (Haw. Rev. Stat. 482-2). The fee is $50, paid to the director when you file, and it is the same across Hawaii because there is no county-level filing. You can file online or by mail, and an optional $20 expedite fee is available for faster handling.
No. Hawaii does not require you to publish a notice of your trade name in a newspaper. There is no publication step and no proof-of-publication filing, unlike some states that require you to run a notice for several weeks. Once the DCCA Business Registration Division registers your Form T-1 and $50 fee, the registration is complete without any newspaper notice.
A Hawaii trade name registration lasts five years from its date and is constructive notice statewide of your claim to use the name (Haw. Rev. Stat. 482-3). To keep the name you renew it for additional five-year periods, filing the renewal within the six months before it expires and paying a $50 fee. Track the five-year expiration so the registration does not lapse and you keep your place on the public record.
Registration is not strictly required in Hawaii, because the state recognizes common-law rights in a name used in business (Haw. Rev. Stat. 482-2). You generally register a trade name when you want a public, statewide record of your claim to use a name different from your own legal name or your company's registered legal name. Registering gives you a certificate that is constructive notice statewide, which helps establish your use of the name.
No. A Hawaii trade name registration is a public record connecting a name to the person using it, and it is constructive notice statewide of your claim, but it gives no separate ownership of or trademark right in the name. It also creates no separate legal entity, so a sole proprietor with a trade name remains personally liable for the business. For a trademark you would seek separate protection, and for liability protection you would form an LLC or corporation.
Yes. A Hawaii Application for Registration of Trade Name lists each owner of the business that will use the name, whether the owners are individuals or entities. For a general partnership, the partners are listed as the owners. The registrant signs the application, and the DCCA Business Registration Division records the owners together on the one statewide registration for the trade name.