DocDraft Logo

How to File a DBA in Utah

In Utah a DBA is an assumed name filed statewide with the Division of Corporations and Commercial Code for $22, with no newspaper publication and a three-year term. Attorney review available.

Find out where you stand in Utah

What kind of business is registering the name?

DocDraft provides document preparation, not legal advice.

Introduction

In Utah, a DBA is registered as an assumed name, 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. Utah handles this filing statewide, not by county. You file a certificate of assumed name with the Utah Division of Corporations and Commercial Code, part of the Department of Commerce (Utah Code 42-2-5), and the Division charges a single statewide fee of $22 to register the name (a renewal is $18). Because the filing is statewide, the fee is the same wherever in Utah you do business. Utah law directs you to file within 30 days after you start carrying on business under the assumed name. Filing an assumed name does not create a corporation or an LLC, does not shield the owner from liability, and does not affect corporate, LLC, or trademark name rights (Utah Code 42-2-9). Unlike some states, Utah does not require you to publish the assumed name in a newspaper, so there is no publication step or proof-of-publication filing. A Utah assumed name registration is effective for three years from the date it is filed, and you renew it before it expires to keep the name on the active index (Utah Code 42-2-8). DocDraft builds your Utah assumed name certificate from your facts, with attorney review available before you file.

Key Things to Know

  1. 1

    In Utah a DBA is called an assumed name (doing business as). 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.

  2. 2

    You file a certificate of assumed name statewide with the Utah Division of Corporations and Commercial Code, part of the Department of Commerce (Utah Code 42-2-5). Utah has one statewide filing, not a county filing.

  3. 3

    The Division charges a single statewide fee of $22 to register an assumed name, and a renewal is $18. Because filing is statewide, the fee is the same wherever in Utah you do business.

  4. 4

    Utah does not require you to publish the assumed name in a newspaper. There is no publication step and no proof-of-publication filing after you register.

  5. 5

    Utah law directs you to file the certificate within 30 days after you start carrying on business under the assumed name (Utah Code 42-2-5).

  6. 6

    A Utah assumed name registration is effective for three years from the date it is filed (Utah Code 42-2-8). Renew it before it expires or the Division moves the name to its inactive index.

  7. 7

    A Utah DBA does not create a separate legal entity, gives no liability protection, and does not affect corporate, LLC, or trademark name rights (Utah Code 42-2-9). A sole proprietor with a DBA stays personally responsible for the business.

Key decisions before you file

Before you file a DBA (Doing Business As) in Utah, 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) guide

Customize your DBA (Doing Business As) Template with DocDraft

ASSUMED NAME (DBA) REGISTRATION CERTIFICATE (UTAH) (Filed with the Utah Division of Corporations and Commercial Code under Utah Code Title 42, Chapter 2)

This certificate registers an assumed name, commonly called a DBA or doing business as, under which the registrant named below will carry on business in Utah. It is filed statewide with the Utah Division of Corporations and Commercial Code, part of the Department of Commerce, not with a county.

  1. Assumed Name. The assumed business name being registered is [ASSUMED NAME]. The name does not include a word such as Corporation, Incorporated, LLC, or Limited unless the registrant is in fact that type of entity.

  2. Registrant. The full true name of the registrant is [REGISTRANT LEGAL NAME], with address [REGISTRANT ADDRESS]. The registrant is [an individual sole proprietor / a general partnership / a limited liability company / a corporation / other]. If the registrant is an entity, its state of organization is [STATE].

  3. Additional Owners. Each additional owner who will use the assumed name is [NAME AND ADDRESS OF EACH ADDITIONAL OWNER, OR STATE NONE]. For a general partnership, every partner is listed.

  4. Principal Place of Business. The street address of the principal place of business is [STREET ADDRESS, CITY, UT ZIP]. The registrant maintains a registered agent in Utah at [REGISTERED AGENT NAME AND UTAH STREET ADDRESS].

  5. Nature of Business. The general type of business carried on under the assumed name is [DESCRIBE THE BUSINESS].

  6. Commencement. The registrant [has begun / has not yet begun] to carry on business under the assumed name as of [DATE]. Utah law directs that the certificate be filed within 30 days after the registrant starts business under the assumed name (Utah Code 42-2-5).

  7. Filing and Fee. The registrant files this certificate with the Utah Division of Corporations and Commercial Code and pays the statewide fee, which is $22 to register and $18 to renew. The fee is the same across Utah because the filing is statewide, so there is no county clerk step.

  8. Publication. Utah does not require the assumed name to be published in a newspaper. There is no publication step and no proof-of-publication filing.

