What is a Arizona DBA?
If you are doing business in Arizona as a name other than your own—Martha’s Snake Shop, for instance, instead of Martha Jones—you might wish to file that DBA as a Trade Name. While this practice is not a legal requirement in Arizona, it is an accepted business practice and can be done easily through the Trade Name Division of the Secretary of State’s Business Services.
How to File A Arizona DBA
While a DBA name search is not a necessary step to file, without checking if the name is in use you might inadvertently file the same name as someone else, potentially opening you up to legal trouble. For this reason, many Trade Name filers clear their name first before registration.
The state-provided Trade Name Application includes:
- Owner—A Trade Name can be owned by an individual, partnership, corporation (domestic or foreign), association, LLC, or organization.
- Trade Name—This name cannot include a corporate designator, regardless of whether or not the owner is an incorporated entity.
- Location of the Trade Name
- Business Address
- Signature of the Owner (or representative, if the Owner is a corporate entity)
Arizona Trade Names are required to be notarized; you must submit the original form with payment to the Secretary of State’s Business Division.
Other Types of Businesses in Arizona
For information on other types of businesses in Arizona, please explore the links below.