An assumed name is a Kentucky DBA (doing business as). Obtaining a Kentucky DBA registration will not safeguard your personal assets. Forming a formal company structure, such as an LLC or corporation, can provide you with liability protection as well as a business name.
To begin with a Kentucky DBA, choose your company entity type:
The sole proprietorship (if your business is not a formal structure)
Corporation, LLC, Partnership, or LLP (if your business has a formal structure such as LLC or corporation)
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Fill out a Kentucky DBA application for a sole proprietorship.
Sole owners must register their Kentucky DBA with the county clerk in where their business is situated. Estates and real estate investment trusts must also register with the county.
A general partnership is a company created by two or more persons that does not have a formal corporate structure. A sole proprietorship is an unincorporated business held by a single person. In either scenario, the company name is the same as the proprietors’ names. In these circumstances, a DBA might be advantageous for altering the company name to a more marketable one.
A DBA is solely used for branding purposes. A DBA does not safeguard your personal assets in the event that your company is sued. As a result, we highly advise that a DBA be utilised exclusively by a formal company structure such as an LLC or corporation to add new brands to an existing firm.
If you operate an informal company (sole proprietorship or partnership), we highly advise you to create an LLC to keep your business and personal assets distinct. The name of the LLC might be chosen to serve as the business’s brand name.
Step 1: Conduct a Kentucky Assumed Name Search.
Kentucky assumed names must be distinct and fit the state’s business name standards.
To begin, go to the Kentucky Secretary of State’s website and look for your new DBA name to ensure it isn’t already in use.
Review the Kentucky naming criteria next. Assumed names in Kentucky should NOT include:
Words that may cause confusion between your company and a government agency (FBI, Treasury, State Department, etc.)
Without consent, the phrase “cooperative” is used.
Restricted terms (for example, bank, attorney, university) may need extra documentation and the participation of a licenced professional, such as a doctor or lawyer, in your operation.
Step 2: File a DBA with the County Clerk in Kentucky.
To operate under a DBA, sole owners must submit a Certificate to Do Business Under an Assumed Name with the relevant county clerk’s office(s). You must file in every county where your company does business.
We’ll walk you through the process of obtaining a Fayette County DBA (Lexington). Please contact your county clerk for guidance in other counties.
The Kentucky County Clerk’s Association has contact information for your counties.
How to Apply for a Fayette County DBA
It is a good idea to examine the Kentucky business name database as well as the local county records at the county office before beginning the DBA filing procedure.
Many Kentucky counties, including Fayette, do not provide certificates of assumed name forms. They must, however, all fulfil specific standards stipulated under Kentucky state legislation. These are the criteria:
The assumed name must be included in the form.
The form must contain the person or entity adopting the name’s genuine name and address.
The form must be submitted in the county in which the entity has been determined to be a resident.
Maintain Control of Your Fayette County DBA
DBA Concerns
For general queries concerning company certificates, assumed names, and DBAs, call (859) 253-3344.
Renewal of Your DBA
Every five years, you must renew your Certificate of Assumed Name. The renewal procedure is identical to the registration procedure.
Modify Your DBA
To modify your DBA, you must complete a new registration form.
Remove Your DBA
You may remove your assumed name by submitting a form identical to the one used to register it in the first place. This document must contain the date the original was filed, as well as the company’ assumed name, genuine name, and address. For further information, see the Fayette County Clerk’s website.
Create a Kentucky DBA for a limited liability company, corporation, or limited liability partnership.
The Kentucky Secretary of State receives Certificates of Assumed Name from the following sorts of businesses:
Corporations, both for profit and non-profit
Professional Corporations and Associations
General Partnerships, Limited Partnerships, and Limited Liability Partnerships are all types of partnerships.
Companies with Limited Liability
Entities Filing from Outside the U.S.
Step 1: Conduct a search for Kentucky business entities.
Kentucky assumed names must be distinct and fit the state’s business name standards.
To begin, go to the Kentucky Secretary of State’s website and look for your new DBA name to ensure it isn’t already in use.
Review the Kentucky naming criteria next. Assumed names in Kentucky should NOT include:
Words that may cause confusion between your company and a government agency (FBI, Treasury, State Department, etc.)
Without consent, the phrase “cooperative” is used.
Restricted terms (for example, bank, attorney, university) may need extra documentation and the participation of a licenced professional, such as a doctor or lawyer, in your operation.
For further information, see the Kentucky naming rules act.
We suggest that you check to see whether your name is accessible as a web domain (URL). You may not want to launch a company website right now, but you may wish to prevent others from gaining your URL.
Step 2: Submitting Your Kentucky Certificate of Assumption of Name
If your company is not a single proprietorship, you must register your DBA with the Kentucky Secretary of State.
You may submit your Certificate of Assumed Name to the Secretary of State’s office by mail or in person. The form will request your new DBA name as well as company details.
Control Your Kentucky DBA
DBA Concerns
Please contact the Kentucky Secretary of State at (502) 564-3490.
Renew Your Business Name with the State
Every five years, you must renew your Certificate of Assumed Name. You may renew your assumed name online or by mailing in the Certificate of Renewal of Assumed Name form. The cost is $20.
Modify Your DBA
You must submit a new registration to modify your real assumed name. Fill out the Amended Certificate of Assumed Name form to modify your business address or owner names. The filing cost is twenty dollars.
Remove Your DBA
Fill out the Certificate of Withdrawal of Assumed Name form to cancel your assumed name. The cost is $20.