Can I Register A Expired Company Name With The State Of Michigan

How to Get a DBA in Michigan

AMichigan DBA (doing business every bit) is called an causeless proper name. Michigan causeless nameregistration allows a business organization to operate under a name that's different from its legal name.

DBA registration won't protect your personal avails like forming an LLC or corporation will. Learn why in our DBA vs LLC guide.

Employ our How to Get a DBA in Michiganguide below to annals a Michigan assumed name yourself.

A person holding a tablet displaying "your name is your brand" File a DBA.

To go started, choose your business concern entity blazon:

Sole Proprietorship or Partnership
LLC, Corporation, or LLP

Last Updated: 2022-03-28

File a Michigan DBA for a Sole Proprietorship or General Partnership

General partnerships and sole proprietors are required to file their Michigan DBA with the County Clerk in the county that their business is located. Estates and real estate investment companies are likewise required to file with the county.

A sole proprietorship is a business endemic past a single individual that isn't formally organized. If you lot run a concern and file taxes nether your ain name, you are a sole proprietor.

A DBA is only used for branding. We recommend forming an LLC to carve up your business and personal assets.

Step 1. Start With a Michigan Causeless Proper noun Search

Michigan assumed names must be unique and must also run across Michigan'due south business proper noun requirements.

First, visit the Michigan Section of Licensing and Regulatory Diplomacy website and search for your new DBA name to brand certain it isn't already in utilize.

Next, review the Michigan naming requirements. In Michigan, assumed names should Not include:

Words that could confuse your business organization with a authorities bureau (FBI, Treasury, Land Department, etc.)
The words "banking company," "industrial banking concern," "deposit," "surety," "security," "trust," or "trust company" or other words that imply that the corporation is a cyberbanking, insurance, surety, or trust visitor without approving
Other restricted words without the proper approving

Nosotros recommend checking if your name is available as a spider web domain (URL). Y'all might not plan on starting a business website today, but you may want to forestall others from acquiring your URL.

Discover a Domain Now

Once you reserve a domain proper name for your DBA, consider setting upwardly a concern phone system to assist strengthen your customer service and heave brownie. We recommend Telephone.com because of its affordable pricing and variety of useful features. Start calling with Phone.com.

Need Help Creating a Brand Name and Logo?

If you demand assist coming up with a DBA proper noun, attempt our business concern proper name generator. And so, create a unique logo for your brand with our gratis logo generator.

Pace ii. Filing a DBA in Michigan with the County Clerk

Sole proprietors and partnerships are required to file a Certificate of Persons Conducting Business Under Assumed Proper noun with the appropriate county clerk's function(s) in order to operate under a DBA.

Sole proprietors and partnerships must file in any county where your business concern conducts or transacts business.

We volition give you step-past-pace directions to become an Oakland Canton DBA. For directions in other counties, please contact your county clerk.

You can notice your counties' contact data from the Michigan State Association of County Clerks.

How to File an Oakland County DBA

Before you start the DBA filing process, it is a expert idea to search the Oakland County assumed proper name records as well as the state database.

Once y'all accept selected your name, y'all volition and then complete the Certificate of Persons Conducting Business concern Under Assumed Name and submit it to the Oakland County Clerk. The certificate can be submitted by mail.

File Your Oakland Canton Concern Certificate

File the Certificate of Persons Conducting Business organization Under Assumed Name by Mail

Download Form

Cost:
$10 Filing Fee

Mailing Address:
Oakland County Clerk's Office
Attn: Vital Records
1200 N. Telegraph Dept. 413
Pontiac, MI 48341-0413

Manage Your Oakland County DBA

DBA Questions
For additional assumed proper name information, call (248) 858-0569.

Renew Your DBA
Your assumed name must be renewed every five years using the same registration form.

Change Your DBA
You must fill out a new registration form to change the proper noun of your DBA, only yous can alter its registered address or the name of its owner with the Assumed Name - Alter of Accost/Name Change form.

Withdraw Your DBA
To discontinue your DBA in Oakland County, you must fill out the Certificate of Discontinuance of Business organisation Under an Assumed Name and pay a $10 filing fee.

File a Michigan DBA for an LLC, Corporation, or LLP

Incorporated businesses file their Certificate of Assumed Name with the Michigan Department of State.

The following business concern types are considered incorporated:

For-profit Corporations, Nonprofit Corporations
Professional person Corporations, Professional Associations
Limited Partnerships, Limited Liability Partnerships
Limited Liability Companies
Whatever Strange Filing Entities

Stride 1. Do a Michigan Business Entity Search

Michigan assumed names must be unique and must also meet Michigan'south business name requirements.

Offset, visit the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs website and search for your new DBA name to make sure it isn't already in employ.