  9. Term and Declaration. This registration is effective for three years from the date of filing (Utah Code 42-2-8), and the registrant renews it before it expires to keep the name on the active index. The registrant declares that the information in this certificate is true. Filing does not create a separate legal entity, does not grant any exclusive right or trademark in the name, and does not limit the personal liability of a sole proprietor or general partner (Utah Code 42-2-9).

Dated: ____________

[REGISTRANT SIGNATURE] [PRINTED NAME AND TITLE]

Note: This Utah certificate follows Utah Code Title 42, Chapter 2 (Conducting Business Under Assumed Name). The Division sets the form and the statewide fee, the three-year term is set by state law, and Utah requires no newspaper publication. For other states and the generic template, see the DBA (Doing Business As) hub.

Utah Requirements for DBA (Doing Business As)

File Statewide With the Division of Corporations

In Utah a DBA is a certificate of assumed name filed statewide with the Utah Division of Corporations and Commercial Code, part of the Department of Commerce, not with a county (Utah Code 42-2-5). File within 30 days after you start business under the assumed name.

Statewide Registration Fee

The Division charges a single statewide fee of 22 dollars to register the assumed name, and a renewal is 18 dollars. Because the filing is statewide, the fee is the same wherever in Utah you do business.

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 it must differ from the owner legal name or a company registered name.

Registrant and Owners

The full true 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 on the certificate.

Principal Place of Business and Registered Agent

The street address of the principal place of business in Utah, plus a registered agent with a Utah street address that the registrant maintains for the assumed name filing.

No Newspaper Publication

Utah does not require you to publish the assumed name in a newspaper. There is no publication step and no proof-of-publication filing after you register, unlike some other states.

Three-Year Term

A Utah assumed name registration is effective for three years from the date it is filed (Utah Code 42-2-8). Renew it before it expires, or the Division moves the name from its active index to an inactive index.

No Entity, No Trademark, No Liability Shield

A Utah DBA is only a name registration. It creates no separate legal entity, gives no exclusive right or trademark in the name, and does not affect corporate, LLC, or trademark name rights (Utah Code 42-2-9), and it does not limit the personal liability of a sole proprietor or general partner.

Frequently Asked Questions

In Utah a DBA is an assumed 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 by filing a certificate of assumed name with the Utah Division of Corporations and Commercial Code (Utah Code 42-2-5). It connects the name to you on the statewide public record. It does not create a separate legal entity, protect the name, or limit your liability.

In Utah a DBA (assumed name) is only a name registration you file with the Division of Corporations and Commercial Code; it creates no new entity and gives no liability protection. A Utah LLC is a separate legal entity you form by filing a Certificate of Organization with the same Division, and it shields the owners' personal assets. You can have both, since an existing Utah LLC can register an assumed name to run a brand under another name. Choose based on whether you need liability protection or just a name.

You file a certificate of assumed name with the Utah Division of Corporations and Commercial Code, which handles the filing statewide rather than county by county (Utah Code 42-2-5). The Division charges $22 to register the assumed name, and a renewal is $18. Because the filing is statewide, the fee is the same wherever in Utah your business is located, so you do not deal with a county clerk for a Utah DBA.

No. Utah does not require you to publish your assumed name in a newspaper. Unlike states such as California, there is no publication step and no affidavit or proof of publication to file after you register. Once the Utah Division of Corporations and Commercial Code records your certificate of assumed name, your registration is complete, subject to the three-year term.

A Utah assumed name registration is effective for three years from the date it is filed (Utah Code 42-2-8). Before it expires you renew it with the Utah Division of Corporations and Commercial Code, and the renewal fee is $18. If you do not renew, the Division moves the name from its active index to an inactive index. Track the three-year date so your Utah registration does not lapse.

You generally need a Utah assumed name registration when you regularly carry on business under a name different from your own legal name or, for a company, different from its registered legal name. Utah law directs you to file the certificate within 30 days after you start business under the assumed name (Utah Code 42-2-5). Registering also lets banks and customers connect the business name to you on the statewide record.

No. A Utah assumed name registration is a public record connecting a name to the person using it, but it gives no ownership of or exclusive right to the name, and it does not affect corporate, LLC, or trademark name rights (Utah Code 42-2-9). It also creates no separate legal entity, so a sole proprietor filing a DBA remains personally liable. For exclusive name rights you would seek a trademark, and for liability protection you would form an LLC or corporation in Utah.

Yes. In Utah an assumed name can be owned by an individual sole proprietor, by a general partnership with every partner listed, or by an entity such as an LLC or corporation that wants to do business under another name. The certificate lists the full true name of each registrant that will use the assumed name in Utah. An existing Utah entity keeps its own legal name and simply adds the assumed name as a brand.