Assumed-Name (DBA) Registration Requirements in Michigan

At a glance

Requirements one by one

Pick the route by business type

Michigan does not use one DBA office for everyone.

• An individual, general partnership, trust, fiduciary, or other covered noncorporate person may not do business under a name other than the owner's real name unless a certificate is filed with the county clerk (§ 445.1). The definition in § 445.1(4)(a) lists those covered users, while Act 101 expressly excludes corporations and limited partnerships (§ 445.4).
• A corporation files under § 450.1217, an LLC under § 450.4206, and a limited partnership under § 449.1104. Those certificates go through the state entity filing system administered by LARA.

Using the exact legal name does not trigger an assumed-name filing. The trigger is operating under another name.

County users file in every business county, before starting

The county route is broader than a principal-office-only filing. Section 445.1 requires filing with the clerk of every county where the business is conducted, is intended to be conducted, or maintains an office or place of business. Section 445.2 sets the timing: a new user must file "before commencing said business."

The county clerk may reject a name likely to mislead the public, already filed in that county, or confusingly similar to an existing county filing (§ 445.2).

Terms are both five-year based, but calculated differently

A county certificate authorizes the name for five years. Filing a renewal before expiration extends it for another five-year period (§ 445.1a).

An entity certificate does not simply expire five years from its filing date. For a corporation, LLC, or limited partnership, it runs through December 31 of the fifth full calendar year following the filing year. An entity may file its next five-year certificate no earlier than 90 days before expiration (§§ 450.1217, 450.4206, 449.1104).

No newspaper publication is part of either route

Act 101's complete county procedure requires the acknowledged certificate and county filings but no newspaper notice. The corporation, LLC, and limited- partnership sections likewise make the certificate—not publication—the step for using an assumed name. Michigan therefore has no statewide DBA publication requirement.

Fees depend on the route

The current Oakland County form charges $10 for a county assumed-name certificate. Confirm the amount with every county where you must file because the statutory text is internally awkward: § 445.1 still says $6 at filing, while § 445.3 separately says the clerk receives $10 for indexing and filing and supplies two certified copies with that payment. The current clerk form is the practical filing figure; do not add the two old statutory figures without checking the clerk.

For LARA filings, the current state fee schedule lists $10 for Form 541 for corporations and limited partnerships. An LLC pays $25 under § 450.5101(1)(f). Expedited service, if requested, costs extra.

Filing does not create trademark rights

The corporation, LLC, and limited-partnership statutes each say that filing a certificate "does not create substantive rights" to the assumed name (§§ 450.1217, 450.4206, 449.1104). County-level rejection of an already-filed or confusing name is a filing-screening rule. It is not a substitute for trademark clearance or registration.

What trips people up

• A county filing is not statewide. If a covered noncorporate business expands into another Michigan county, § 445.1 requires a filing there too.
• The two five-year calculations differ. A county certificate runs five years from filing. A LARA entity certificate runs through December 31 of the fifth full calendar year after the filing year, so it can last longer than five calendar years.
• The county fee language does not match current clerk forms cleanly. Use the filing county's current form and instructions rather than calculating a payment from the old dollar figures in §§ 445.1 and 445.3.
• The county-route penalty is not merely administrative. Section 445.5 makes each day a separate misdemeanor, punishable by a $25–$100 fine, up to 30 days in jail, or both. It preserves the contracts but bars suit on matters done under the name until the filer complies.

Common questions

I formed an LLC. Do I file with my county clerk? No. An LLC using a name other than the name in its articles or certificate of authority uses the LARA certificate under § 450.4206. The county Act is the route for covered noncorporate users.

I work in two counties. Is one county filing enough? Not on the county route. Section 445.1 requires filing in each county where you conduct or intend to conduct business or maintain an office.

Does Michigan require a DBA newspaper notice? No. Neither the complete county procedure nor the entity certificate statutes contain a publication step.

Can another business use the same DBA after I file? An entity certificate does not create substantive rights in the name. County clerks screen against misleading and confusingly similar county filings, but broader brand rights depend on trademark and prior-use law, not the DBA certificate alone.

Statutes and sources

• Mich. Comp. Laws § 445.1 — county filing trigger, covered persons, multi-county filing, and the statute's $6 fee language. Official text (accessed 2026-07-28).
• Mich. Comp. Laws § 445.1a — five-year county term and renewal. Official text (accessed 2026-07-28).
• Mich. