DBA Cost by State (2026)
Filing a DBA (“doing business as”) costs $0 to $170, depending mostly on where you file and whether newspaper publication is required. West Virginia is free for sole proprietors and Washington is $5; Missouri and Iowa are $7. Georgia ($170), Nebraska and Wyoming ($100) are the priciest. Kansas, New Mexico and South Carolina have no state DBA registration at all.
A DBA — also called a fictitious, assumed, or trade name — lets a sole proprietor or business operate under a name other than its legal one. The sticker price is only half the story: where you file (state vs. county) and whether you must publish a newspaper notice drive the real cost. Click any state for the details.
Cheapest to file
Washington ($5 (+ business-license fee)), Iowa ($7), Missouri ($7), Arizona ($10), Rhode Island ($10), South Dakota ($10).
Most expensive
Georgia ($170), Nebraska ($100), Wyoming ($100), Louisiana ($75), Pennsylvania ($70), Vermont ($70).
All 50 states
| State | Filing fee | Filed at | Publication? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $30 | State | No |
| Alaska | $25 | State | No |
| Arizona | $10 | State | No |
| Arkansas | $25* | County | No |
| California | $40* | County | Yes |
| Colorado | $20 | State | No |
| Connecticut | $20 | County | No |
| Delaware | $25 | State | No |
| Florida | $50 | State | Yes |
| Georgia | $170* | County | Yes |
| Hawaii | $50 | State | No |
| Idaho | $25 | State | No |
| Illinois | $25* | County | Yes |
| Indiana | $25* | County | No |
| Iowa | $7* | County | No |
| Kansas | No state registration | — | No |
| Kentucky | $40* | County | No |
| Louisiana | $75 | State | No |
| Maine | $15* | County | No |
| Maryland | $25 | State | No |
| Massachusetts | $50* | County | No |
| Michigan | $16* | County | No |
| Minnesota | $50 | State | Yes |
| Mississippi | $25 | State | No |
| Missouri | $7 | State | No |
| Montana | $20 | State | No |
| Nebraska | $100 | State | Yes |
| Nevada | $25* | County | No |
| New Hampshire | $50 | State | No |
| New Jersey | $54* | County | No |
| New Mexico | No state registration | — | No |
| New York | $25 ($100 in NYC)* | County | No |
| North Carolina | $26 | County | No |
| North Dakota | $25 | State | No |
| Ohio | $39 | State | No |
| Oklahoma | $25 | State | No |
| Oregon | $50 | State | No |
| Pennsylvania | $70 | State | Yes |
| Rhode Island | $10* | County | No |
| South Carolina | No state registration | — | No |
| South Dakota | $10 | Both | No |
| Tennessee | $18* | County | No |
| Texas | $20* | County | No |
| Utah | $54 | State | No |
| Vermont | $70 | State | No |
| Virginia | $10 | State | No |
| Washington | $5 (+ business-license fee) | State | No |
| West Virginia | $0 (sole prop) | State | No |
| Wisconsin | $15 | State | No |
| Wyoming | $100 | State | No |
* Fee is set by the county/municipal clerk — figure shown is representative (sole-proprietor filing). Verified July 2026 from Secretary of State and county-clerk sources. 7 states require newspaper publication; 3 (Kansas, New Mexico, South Carolina) have no state DBA registration.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest state to file a DBA?
West Virginia is free for sole proprietors, Washington is $5, and Missouri and Iowa are $7. South Dakota, Arizona, Rhode Island and Virginia are $10. Note that Kansas, New Mexico and South Carolina have no state DBA registration at all.
Which state has the most expensive DBA?
Georgia at about $170 — driven by a mandatory newspaper-publication requirement. Nebraska and Wyoming are $100, Louisiana $75, and Pennsylvania and Vermont $70.
Which states require newspaper publication for a DBA?
California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska and Pennsylvania require you to publish notice of the fictitious name in a newspaper — which can cost more than the filing fee itself.
Do you file a DBA with the state or the county?
It depends. About half of states file centrally with the Secretary of State; the rest (like California, New York, Texas and Michigan) have sole proprietors file at the county clerk. A few, like South Dakota, allow either.
Is a DBA the same as an LLC?
No. A DBA just registers a business name — it gives no liability protection and is not a legal entity. If you want protection, form an LLC. Compare the cost in our cheapest-states-to-form-an-LLC guide.
Cite this data
Free to use with attribution (CC-BY 4.0). Read how we verify every fee. Custom data for journalists: admin@registryfee.com.