A trade name is a Georgia DBA (doing business as). Georgia trade name registration permits a company to operate under a name other than its legal name.
Georgia 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.
Georgia Trade Name Registration
It is simple to register a Georgia trade name, commonly known as a DBA.
A DBA is only used for branding purposes. A DBA does not safeguard 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 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.
Learn How to File a DBA in Georgia in Three Easy Steps:
Begin by conducting a Georgia Trade Name Search.
Use Your Georgia Business Name
Register Your DBA in Georgia
A DBA is solely used for branding purposes. To keep your company and personal assets distinct, we propose incorporating an LLC.
Step 1: Conduct a Georgia Trade Name Search.
Your Georgia trade name must be distinctive and comply with Georgia’s business name requirements.
Before you file, you must check state and county records to ensure that your exact name is not already in use. In Step 2, we will provide contact information for county offices. You must also consider any state naming regulations.
Your Georgia business name should NOT contain:
Unless the company is genuinely an LLC, corporation, etc., any business entity suffix, such as LLC, Incorporated, Corp, etc.
Without the consent of the Department of Banking and Finance, the terms bank, banc, banque, banker, banking company, banking house, bancorp, bankruptcy, credit union, savings & loan, trust, or trust firm may be used.
The terms “college” or “university” without the Georgia Nonpublic Postsecondary Education Commission’s consent.
Language implying that the company was formed for illegal purposes
vulgar language
Without the consent of the Georgia Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner, the terms insurance, assurance, surety, fidelity, reinsurance, reassurance, or indemnity may be used.
You may read Georgia’s Name Availability Standards for more information about name restrictions in Georgia.
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: Make Use of Your Georgia Business Name
Georgia trade names are registered with the county in where your main place of business is situated.
A DBA does not provide any protection for your personal assets if your company is sued. Visit our How to Form an LLC page and choose your state for additional information on forming a limited liability corporation.
Obtaining a DBA from the County Clerk
The state of Georgia manages DBA rules, therefore the processes for obtaining a DBA are comparable from county to county.
We will walk you through the process of obtaining a Fulton County trade name. If you need to file in another county, contact the appropriate county clerk for details.
These links will take you to the webpages for some of the most populous counties:
Superior Court Clerk for Fulton County (full instructions below)
Gwinnett County Superior Court Clerk
Cobb County Superior Court Clerk
Superior Court Clerk for DeKalb County
Visit the Georgia Superior Courts website for a comprehensive list of county contact information.
How to Register a DBA in Fulton County
Before you begin the DBA registration procedure, utilise the State of Georgia’s trade name search to ensure your name is unique.
Trade names can be registered in person or by mail using the Application to Register a Business to Be Conducted Under a Trade Name. The paperwork must be notarized once completed.
Step 3: Create a Georgia DBA.
The state of Georgia requires you to publish notice of your trade name registration in the county newspaper once a week for two weeks.
If you have any concerns concerning Fulton County publishing, please contact the Fulton County Daily Report at (404) 521-1227.
Maintain Control of Your Fulton County DBA
General Concerns
For general concerns concerning Fulton County trade names, contact the Clerk of Superior Court at (404) 613-5371.
Renew Your Fulton County Business Name
Your Fulton County business name does not need renewal.
Modify Your Fulton County DBA
To make changes to your trade name, you must complete a new registration form with the necessary adjustments. The cost is $174 ($172 + $2 for cross-referencing).
Remove Your Fulton County DBA
Fill out the Affidavit to Cancel Registered Trade Name form and send it to the Clerk of Superior Court in Fulton County to remove your trade name. The cost is $174 ($172 + $2 for cross-referencing).