A DBA in California is a fictitious business name statement. You file it with the county clerk when you do business under a name that is not your own surname, or not your LLC's registered name. The deadline is 40 days from the day you start using the name. After filing, you run the name in a local newspaper once a week for four weeks and file the proof. The statement expires five years from filing.
DBA stands for "doing business as". The law calls the filing a fictitious business name statement, and the county clerk's office uses that name too. This page uses both.
Who needs one?
The statute, Business and Professions Code section 17900, sets the test by business type.
- A sole proprietor needs one when the business name does not include your surname. "Khanna Photography" needs no statement. "Golden Hour Photo" does. A name that suggests more owners than exist, with "Company" or "& Sons" in it, also needs one.
- An LLC or a corporation needs one for any name other than the name in its articles. "Golden Hour Photo LLC" trading as "Golden Hour" needs a statement for "Golden Hour".
- A partnership needs one when the name does not include the surname of every general partner.
You file in the county where your principal place of business is. The Secretary of State does not handle fictitious business names; it points you to the county.
What does it cost?
Each county sets its own fee. In Los Angeles County the clerk charges $26 for one name and one owner, and $5 for each additional name or owner on the same statement. The newspaper charges its own fee for the four weeks of publication, and that fee varies by paper.
When?
| Step | Deadline | Source |
|---|---|---|
| File the statement with the county clerk | within 40 days of the day you start doing business under the name | section 17910 |
| Start the newspaper publication | within 45 days of filing under the statute; the Los Angeles County clerk's page still says 30 days, so 30 satisfies both | section 17917 |
| Run the notice | once a week for four successive weeks, in a newspaper of general circulation in the county where you filed | Government Code section 6064 |
| File the proof of publication with the county clerk | within 45 days after the last publication | section 17917 |
| The statement expires | five years from the filing date | section 17920 |
| A change in the facts | the statement expires 40 days after the change; you file a new one | section 17920 |
Two details from the statute that save a step. A refiling within 40 days of the expiry date needs no new publication, as long as nothing in the statement changed. And publication counts from the first day the notice runs, so the four weeks end on the 28th day.
Dates and fees checked against the statute and the Los Angeles County clerk in October 2026.
What happens when it slips?
Section 17918 sets the cost. A business that uses a fictitious name without a filed and published statement cannot sue in a California court on any contract made under that name, until the statement is filed and published. The business can still be sued. The filing is cheap; the gap it closes is not.
An expired statement has the same effect as none. The five-year date is the one most owners lose, because nothing else on the list runs on a five-year clock.
Why this one is easy to miss
The 40-day clock starts the day you first use the name, not the day you decide on it. The newspaper step is a second filing with its own deadline, and it happens after the clerk's visit, when the owner feels done. And the Los Angeles County page and the statute give different publication deadlines, 30 days and 45, because the law changed on January 1, 2023 and the page did not.
The DBA is one item on the small business compliance list and step 5 of starting a business in California. The City of Los Angeles asks for it on the business tax registration form.
Where Khanna's comes in
If you want help reviewing your small business compliance, email us at daksh@khannasllc.com with your business and your city.
Common questions
My LLC trades under its own registered name. Do I need a DBA? No. The statement is for a name other than the one in the articles of organization.
I use my surname in the business name. Do I need one? No, if the name includes your surname and does not suggest other owners. "Khanna & Co" needs one; "Khanna Photography" does not.
Which newspaper? Any newspaper of general circulation in the county where you filed, and the statute says it should be one that circulates where the business operates. Los Angeles County calls these adjudicated newspapers.
Where do I file in Los Angeles County? With the Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk. Start at the county clerk's fictitious business name pages.
General information for California owners as of October 2026, with Los Angeles County as the local example. Khanna's is not a law firm or an accounting firm, and this is not legal or tax advice. The main rules above link to the statute and the county page that state them. Other counties set their own fees. For your own situation, check with your county clerk, a lawyer or a CPA.