State law dictates that most types of businesses file with the Register of Deeds in the county where they will operate. The document that files or puts on record a business name of an individual, partnership, or corporation other than its own name is referred to as Doing Business As, DBA, or Assumed Name.NC General Statute § 66-68 requires that “before any person or partnership engages in business in any county in this State under an assumed name or under any designation, name or style other than the real name of the owner or owners thereof, before any limited partnership engaged in business in any county in this State other than under the name set out in the Certificate filed with the Office of the Secretary of State or before a corporation engages in business in any county other than under its corporate name, such person, partnership, limited partnership, or corporation must file in the office of the register of deeds of such county a certificate…”. The Register of Deeds handles filings for sole proprietorships, partnerships, corporations (doing business under an assumed name), and limited liability companies (LLCs) doing business under an assumed name.
Note: The Secretary of State Corporations Division handles initial filings for corporations, limited partnerships and LLCs.If you need information on incorporation or initial filing of a limited partnership or LLC, please visit the Secretary of State’s web site for more information or call (919) 807-2225. The Corporate Division of the Office of Secretary of State is located at 2 South Salisbury Street at the intersection of Salisbury and Morgan Streets. Before filing (recording) the “doing business as” (dba) or assumed name certificate, you should perform a name search with both the Register of Deeds and NC Secretary of State to determine if the proposed business name has already been filed. Once you have performed the name search, complete the appropriate form and submit to our office for recording. For other pertinent information about starting a business in Columbus County, see the following:
NC Department of Commerce’s Business License Information page Various assumed name forms are shown below and may be downloaded for your convenience.
The fee for recording an assumed name is $26. The completed form may be hand-delivered or mailed in for recording.
Forms are in PDF format. You must download and install the Adobe Acrobat Reader to view/print these files.
Assumed Business Name Certificate