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.
Find out where you stand in Louisiana
What kind of business is registering the name?
DocDraft provides document preparation, not legal advice.
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.
Open the DBA (Doing Business As) guideCustomize your DBA (Doing Business As) Template with DocDraft
Louisiana Requirements for DBA (Doing Business As)
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.
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 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.
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).
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.
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.
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).
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
In Louisiana 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 statewide with the Louisiana Secretary of State through the geauxBIZ portal (Louisiana Revised Statutes 51:214), and 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). It connects the name to you on the public record. It does not create a separate legal entity.
In Louisiana a DBA (a trade name) is only a name registration you file with the Secretary of State; it creates no new entity and gives no liability protection. A Louisiana LLC is a separate legal entity you form by filing Articles of Organization with the Secretary of State, 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 register with the Louisiana Secretary of State, statewide, through the geauxBIZ portal, not with a parish; 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). The fee is seventy-five dollars to register, renew, assign, or terminate a trade name, and reserving a name is twenty-five dollars (Louisiana Revised Statutes 49:222).
No. Louisiana does not require you to publish a trade name in a newspaper. The trade name and mark provisions set no publication step and no proof-of-publication filing, so once the Louisiana Secretary of State accepts your registration there is nothing further to publish. This is different from states that require a notice to run in a newspaper for several weeks after filing.
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 (Louisiana Revised Statutes 51:216). You file the renewal within six months before the term expires, and the renewal application states that the name is still in use in Louisiana. The renewal fee is seventy-five dollars (Louisiana Revised Statutes 49:222). Track the ten-year date so your registration does not lapse.
Often yes. Separate from the statewide trade name registration, Louisiana requires a person who transacts business under an assumed name other than the owner's real name to file a notarized 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).
You generally register a trade name in Louisiana when you regularly do business under a name that is different from the owner's legal name or a company's registered name. Registering the trade name with the Secretary of State gives you rights in the name in Louisiana (Louisiana Revised Statutes 51:211 and 51:214). If you operate under an assumed name, you may also need the parish assumed name certificate under Louisiana Revised Statutes 51:281.
A Louisiana trade name registration gives you rights in the name within the state, but it does not create a separate legal entity, so a sole proprietor who registers a trade name in Louisiana remains personally liable for the business. It is also not a federal trademark, so for nationwide name protection you would seek a federal trademark, and for liability protection you would form an LLC or corporation. The trade name registration by itself is only a name filing.