How to File a DBA in Nevada
In Nevada a DBA is a fictitious firm name certificate filed with your county clerk, with no newspaper publication step. Attorney review available.
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Introduction
Nevada keeps DBA filing with the county clerk rather than the Secretary of State, calling it a fictitious firm name: the public certificate that lets a person or business use a name different from the legal name of each owner, and it creates no separate legal entity. Nevada does not file DBAs with the Secretary of State. You file a fictitious firm name certificate with the county clerk of each county in which the business is being conducted (NRS 602.010), and you must file it no later than one month after you begin doing business under that name (NRS 602.030). There is no statewide Nevada form or fee, because filing is at the county level; each county clerk issues its own form and sets its own fee. As an example, the Clark County Clerk charges $25 to file a fictitious firm name certificate, new or renewal, so check your own county clerk for its current fee. Filing a fictitious firm 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. Nevada does not require you to publish the name in a newspaper, so there is no publication step for a Nevada DBA. Nevada law does not set a single statewide expiration; under NRS 602.035 a county may provide by ordinance that the certificate expires five years after it is filed, and Clark County, for example, requires renewal five years from the date of filing. You also file a new certificate within one month after a change in the persons who own the business (NRS 602.040). DocDraft builds your Nevada fictitious firm name certificate from your facts, with attorney review available before you file.
Key Things to Know
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Filed with the county clerk of each county where you do business, a Nevada DBA is called a fictitious firm name: a public certificate that lets you use a business name different from the legal name of each owner, and it creates no separate legal entity.
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You file a fictitious firm name certificate with the county clerk of each county in which the business is being conducted (NRS 602.010), no later than one month after you begin doing business under the name (NRS 602.030). Nevada has no statewide DBA filing.
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There is no statewide Nevada form or fee. Each county clerk issues its own form and sets its own fee (for example, the Clark County Clerk charges $25 to file a fictitious firm name certificate, new or renewal), so confirm the fee with your county clerk.
- 4
Nevada does not require newspaper publication of a fictitious firm name. There is no notice to run and no affidavit of publication to file, unlike some other states.
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Nevada law does not set one statewide expiration. Under NRS 602.035 a county may provide by ordinance that the certificate expires five years after it is filed; Clark County, for example, requires renewal five years from the date of filing.
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Whether the certificate must be notarized depends on the county. NRS 602.020 requires it to be notarized unless the county board adopts an ordinance allowing it to be filed without notarization; the Clark County form does not need to be notarized.
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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 a fictitious firm name is still personally responsible for the business.
Key decisions before you file
Before you file a DBA (Doing Business As) in Nevada, 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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Nevada Requirements for DBA (Doing Business As)
In Nevada a DBA is a fictitious firm name certificate filed with the county clerk of each county in which the business is being conducted, not with the state (NRS 602.010). File it no later than one month after business begins under the name (NRS 602.030).
There is no statewide Nevada form or fee. Each county clerk issues its own form and sets its own fee, so confirm the amount with your county clerk. As an example, the Clark County Clerk charges 25 dollars to file a fictitious firm name certificate, new or renewal.
The exact fictitious firm name to register. It must be different from the legal name of each owner, and it must not include a word such as Corporation, Incorporated, LLC, or Limited unless the registrant is that type of entity.
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 natural person partner is listed, and for a trust every trustee is listed (NRS 602.020).
Nevada does not require publication of a fictitious firm name in a newspaper. There is no notice to run and no affidavit of publication to file after the certificate is recorded with the county clerk.
NRS 602.020 requires the certificate to be notarized unless the county board adopts an ordinance allowing it to be filed without notarization. The Clark County form, for example, does not need to be notarized, so check your county clerk.
Nevada sets no single statewide expiration. Under NRS 602.035 a county may provide by ordinance that the certificate expires five years after filing, and Clark County requires renewal five years from the date of filing. File a new certificate within one month after a change in owners (NRS 602.040).
A Nevada 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 Nevada a DBA is a fictitious firm name, a public certificate that lets a person or company do business under a name different from the legal name of each owner. You register it by filing a fictitious firm name certificate with the county clerk of each county where the business is conducted (NRS 602.010). 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 Nevada a DBA (fictitious firm name) is only a name registration you file with the county clerk; it creates no new entity and gives no liability protection. A Nevada 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 file a fictitious firm name to run a brand under another name. Choose based on whether you need liability protection or just a name.
You file a fictitious firm name certificate with the county clerk of each county in which the business is conducted, not with the state (NRS 602.010). Because filing is at the county level, the form and fee are set by each county. The Clark County Clerk, for example, charges $25 to file a fictitious firm name certificate, new or renewal, including one uncertified copy. Check your county clerk for its current fee.
No. Nevada does not require you to publish a fictitious firm name in a newspaper. Chapter 602 of the Nevada Revised Statutes has no publication step, so after you file the certificate with the county clerk there is no notice to run and no affidavit of publication to file. That is different from some states, which require weeks of newspaper publication before the DBA is complete.
Nevada does not set a single statewide expiration. Under NRS 602.035 a county may provide by ordinance that a fictitious firm name certificate expires five years after it is filed, and Clark County, for example, requires renewal five years from the date of filing. You also file a new certificate within one month after a change in the persons who own the business (NRS 602.040). Check your county clerk for its renewal rule.
You generally need a Nevada fictitious firm name certificate if you regularly do business under a name that is in any way different from the legal name of each person who owns an interest in the business (NRS 602.010). You must file it no later than one month after you begin doing business under that name (NRS 602.030). A sole proprietor, a general partnership, or a company using a brand name other than its legal name typically files one in each county where it operates.
No. A Nevada fictitious firm name certificate is a public record connecting a name to the person 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 a fictitious firm 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.
It depends on the county. NRS 602.020 requires a Nevada fictitious firm name certificate to be notarized unless the board of county commissioners adopts an ordinance allowing it to be filed without being notarized. Clark County, for example, has done so, and states that its fictitious firm name forms do not need to be notarized. Check your county clerk to see whether notarization is required where you file.