Delaware DBA

Do you need to file a DBA?

A DBA is short for “doing business as” and the purpose of this filing is to prevent confusion from the public as to who the true owner of the business actually is.  In filing for the DBA at the county clerk, you would indicate who the business owner is.  The owner can be an individual, corporation or LLC.  The purpose of this filing is to have a public record to the intention to operate your business using a name other than your own personal name.

How long does a DBA last?

First, you do have to see if the name of the DBA is available.  DBA names are regulated as LLC and corporation name.  If the DBA name is available and you file the necessary documents, the DBA will last 5 years.  It is important that you renew your DBA filing prior to the expiration of your DBA name.  Failure to renew may result in another person using your DBA.

Do you have to publish your DBA?

In order to complete the DBA filing, you must complete the publication requirement.  As mentioned previously, the whole purpose of the DBA is to prevent confusion among the public as the owner of the company.  The publication further helps this by making the intention to operate as a fictitious name made public.

The publication must be run once per week for a four consecutive weeks.  Once the publication has been completed, you should get proof of publication that must be submitted to the county clerks office.