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Sole proprietors and partnerships should file a fictitious name statement with the county
where their primary business is located.
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| If you use your full name in the business, i.e.
Edward K. Johnson's Shoes, you are NOT required to have a fictitious name statement.
However, the name cannot imply that more people are involved, i.e. Edward K. Johnson
and Sons' Shoes.
Banks often require a certified copy of your fictitious name
statement before they will open a business bank account!
Physicians must file a special fictitious name statement with the State Medical Board,
not the County Clerk. Visit
http://www.mbc.ca.gov/licensee/fictitious_name.html or call (916) 263-2382 for information. |
| Forms to use | |
Letter to file fictitious name by mail
Letter for Newspaper to Publish Name |
| What to do | |
| Verify name and file form |
You must verify that your proposed business name has not been filed by someone else in your county. To do this, you
must search the county records. You can do this in person or by mail. In many counties you can do the search online.
If your name isn't in use, you can submit the fictitious name form with the appropriate fees. You can do this in person or by mail (or
online in some counties).
When you complete the form, only register the legal owners. Do not use P.O. Boxes
for any address. Ask the County Clerk's office
to give you two copies of the certified form for the newspaper and your bank.
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| Publish | Choose a local newspaper (daily or weekly) which
circulates in your area. Click here for a list of daily and weekly newspapers.
Call and ask for their fees to publish a fictitious name statemnent for four
consecutive weeks. Then send a copy of the fictitious name form and the newspaper
fee with our cover letter to the newspaper. |
| Proof of Publication | The County Clerk must be notified when publication is complete. Usually, the
newspaper will do this step for you, however, you need to verify this
with the newspaper. If they don't provide this service, they should send you a notice
of completion, which you must forward to the County Clerk. Note: If no one notifies the County Clerk that publication was completed,
your fictitious name statement will be invalid. |
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| No time? County Clerk's office too far? | |
The Daily Journal will do the name search, filing and publishing for you if you are in one of these counties:
Alameda, Butte, Contra Costa, El Dorado, Fresno, Kern, Los Angeles, Monterey, Napa, Nevada, Orange, Placer, Riverside,
Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Francisco, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Sonoma
Stanislaus, Sutter, Tulare, or Ventura. Click here for more information.
Some County Clerk offices will do a name search for
a fee, and handle everything by mail or online. The web addresses and phone numbers for the County
Clerks are provided
at the bottom of this page. Find out:
- Basic fee for fictitious name publication
- Fee for additional business names or additional business owners
- Fee for name search
Mail your check for the total amount with your completed form. Include a stamped,
self-addressed envelope.
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Cost | |
The fees to file a fictitious name vary by county. Usually they are $20 to $40
for basic filing, plus $5 for each additional business name and/or owner, plus a name
search fee if the form is filed by mail. Pay this when you first file the form with the
County Clerk. The newspaper fee is usually $40-$60, which you must pay directly to the newspaper.
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Time deadlines | |
You must file this statement before you use the name or file any other forms for your business. You must begin publishing in a local newspaper within 30 days of filing the
fictitious name statement. If you use a weekly newspaper, some counties require that
you begin publishing within 20 days. You can use your proposed business name during
the newspaper publishing period.
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Expiration | |
Fictitious name statements expire five years from the initial filing date or 40 days after
a change in ownership, business location or business name. The County does NOT notify you of
the expiration date.
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Protecting your business name | |
Fictitious name statements only protect your name from being used by other businesses
in the county where your fictitious name statement was filed. If you want to protect
your business name statewide or nationally, you must
trademark it.
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| Select your county | |
For the county clerk's address, phone, hours, and fictitious name form, select your county below.
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