How to File a DBA in Louisiana
In Louisiana a DBA is a trade name registered statewide with the Secretary of State through geauxBIZ. No newspaper publication is required. Attorney review available.
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Introduction
Louisiana registers a DBA as a trade name that lasts a full ten years, filed statewide with the Secretary of State through the geauxBIZ portal; it is the public filing that lets a person or business use a name different from the owner's legal name, and it creates no separate legal entity. You register a trade name statewide with the Louisiana Secretary of State, not with a parish, through the geauxBIZ portal, and any person who adopts and uses a name in the state may file the application in the office of the Secretary of State (Louisiana Revised Statutes 51:214). Louisiana defines a trade name as a word, name, symbol, or device used to identify a business and distinguish it from others (Louisiana Revised Statutes 51:211). The fee to register a trade name is seventy-five dollars, and a name reservation is twenty-five dollars (Louisiana Revised Statutes 49:222). A trade name registration is effective for a term of ten years from the date of registration and may be renewed for successive ten-year terms, on an application filed within six months before the term expires that states the name is still in use in Louisiana (Louisiana Revised Statutes 51:216). Louisiana requires no newspaper publication of a trade name. Registering a trade name does not create a corporation or an LLC and does not shield the owner from liability; it gives you rights in the name in Louisiana but is not a federal trademark. Separately, Louisiana law requires a person who transacts business under an assumed name other than the owner's real name to file a notarized assumed name certificate with the clerk of court of the parish where the business operates, or with the register of conveyances in New Orleans (Louisiana Revised Statutes 51:281); Louisiana corporations, and partnerships whose name includes the real name of at least one partner, are excepted (Louisiana Revised Statutes 51:283). DocDraft builds your Louisiana trade name registration from your facts, with attorney review available before you file.
Key Things to Know
- 1
In Louisiana a DBA is registered as a trade name with the Secretary of State through the geauxBIZ portal, not at the parish level. It is a public registration that lets you use a business name different from the owner's legal name, and it creates no separate legal entity.
- 2
You register a trade name statewide with the Louisiana Secretary of State, not with a parish, through the geauxBIZ portal; any person who adopts and uses a name in the state may file the application with the Secretary of State (Louisiana Revised Statutes 51:214 and 51:211).
- 3
The fee is seventy-five dollars to register, renew, assign, or terminate a trade name, and a name reservation is twenty-five dollars (Louisiana Revised Statutes 49:222).
- 4
A Louisiana trade name registration is effective for a term of ten years from the date of registration and may be renewed for successive ten-year terms, on an application filed within six months before expiration that states the name is still in use (Louisiana Revised Statutes 51:216).
- 5
Louisiana requires no newspaper publication of a trade name. There is no publish-and-file-proof step once the Secretary of State accepts the registration.
- 6
Separately, a person who transacts business under an assumed name other than the owner's real name must file a notarized assumed name certificate with the clerk of court of the parish (or the register of conveyances in New Orleans), unless it is a Louisiana corporation or a partnership whose name includes the real name of at least one partner (Louisiana Revised Statutes 51:281 and 51:283).
- 7
A trade name registration does not limit your liability. A sole proprietor with a trade name is still personally responsible for the business, and the state registration is not a federal trademark.
Key decisions before you file
Before you file a DBA (Doing Business As) in Louisiana, 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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Louisiana Requirements for DBA (Doing Business As)
Register With the Secretary of State
In Louisiana a DBA is a trade name registered statewide with the Louisiana Secretary of State through the geauxBIZ portal, not with a parish (Louisiana Revised Statutes 51:214). Louisiana uses one central filing office for trade names.
Trade Name Defined
Louisiana defines a trade name as a word, name, symbol, or device used to identify a business and distinguish it from others (Louisiana Revised Statutes 51:211). The name must not imply a corporation or LLC unless the registrant is that type of entity.
The Trade Name Being Registered
The exact trade name to register and the goods or services it identifies. The application states the trade name, the date the name was first used, and that the registrant owns the name.
Filing Fee of Seventy-Five Dollars
The fee is seventy-five dollars for registering, renewing, assigning, or terminating a trade name, payable to the Secretary of State, and reserving a name costs twenty-five dollars (Louisiana Revised Statutes 49:222 and 51:214).
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.
No Newspaper Publication
Louisiana requires no newspaper publication of a trade name. There is no publish step and no proof-of-publication filing once the Secretary of State accepts the registration.
Ten-Year Term and Renewal
A Louisiana trade name registration is effective for ten years and may be renewed for successive ten-year terms, on an application filed within six months before it expires that states the name is still in use (Louisiana Revised Statutes 51:216).
Parish Assumed Name Certificate, No Shield
A person transacting business under an assumed name also files a notarized assumed name certificate with the parish clerk of court or the New Orleans register of conveyances (Louisiana Revised Statutes 51:281). A trade name creates no entity, gives no liability protection, and is not a federal trademark.