A trade name is an Alabama DBA (doing business as). Alabama trade name registration allows a company to operate under a name other than its legal name.
A DBA registration in Alabama will not protect your personal assets. Forming a formal business structure, such as an LLC or corporation, will provide you with liability protection as well as a business name.
It is simple to register an Alabama trade name, also known as a DBA.
A DBA is only used for branding purposes. A DBA does not protect your personal assets in the event that your company is sued. As a result, we strongly advise that a DBA be used only by a formal business structure such as an LLC or corporation to add new brands to an existing business.
If you run an informal business (sole proprietorship or partnership), we strongly advise you to form an LLC to keep your business and personal assets separate. The name of the LLC can be chosen to serve as the business’s brand name
Begin by conducting a trade name search in Alabama.
Use Your Alabama Business Name
Create an Alabama DBA.
A DBA is only used for branding purposes. To keep your business and personal assets separate, we recommend forming an LLC.
Your Alabama trade name must be distinct and comply with the state’s business name requirements.
To begin, use the Alabama Secretary of State’s Business Entity Search to ensure that your new DBA name is not already in use.
Review the Alabama naming requirements next. In Alabama, your business name should NOT include the following words:
Any banking-related words that are not accompanied by a letter from the Alabama Banking Commissioner’s Office, or any insurance-related words that are not accompanied by a letter from the Alabama Insurance Commissioner’s Office.
Any words that may cause confusion between your company and a government agency (FBI, Treasury, State Department, etc.).
A professional designation in the name (e.g., engineer, attorney) without a copy of one officer’s/license member’s or a letter from the governing agency allowing the use of the name without licencing.
Any words that indicate or imply that the corporation is conducting a business that is not permitted by law.
We recommend that you check to see if your name is available as a web domain (URL). You may not intend to launch a business website right now, but you may want to prevent others from acquiring your URL.
Before you can register your trade name in Alabama, you must have used it. So, if you want to register and protect a trade name in Alabama, you must begin using it immediately.
Three “specimens” of trade name usage will be required by Alabama. Acceptable specimens include the following:
Cards for Business
Brochures
Flyers
Labels
Decals
The specimens must be undamaged and legible. The trade name application will ask where and when you used the trade name for the first time in any state, including Alabama, so keep track.
Your Alabama trade name can be registered with the Secretary of State either online or by mail. You can file online through the Secretary of State’s website, or you can print and fill out the Application to Register or Renew Trademark, Service Mark, or Trade Name form.
The following are some critical sections of the form:
Section 4: Trade name description
Section 5: Description of the goods or services to be provided under the trade name
Section 6: A description of how the trademark will be used.
Section 10: Any other entities that have been granted permission to use the trade name (if applicable)
Section 11: The first time the trade name was used
Maintain Control of Your Alabama Trade Name
General Concerns
Call the Trademarks Division of the Alabama Secretary of State at (334) 242-5325.
Renew Your Business Name with the State
Every five years, your Alabama DBA should be renewed. You can renew your trademark, service mark, or trade name by visiting the Secretary of State’s website or by filling out and mailing the Application to Register or Renew Trademark, Service Mark, or Trade Name. Send the completed form to the following address:
Secretary of State’s Office of the State of Alabama
Division of Trademarks
P.O. Box 5616
36103-5616 Montgomery, AL
Change Your Company Name
Call the Alabama Secretary of State’s Trademarks Division at (334) 242-5325 to change your Alabama trade name.
Remove Your Trade Name
Call the Alabama Secretary of State’s Trademarks Division at (334) 242-5325 to cancel your Alabama trade name.