Iowa: Assumed-Name (DBA) Registration Requirements

Requirements one by one

Choose the filing route by business type

Iowa's trade-name system splits at entity status. Under § 547.1, a sole
proprietor, ordinary partnership, or other nonexempt owner using a name other
than every owner's true surname must record a verified statement with the county
recorder where the business will be conducted. The statement identifies each
owner, each owner's mailing and residence address, and the business address.

The same section exempts listed entities organized in Iowa or authorized to do
business there. Those entities use their own statutes and the Secretary of
State's fictitious-name resolution. For example, § 489.112(8) requires an LLC to
file a certified member or manager resolution, while § 490.401(5) requires a
corporation to file a board resolution certified by its secretary.

Deadline, fees, and changes

The county route is a before-business rule: § 547.1 says the verified
statement must be recorded first. Under § 547.3, the fee calculation comes from
§ 331.604(1), which charges $5 per page or fraction of a page. The additional
charges in § 331.604(2)(a) and § 331.604(3)(b)(1) add one $1 records-management fee and one
$1 electronic-transaction fee for each recorded transaction. A one-page,
one-transaction statement therefore carries $7 in statutory recording charges;
more pages or transactions cost more.

The Secretary of State's official fictitious-name resolution sets a $5 fee
for the listed entity route. The cited entity sections do not add a separate day
count; they require the resolution to be delivered for filing if the entity uses
the fictitious name.

Neither route has a fixed expiration or periodic renewal in the cited law or
official form. A county filer must record another verified statement when
ownership changes. Under § 547.2, the original owners remain liable for the
business's obligations until that change statement is recorded.

Publication, name effect, and penalties

Iowa requires no newspaper publication for either route. Chapter 547 is a
complete five-section scheme covering the county statement, changes, fees, and
penalties; it contains no publication step. The Secretary of State resolution
likewise requires adoption, certification, signature, and the $5 fee without a
newspaper notice.

County recording is not trademark registration and Chapter 547 does not reserve
the name. The Secretary of State route has some record-level effect: under
§ 489.112(2)(f), an LLC's legal name must be distinguishable from a fictitious
name already registered in the Secretary's records. That is not a determination
of federal or common-law trademark ownership.

The county-route penalty is direct. Under § 547.4, a violation is a simple
misdemeanor, and § 547.5 treats every day of violation as a separate offense.
The registered entity categories listed in § 547.1 are exempt from that chapter.

What trips people up

• The county recorder and Secretary of State are not interchangeable. A sole
  proprietor generally uses the county route; an LLC or corporation uses the
  Secretary of State resolution. Filing in the wrong office does not satisfy the
  statute that applies to that business type.
• The county trigger uses surnames. A sole proprietor operating under the
  owner's true surname falls outside § 547.1. A name that is not the true surname
  of every owner triggers the verified statement.
• An ownership change carries liability consequences. Section 547.2 keeps
  the original owners liable for all obligations until the change statement is
  recorded.
• There is no publication or five-year renewal. Iowa law creates neither,
  despite forms and summaries that sometimes import those rules from other
  states.

Common questions

I formed an Iowa LLC. Do I file with the county recorder?

No. Section 547.1 exempts an LLC organized in Iowa or authorized to do business
there. If the LLC uses a fictitious name, § 489.112(8) sends its certified
resolution to the Secretary of State.

Must a sole proprietor file before opening?

Yes, if the trade name is not the owner's true surname. Section 547.1 says the
owner must "first" record the verified statement with the county recorder.

Must I publish the name in a newspaper?

No. Neither the county statute nor the Secretary of State resolution includes a
publication requirement.

Does the filing expire?

The cited statutes and current official form set no periodic expiration or
renewal. County filers do have to record a new statement when ownership changes.

Statutes and sources

• Iowa Code §§ 547.1 and 547.2 — county trigger, surname test, listed-entity
  exemptions, before-business filing, required contents, and ownership changes.
  Official Chapter 547 (accessed 2026-07-25).
• Iowa Code §§ 547.3 through 547.5 — county fee cross-reference, simple
  misdemeanor, and daily-offense rule. Official Chapter 547 (accessed 2026-07-25).
• Iowa Code § 331.604 — $5-per-page recorder fee and two $1 transaction
  surcharges. Official section (accessed 2026-07-25).
• Iowa Code § 489.112 — LLC fictitious-name resolution and Secretary-record
  distinguishability. Official section (accessed 2026-07-25).
• Iowa Code § 490.401(5) — corporation fictitious-name board resolution.
  Official section (accessed 2026-07-25).
• Iowa Secretary of State Fictitious Name Resolution — listed entity types,
  required certification and resolution, filing office, and $5 fee. Official form (accessed 2026-07-25).