New Jersey DBA
A New Jersey DBA, or doing business as, is called a Registration of Alternate Name when the DBA is owned by an incorporated entity and a Trade Name when owned by an unincorporated entity, such as a sole proprietor or partnership.
DBAs for Sole Proprietorships and Partnerships
A New Jersey DBA for an unincorporated business, known as a Trade Name, is filed with the County Clerk’s office of the county in which the business is located. These DBAs allow you use of the name within the county; your right of doing business as the Trade Name does not extend to the entire state.
It’s usually best to do a DBA name search in your county to make sure that the name isn’t currently in use.
DBAs for Incorporated Entities
A New Jersey DBA known as a Registration of Alternate Name is used at the state level; only entities that are already incorporated at the state level (for instance, corporations and LLCs) may register this type of DBA. These DBAs affect the existing corporate records of the corporation or LLC; for this reason, the owning entity must be registered with the state as a corporation or LLC before the Alternate Name can be registered.
In order to register an Alternate Name, you must provide the Act under which the owning entity was organized (the New Jersey Business Corporation Act, Nonprofit Corporation Act, and so on). These Alternate Names are valid for a period of five years; after five years, if the company is still doing business as the Alternate Name in the state, the filing must be renewed.
Other Types of Businesses in New Jersey
For information on other types of businesses in New Jersey, please explore the links below.