An assumed business name is a DBA (doing business as) in North Carolina. North Carolina assumed business name registration enables a company to operate under a name other than its legal name.
Your personal assets will not be protected if you register a DBA in North Carolina. Forming a formal company structure, such as an LLC or corporation, can provide you with liability protection as well as a business name.
In North Carolina, you may register an assumed name.
It is simple to register a North Carolina assumed business name, often known as a DBA.
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.
Learn How to File a DBA in North Carolina in Two Easy Steps:
Begin by doing a North Carolina Assumed Business Name Search.
Register Your DBA in North Carolina with the County
A DBA is solely used for branding purposes. To keep your company and personal assets distinct, we propose incorporating an LLC.
Step 1: Conduct an assumed business name search in North Carolina.
Your assumed company name in North Carolina should be distinctive and must also fit North Carolina’s business name standards.
Before you file, you must check the state’s Assumed Name Database to ensure that your exact name isn’t currently in use. While North Carolina state law does not compel you to register a distinctive assumed company name, it is a good idea to choose one that is not currently in use. In Step 2, we will offer contact information for county offices. You must also examine any state naming regulations.
Your assumed company name in North Carolina should NOT include:
Unless the company is genuinely an LLC, corporation, etc., any business entity suffix, such as LLC, Incorporated, Corp, etc.
The words bank, banker, banking cooperative, co-op, mutual, trust, architect, architecture, architectural, certified public accountant (CPA), engineer, engineering, insurance, pharmacy, prescription drug, drug, prescription, Rx, apothecary, realtor, surveyor, survey, surveying, and wholesale are not permitted.
Step 2: Create a North Carolina DBA.
North Carolina assumed business names are registered with the county or counties in which your firm operates.
DBA Registration with the County Register of Deeds
The state of North Carolina manages DBA rules, therefore the processes for obtaining a DBA are comparable from county to county. Each county, in fact, utilises the identical registration form.
We will walk you through the process of obtaining an assumed company name in Mecklenburg County (Charlotte). If you need to file in another county, contact the appropriate county clerk for details.
How to Register a DBA in Mecklenburg County
Assumed business name certificates may be submitted with the Mecklenburg County Register of Deeds either mail or in person. Notarization is required for the certificate.
Reminder: Before filing, Mecklenburg County recommends that you check the state’s assumed business name database as well as records at the county office to ensure that your name isn’t already in use.
Maintain Control of Your Mecklenburg County DBA
General Concerns
For general inquiries concerning Mecklenburg County assumed business names, call (704) 336-2443.
Mecklenburg County DBA Renewal
Your assumed business name in North Carolina does not expire and hence does not need to be renewed.
Mecklenburg County DBA Change
Complete the amendment form and deliver it to the Register of Deeds to make changes to your assumed business name certificate. The application cost is $26.
Remove Your Mecklenburg County DBA
Complete the withdrawal form and deliver it to the Register of Deeds office to cancel your assumed name. The application cost is $26.