Fictitious Business Name (FBN) Filing Information

You may have additional business names or variations on the same application if the entities are doing business at the same location.

There is an additional $5.00 filing fee per additional business name at the time of the initial filing.

Street address of principal place of business and county must be listed (corporations/limited liability companies must include address as set out in its articles of incorporation on file with the Secretary of State and the state of incorporation/organization).

All owners and their residence addresses must be listed. State law requires a physical address for the place of business and each owner's place of residence. For the residence address, use the street address, not a mailing address.

If you are filing as a Corporation or Limited Liability Company, you must be registered with the California Secretary of State. 

The address of the Limited Liability Corporation (LLC) must be the same as listed in the articles of organization on file with the California Secretary of State.

The registered owners of the fictitious business name must be the same name as the corporation or Limited Liability Company. The registered owners of a Limited Partnership must be the general partners. Do not list Limited Partners or the Limited Partnership as the registered owner.

The statement must be signed by a corporate officer (B&P Code 17914) and their title. Generally, the following titles fall into the category of a corporate officer. Examples include, but are not limited to:

CEO (Chief Executive Officer), CFO (Chief Financial Officer), President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Managing Member, Officer or Manager

There is $30.00 filing fee. The filing fee includes one business name and one registrant name. There is an additional $5.00 fee for each additional business name or registrant name. The online application can be found here.

Electronically:

Complete the online application, and electronically sign the form. Complete your order by credit card payment.  Staff will process the electronic filing and email you a copy of the filed FBN.  If you choose to mail in your payment your FBN will not be filed until payment is received.

Please email us if have any questions. 

By Mail:

Mailed-in requests are processed within (five) 5 business days. To mail in a paper application, use the online application. You must download and print your completed FBN, have the appropriate person sign the FBN with wet ink, and mail in your form with payment. You may call to pay by credit card or send a check or money order with your mailed-in application. 

Within 45 days after a fictitious business name statement has been filed with the County Clerk, the statement shall be published in a newspaper of general circulation in the county where the fictitious business name statement was filed. The newspaper selected for the publication of the statement should be one that circulates in the area where the business is to be conducted. The statement must be published once a week for four consecutive weeks with at least five days between each date of publication. An affidavit of publication shall be filed within 45 days after the completion of the publication.

If a renewal is required because the prior statement has expired, the renewal need not be published unless there has been a change in the information required in the expired statement, provided the refilling is filed within 40 days of the date the statement expired (B&P Code 17917, Govt. Code 6064).