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How to File a DBA in Indiana

In Indiana a DBA is a Certificate of Assumed Business Name. Sole proprietors and general partnerships file with the county recorder; corporations and LLCs file with the state. Attorney review available.

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Introduction

Where you file an Indiana DBA depends on who you are, a sole proprietor using the county recorder and a corporation or LLC using the Secretary of State, but in every case it is only a registration that lets a person or business use a name different from its legal name, and it creates no separate legal entity. Indiana calls it an assumed business name, and you register it by filing a Certificate of Assumed Business Name (Ind. Code 23-0.5-3-4). Where you file depends on who you are. A sole proprietor or a general partnership files the certificate with the recorder of each county in which it has a place of business or an office, and the county recorder sets that fee under Ind. Code 36-2-7-10, so it is not a single statewide amount and you confirm it with your county. A filing entity, such as a corporation, a limited liability company, or a limited partnership, instead files the certificate with the Indiana Secretary of State through INBiz. The Secretary of State fee is $20 for each assumed name filed electronically and $30 for each assumed name filed on paper for a for-profit entity, and $10 electronic or $26 paper for a nonprofit corporation (Ind. Code 23-0.5-9-40). Filing an assumed business 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. Indiana does not require you to publish the assumed name in a newspaper. An Indiana assumed business name does not expire on a fixed schedule; it stays on record until you file a notice of discontinuance of use, and there is no fee to cancel it (Ind. Code 23-0.5-9-41). DocDraft builds your Indiana Certificate of Assumed Business Name from your facts, with attorney review available before you file.

Key Things to Know

  1. 1

    In Indiana a DBA is called an assumed business name, recorded on a Certificate of Assumed Business Name that stays on file until you discontinue it rather than expiring. 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

    A sole proprietor or general partnership files a Certificate of Assumed Business Name with the recorder of each county in which it has a place of business or an office (Ind. Code 23-0.5-3-4). Indiana does not file these with the state.

  3. 3

    A corporation, limited liability company, or limited partnership files the Certificate of Assumed Business Name with the Indiana Secretary of State through INBiz, not with the county recorder.

  4. 4

    The Secretary of State fee is $20 for each assumed name filed online and $30 on paper for a for-profit entity, and $10 online or $26 paper for a nonprofit (Ind. Code 23-0.5-9-40). A county recorder sets its own fee under Ind. Code 36-2-7-10, so confirm that amount with your county.

  5. 5

    Indiana does not require you to publish your assumed business name in a newspaper, so there is no publication step and no proof of publication to file after the certificate is recorded.

  6. 6

    An Indiana assumed business name does not expire on a set schedule. It stays on record until you file a notice of discontinuance of use, and there is no fee to cancel it (Ind. Code 23-0.5-9-41).

  7. 7

    A DBA does not give you ownership of or an exclusive right to the name, and it does not limit your liability. A sole proprietor with an assumed name is still personally responsible for the business.

Key decisions before you file

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

  • Filing Split by Filer Type

    In Indiana a DBA is an assumed business name. Where you file depends on who you are: a sole proprietor or general partnership files with the county recorder, and a corporation, LLC, or LP files with the Secretary of State (Ind. Code 23-0.5-3-4).

  • County Recorder Filing

    A sole proprietor or general partnership files the Certificate of Assumed Business Name for record with the recorder of each county in which it has a place of business or an office. The county recorder sets the recording fee under Ind. Code 36-2-7-10, so confirm the amount with your county.

  • Secretary of State Filing Through INBiz

    A corporation, limited liability company, or limited partnership files the Certificate of Assumed Business Name with the Indiana Secretary of State through the INBiz portal. The Secretary of State fee is 20 dollars for each assumed name filed online and 30 dollars on paper for a for-profit entity, and 10 online or 26 paper for a nonprofit (Ind. Code 23-0.5-9-40).

  • 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. A filing is required when a person regularly transacts business under a name different from the legal or registered name.

  • Registrant, Owners, and Place of Business

    The full legal name and type of the registrant, the county and address of the principal place of business, and for an entity the full name and address of its principal office in Indiana. The place of business sets which county recorder an individual or general partnership files with.

  • No Newspaper Publication

    Indiana does not require you to publish an assumed business name in a newspaper. Once the county recorder records the certificate, or the Secretary of State accepts the entity filing, there is no publication notice and no proof of publication to file.

  • No Fixed Expiration

    An Indiana assumed business name does not expire on a set schedule, so there is no periodic renewal. It stays on record until you file a notice of discontinuance of use to end it, and there is no fee to cancel it (Ind. Code 23-0.5-9-41).

  • No Entity, No Trademark, No Liability Shield

    An Indiana 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