An assumed name is a DBA (doing business as) in Michigan. Obtaining a Michigan DBA registration will not safeguard 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.
To begin with a Michigan DBA, select your business entity type:
Partnership or sole proprietorship (if your business is not a formal structure)
Corporation, LLC, or LLP (if your business has a formal structure such as LLC or corporation)
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Fill out a Michigan DBA application for a sole proprietorship or general partnership.
General partnerships and sole proprietors must register their Michigan DBA with the County Clerk in the county in which their business is located. Estates and real estate investment trusts must also register with the county.
A general partnership is a company formed by two or more people that does not have a formal business structure. A sole proprietorship is an unincorporated business owned by a single person. In either case, the business name is the same as the owners’ names. In these cases, a DBA can be useful for changing the business name to a more marketable name.
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.
Step 1: Conduct a Michigan Assumed Name Search.
Michigan assumed names must be distinct and meet the state’s business name requirements.
To begin, go to the website of the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs and search for your new DBA name to ensure it isn’t already in use.
Review the Michigan naming requirements next. In Michigan, assumed names should NOT include the following words:
Words that may cause confusion between your company and a government agency (FBI, Treasury, State Department, etc.)
Without approval, the words “bank,” “industrial bank,” “deposit,” “surety,” “security,” “trust,” or “trust company” or other words implying that the corporation is a banking, insurance, surety, or trust company
Other restricted words that have not been approved
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.
Step 2: File a DBA with the County Clerk in Michigan.
To operate under a DBA, sole proprietors and partnerships must file a Certificate of Persons Conducting Business Under Assumed Name with the appropriate county clerk’s office(s).
Sole proprietors and partnerships must file in any county where they conduct or transact business.
We will walk you through the process of obtaining an Oakland County DBA. Please contact your county clerk for directions in other counties.
The Michigan State Association of County Clerks has contact information for your counties.
How to Register a DBA in Oakland County
It is a good idea to search the Oakland County assumed name records as well as the state database before beginning the DBA filing process.
After you’ve decided on a name, fill out the Certificate of Persons Conducting Business Under Assumed Name and return it to the Oakland County Clerk. The certificate can be mailed in.
Maintain Control of Your Oakland County DBA
DBA Concerns
Call (248) 858-0569 for more information on assumed names.
Renewal of Your DBA
Every five years, you must renew your assumed name using the same registration form.
Modify Your DBA
To change the name of your DBA, you must complete a new registration form; however, you can change its registered address or the name of its owner using the Assumed Name – Change of Address/Name Change form.
Remove Your DBA
To end your DBA in Oakland County, complete the Certificate of Discontinuance of Business Under an Assumed Name and pay a $10 filing fee.
Create a DBA in Michigan for your LLC, corporation, or LLP.
The Certificate of Assumed Name is filed with the Michigan Department of State by incorporated businesses.
The following types of businesses are considered incorporated:
Corporations, both for profit and non-profit
Professional Corporations and Associations
Limited Partnerships, also known as Limited Liability Partnerships,
Companies with Limited Liability
Entities Filing from Outside the U.S.
Step 1: Conduct a search for Michigan business entities.
Michigan assumed names must be distinct and meet the state’s business name requirements.
To begin, go to the website of the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs and search for your new DBA name to ensure it isn’t already in use.
Review the Michigan naming requirements next. In Michigan, assumed names should NOT include the following words:
Your company’s name cannot contain words that could be confused with a government agency (FBI, Treasury, State Department, etc.)
Without approval, the words “bank,” “industrial bank,” “deposit,” “surety,” “security,” “trust,” or “trust company” or other words implying that the corporation is a banking, insurance, surety, or trust company
Other restricted words that have not been approved
Step 2: Submit Your Michigan Certificate of Assumption of Name
If your company is incorporated, you must register your DBA with the Michigan Secretary of State.
The Certificate of Assumed Name will request your new DBA name as well as business information.
DBA Concerns
The Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs can be reached at (517) 241-6470.
Renew Your Business Name with the State
Your Certificate of Assumed Name will expire on December 31, the fifth full calendar year after registration. Call (517) 241-6470 to renew your assumed name.
Remove Your DBA
By submitting the Certificate of Termination of Assumed Name form, you can cancel your DBA. The fee for corporations and limited partnerships is $10. The fee for forming an LLC is $25.