How to File a DBA in Michigan
In Michigan a DBA is an assumed name. Sole proprietors and partnerships file with the county clerk; LLCs and corporations file with LARA. Attorney review available.
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Introduction
Michigan routes a DBA to a different office depending on the filer, and calls it an assumed name: the public filing that lets a person or business use a name different from its legal name, and it creates no separate legal entity. Michigan splits where you file by who you are. A sole proprietor or a co-partnership files a Certificate of Persons Conducting Business Under Assumed Name with the county clerk of each county where the business is conducted (Mich. Comp. Laws 445.1). A limited liability company or a corporation instead files a Certificate of Assumed Name with the state, through the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) Corporations Division (Mich. Comp. Laws 450.4206 for an LLC and 450.1217 for a corporation). For the state filing the fee is set by statute, and the LLC assumed name fee is $25 (Mich. Comp. Laws 450.5101). For the county filing the statute sets a base fee of $6, but charter counties with more than 2 million residents may set the amount by ordinance and county clerks administer their own charge, so confirm the current fee with your county clerk. Michigan does not require you to publish an assumed name in a newspaper for either track. A LARA Certificate of Assumed Name is effective through December 31 of the fifth full calendar year after the year you file, and you renew it at least 90 days before it expires (Mich. Comp. Laws 450.4206); a county certificate must be renewed as well, so confirm the renewal term and fee with your county clerk. Filing an assumed name does not create an LLC or a corporation, does not shield the owner from liability, and does not give a trademark or an exclusive right to the name. DocDraft builds your Michigan assumed name certificate from your facts, with attorney review available before you file.
Key Things to Know
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Michigan calls a DBA an assumed name and runs it on two tracks depending on the filer: it is a public filing that lets you use a business name different from the legal name of the owner, and it creates no separate legal entity.
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Michigan splits the filing by filer type. A sole proprietor or a co-partnership files a Certificate of Persons Conducting Business Under Assumed Name with the county clerk of each county where the business is conducted (Mich. Comp. Laws 445.1).
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A limited liability company or a corporation files a Certificate of Assumed Name with the state through the LARA Corporations Division (Mich. Comp. Laws 450.4206 for an LLC, 450.1217 for a corporation).
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For the state filing the fee is set by statute, and the LLC assumed name fee is $25 (Mich. Comp. Laws 450.5101). The county filing has a $6 statutory base, but county clerks administer the charge and charter counties over 2 million residents may set it by ordinance, so confirm the fee with your county clerk.
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Michigan does not require you to publish an assumed name in a newspaper. Neither the county track nor the LARA track has a newspaper publication step.
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A LARA Certificate of Assumed Name is effective through December 31 of the fifth full calendar year after the year it is filed, and you renew it at least 90 days before it expires (Mich. Comp. Laws 450.4206). A county certificate must be renewed as well; confirm the term with your county clerk.
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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 assumed name is still personally responsible for the business.
Key decisions before you file
Before you file a DBA (Doing Business As) in Michigan, 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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Michigan Requirements for DBA (Doing Business As)
Two Filing Tracks by Filer Type
Michigan splits DBA filing. A sole proprietor or co-partnership files a Certificate of Persons Conducting Business Under Assumed Name with the county clerk of each county of business (Mich. Comp. Laws 445.1). An LLC or corporation files a Certificate of Assumed Name with the LARA Corporations Division.
County Filing and Fee
A sole proprietor or co-partnership files with the county clerk of each county where the business is conducted. The statute sets a 6 dollar base fee, but county clerks administer the charge and charter counties over 2 million residents may set it by ordinance, so confirm the amount with the county clerk.
State Filing With LARA
An LLC or corporation files a Certificate of Assumed Name with the state through the LARA Corporations Division (Mich. Comp. Laws 450.4206 for an LLC, 450.1217 for a corporation). The LLC assumed name fee is 25 dollars (Mich. Comp. Laws 450.5101).
The Assumed 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 on the state track it may not conflict with a name already on record with LARA.
Registrant and Owners
The true and full legal name and address of the registrant, the type of registrant, and each owner who will use the name. For a co-partnership, every partner is listed and signs the county certificate.
No Newspaper Publication
Michigan does not require publication of an assumed name in a newspaper for either the county filing or the LARA filing. There is no published notice and no affidavit of publication to file.
Five-Year LARA Term
A LARA Certificate of Assumed Name is effective through December 31 of the fifth full calendar year after the year it is filed, and is renewed at least 90 days before it expires (Mich. Comp. Laws 450.4206). A county certificate must also be renewed; confirm the term with the county clerk.
No Entity, No Trademark, No Liability Shield
A Michigan assumed name 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 partner.