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How to File a DBA in Idaho

In Idaho a DBA is an Assumed Business Name certificate filed statewide with the Secretary of State. No newspaper publication is required. Attorney review available.

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Introduction

An Idaho DBA, known as an Assumed Business Name (ABN), is filed once with the Secretary of State and then stays in effect until you cancel it, and it is the public registration that lets a person or business use a name different from the owner's legal name; it creates no separate legal entity. Unlike states that file at the county level, Idaho uses one statewide registration. Before you begin transacting business under an assumed name, you deliver a Certificate of Assumed Business Name to the Idaho Secretary of State, and a separate certificate is filed for each assumed name you use (Idaho Code 30-21-805). The base filing fee is $25, and a paper certificate that you mail in adds a $20 manual processing fee, so filing online with the Secretary of State is the lower-cost option. Idaho does not require you to publish notice of the assumed name in a newspaper. Filing an ABN 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. An Idaho Certificate of Assumed Business Name does not expire on a fixed term; it is in effect from the date it is filed until you cancel it by filing a certificate of cancellation with the Secretary of State (Idaho Code 30-21-807 and 30-21-809). DocDraft builds your Idaho assumed business name certificate from your facts, with attorney review available before you file.

Key Things to Know

  1. 1

    In Idaho a DBA is called an Assumed Business Name (ABN), and once filed it stays in effect until you cancel it rather than expiring on a set term. 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.

  2. 2

    You file a Certificate of Assumed Business Name statewide with the Idaho Secretary of State, not with a county, before you begin transacting business, and a separate certificate is filed for each assumed name you use (Idaho Code 30-21-805).

  3. 3

    The base filing fee is $25. A paper certificate that you mail in adds a $20 manual processing fee, so filing online with the Secretary of State is the lower-cost option. Confirm the current fee before you file.

  4. 4

    Idaho does not require newspaper publication of the assumed business name. There is no publish-and-file-an-affidavit step, unlike some other states.

  5. 5

    An Idaho Certificate of Assumed Business Name does not expire on a fixed term. It is in effect from filing until you cancel it by filing a certificate of cancellation with the Secretary of State (Idaho Code 30-21-807 and 30-21-809).

  6. 6

    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 an ABN is still personally responsible for the business.

  7. 7

    You file an ABN in Idaho when you intend to transact business under a name that is different from your own legal name or, for a company, from its registered legal name.

Key decisions before you file

Before you file a DBA (Doing Business As) in Idaho, 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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Idaho Requirements for DBA (Doing Business As)

  • File With the Secretary of State

    In Idaho a DBA is a Certificate of Assumed Business Name filed statewide with the Secretary of State, not with a county, before you begin transacting business under the name (Idaho Code 30-21-805). A separate certificate is filed for each assumed name.

  • Filing Fee

    The base filing fee is 25 dollars. A paper certificate that is mailed in adds a 20 dollar manual processing fee, so filing online with the Secretary of State is the lower-cost option. Confirm the current fee before you file.

  • The Assumed Business Name

    The exact assumed 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 is different from the legal name of the owner.

  • Registrant and Owners

    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 as a registrant on the certificate.

  • Principal Place of Business

    The street address of the principal place of business, a mailing address if different, and a short description of the nature of the business conducted under the assumed business name.

  • No Newspaper Publication

    Idaho does not require you to publish notice of the assumed business name in a newspaper, and there is no affidavit of publication to file. The registration is complete once the Secretary of State files the certificate.

  • No Fixed Expiration

    An Idaho Certificate of Assumed Business Name is in effect upon filing until it is canceled (Idaho Code 30-21-807). There is no fixed renewal term. You cancel it by filing a certificate of cancellation with the Secretary of State (Idaho Code 30-21-809).

  • No Entity, No Trademark, No Liability Shield

    An Idaho 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