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.
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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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.
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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.