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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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).
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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.
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Indiana Requirements for DBA (Doing Business As)
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).
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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).
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
In Indiana a DBA is an assumed business name, a public filing that lets a person or company do business under a name different from its legal name. You register it by filing a Certificate of Assumed Business Name, either with the county recorder if you are a sole proprietor or general partnership, or with the Secretary of State through INBiz if you are a corporation, LLC, or LP (Ind. Code 23-0.5-3-4). 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 Indiana a DBA (assumed business name) is only a name registration on a Certificate of Assumed Business Name; it creates no new entity and gives no liability protection. An Indiana LLC is a separate legal entity you form by filing Articles of Organization with the Secretary of State through INBiz, and it shields the owners' personal assets. You can have both, since an existing LLC can file an assumed business name to run a brand under another name. Choose based on whether you need liability protection or just a name.
Where you file depends on who you are. A sole proprietor or general partnership files the Certificate of Assumed Business Name with the recorder of each county in which it has a place of business, and that county sets the recording fee under Ind. Code 36-2-7-10. A corporation, LLC, or LP files with the Secretary of State through INBiz, where the fee is $20 for each assumed name filed online and $30 on paper for a for-profit entity ($10 online or $26 paper for a nonprofit) under Ind. Code 23-0.5-9-40.
No. Indiana does not require you to publish an assumed business name in a newspaper. After the county recorder records your certificate, or the Secretary of State accepts your entity filing, there is no separate newspaper notice and no affidavit or proof of publication to file. That is different from states such as California, so if you have filed a DBA elsewhere do not assume Indiana has the same publication step.
An Indiana assumed business name does not expire on a fixed schedule, so there is no periodic renewal to file. The registration 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). If an owner, address, or the name itself changes, you update the record by filing again. Keep your own note of the name you registered so your filings stay consistent.
You generally need an Indiana Certificate of Assumed Business Name if you regularly transact business under a name that is different from your legal name or your registered entity name (Ind. Code 23-0.5-3-4). A sole proprietor using only their own legal name usually does not need one. Filing matters because Indiana law treats transacting business under an unfiled assumed name as a violation, and banks and vendors often ask to see the recorded certificate before they will open an account in the name.
No. An Indiana Certificate of Assumed Business Name is a public record connecting a name to the person or entity using it, but it gives no ownership of or exclusive right to the name, so another business could use a similar name. It also creates no separate legal entity, so a sole proprietor filing an assumed name 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 corporation.
Yes. For a general partnership, the Certificate of Assumed Business Name is filed with the county recorder and identifies the partnership using the name. For an entity filing with the Secretary of State, the certificate is filed in the entity's name, and the fee is charged for each assumed name on the application (Ind. Code 23-0.5-9-40). A single application can register more than one assumed name, with the fee multiplied by the number of names.