Next, review the Michigan naming requirements. In Michigan, assumed names should Non include:

Your name cannot include words that could confuse your business organization with a government agency (FBI, Treasury, Land Department, etc.)
The words "bank," "industrial bank," "eolith," "surety," "security," "trust," or "trust company" or other words that imply that the corporation is a banking, insurance, surety, or trust visitor without approving
Other restricted words without the proper approving

Acquire more than almost Michigan naming guidelines by reading the Section of Licensing and Regulatory Diplomacy's Choosing a Business Name guide.

We recommend checking if your proper noun is bachelor equally a spider web domain (URL). Yous might not plan on starting a business website today, merely you may want to prevent others from acquiring your URL.

Find a Domain Now

Demand Help Creating a Brand Name and Logo?

If you demand assist coming upward with a DBA proper noun, attempt our business name generator. And so, create a unique logo for your brand with our gratis logo generator.

Pace two: Filing Your Michigan Certificate of Causeless Proper noun

You are required to fix up your DBA with the Michigan Secretarial assistant of Country if your business is incorporated.

The Document of Assumed Name will ask for your new DBA name and information about your business.

Option i: File Online With Michigan Corporations Online Filing

File Online

- OR -

Option 2: File the Certificate of Causeless Name past Postal service or In-Person

Download Form

Cost:
$ten Filing Fee for corporations and LPs
$25 Filing Fee for LLCs

Office Address:
2501 Woodlake Circle
Okemos, MI

Mailing Address:
Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Diplomacy
Corporations, Securities & Commercial Licensing Bureau
Corporations Division
P.O. Box 30054
Lansing, MI 48909

Manage Your Michigan DBA

DBA Questions
Call the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs: (517) 241-6470

Renew Your DBA with the Land
Your Certificate of Causeless Name expires on Dec. 31 of the 5th total calendar year following registration. To renew your causeless proper name, telephone call (517) 241-6470.

Withdraw Your DBA
You tin can cancel your DBA past filing the Certificate of Termination of Causeless Proper noun class. The fee for corporations and LPs is $ten. The fee for LLCs is $25.

Subsequently Filing Your Michigan DBA

If filing a DBA marks the beginning of your business organization journey, then there are a few more steps that y'all should take before getting started:

Create your Business'southward Website - Every concern needs a website. Luckily, drag-and-drop builders like GoDaddy and Wix make the job quick and easy. Check out our Best Website Builder commodity to find the tool that's best for y'all.
Go your Business organisation Finances in Social club - You lot'll need to separate your business finances from your personal ones. This is achieved by opening a business bank account. If your business organization has long lead times or other cash flow irregularities, y'all can also look into a concern credit carte.
Protect Your Business concern - While an LLC will help to protect your personal assets in the example of a lawsuit, your business's assets besides need protection. Having the right business concern insurance will ensure that you're covered if the worst happens. Most businesses start with full general liability insurance equally their base of operations coverage.

Need Help Filing Your DBA in Michigan?

Have a Professional person Service File Your Michigan DBA For You

A professional service volition handle filing your DBA on your behalf, assuasive yous to focus on the other needs of your business.

Recommended: MyCompanyWorks ($99 + state fee)

DBA Michigan FAQ

How many DBAs can I have?

Yous tin can have as many DBAs as you tin can afford to create and are able to keep runway of. Each 1 comes with additional incremental expenses and paperwork, meaning more is not necessarily amend.

Can a DBA get an EIN or Tax ID?

DBAs aren't required to have a separate EIN because DBAs aren't a concern entity. The business concern entity that the DBA is nether would have an EIN if an EIN is required.

To larn more about EINs and when you need one for your business organization, read our What is an EIN guide.

Can a DBA become an LLC?

No. An LLC is a business entity, while a DBA is merely a proper noun for a business.

Sole proprietorships are often confused with DBAs, merely they are not the aforementioned: a sole proprietorship is a business entity, therefore it can cull to become an LLC.

To learn how to form an LLC, visit our Grade an LLC state guides.

Tin a DBA take Inc. in the proper noun?

A DBA can but have Inc. in the proper name if the business concern entity the DBA is attached to is a corporation.

How practice I prepare upward a DBA for a rental belongings?

Holding a rental property in your proper noun and with a DBA will not beget y'all any protection. The best choice is to form an LLC to protect your personal assets in the consequence of an issue with the rental property. In any case, it is always best to consult an chaser.

When would it be good to become a DBA versus a legal proper noun change?

Getting a DBA is often a ameliorate choice than changing your business'due south legal proper name. If you want to rebrand your company or focus on another line of concern, filing for a DBA is a simpler procedure than filing for a legal name modify.

Is my DBA protected from being used in other places?

Some land-level laws prevent DBAs that are also like to existing ones from being used, only this varies from state to country. Information technology is possible to trademark a DBA, which would offer stronger protection beyond land lines.

Useful Links for Your Michigan DBA

Michigan Corporations Online Filing
Michigan Business Entity Search
Oakland County Clerk Assumed Name Information
What is a Sole Proprietorship?
What is an LLC?

Michigan Business Resources