Assumed-Name (DBA) Registration Requirements in Louisiana

At a glance

Requirements one by one

File in every parish before doing business

Louisiana's ordinary DBA rule is local, not a central Secretary of State filing. La. R.S. 51:281 says a covered person may not transact business under an assumed name rather than the individual's real name unless a certificate is filed in each parish where the person conducts or intends to conduct business. The filing office is the clerk of court, except that the statute names the register of conveyances in New Orleans.

The certificate gives the assumed name, the real full name of the person who owns or conducts the business, and that person's post-office address. It must be executed and acknowledged before a notary. Because the statute says no one may transact “unless” the certificate is filed, the filing precedes use of the name. The certificate is also a condition of the occupational-license process: the license collector may not issue the receipt without proof of compliance.

Corporations and some partnership names are exempt

Section 51:283 removes a corporation duly organized in Louisiana or lawfully doing business there from Subpart C. It also preserves a partnership name when the name includes the real name of at least one person transacting the business. A partnership name containing no transacting partner's real name does not fit that exception.

The Secretary of State confirms the office split in its FAQ: ordinary DBAs are filed at parish level, while its office accepts a separate trade-name registration from a person, corporation, LLC, or partnership.

No publication, fixed term, or statewide parish fee

The mandatory assumed-name provisions require the notarized certificate but no newspaper publication or affidavit. They state no expiration date, renewal cycle, or fixed parish recording charge. The registrant should obtain the current filing and certificate fee directly from every affected clerk because more than one parish filing may be required.

Optional state registration is a different product

R.S. 51:214 says a person who has adopted and used a trade name “may file” an application with the Secretary of State. That optional application is not a substitute for the mandatory parish certificate. It states ownership, use, and business information, is verified, and includes three specimens or facsimiles. The fee is $75 under R.S. 49:222(B)(5).

The Secretary of State issues the registration only if the name is distinguishable from existing trade, LLC, partnership, and corporate names (§ 51:215). That registration lasts 10 years and may be renewed during the six months before expiration for another 10 years. Louisiana also lets the prior registrant renew after expiration; a different applicant must give the prior registrant 60 days' certified-mail notice first (§ 51:216(F)).

Noncompliance carries a daily criminal penalty

Section 51:284 makes a violation punishable by a $25 to $100 fine, 10 to 60 days' imprisonment, or both. Each day the business continues in violation is a separate offense. The statute also punishes a license issuer who issues the license without the § 51:281 compliance certificate.

What trips people up

• The parish filing is the actual DBA compliance filing. The Secretary of State's 10-year registration is optional name registration, not the filing that satisfies § 51:281.
• One parish may not be enough. File in every parish where the business operates or intends to operate.
• There is no newspaper step. The current assumed-name statutes say nothing about two-week publication, a 30-day start window, or a publisher affidavit.
• Corporations are expressly exempt from the parish subpart. They can still seek optional state trade-name registration if they want the availability- screened record.
• The two terms are different. The parish certificate has no statutory expiration; the optional state registration lasts 10 years.

Common questions

Does my partnership need a parish certificate? Not if its name includes the real name of at least one person transacting the business. If it does not, the § 51:283 exception does not apply.

Can I file with the Secretary of State instead of every clerk? No. The Secretary of State says DBAs are filed at parish level, and § 51:281 requires each relevant parish filing. The state trade-name registration is separate.

What does the parish filing cost? Sections 51:281–284 set no statewide dollar amount. Ask the clerk for the current assumed-name recording and certificate charges before submitting the notarized document.

Statutes and sources

• La. R.S. 51:281–284 — parish filing trigger, certificate contents, notarization, filing offices, license condition, exemptions, and daily criminal penalty. § 51:281 (accessed 2026-07-25).
• La. R.S. 51:211–218 — separate optional state trade-name definition, registration, availability screen, evidentiary certificate, term, renewal, assignment, and public record. § 51:211 (accessed 2026-07-25).
• La. R.S. 49:222(B)(5) — $25 reservation and $75 registration, renewal, assignment, or termination fees. Official text (accessed 2026-07-25).
• Louisiana Secretary of State FAQ — agency confirmation that DBAs go to parish clerks and state trade-name registration is a separate filing. Official FAQ (accessed 2026-07-25).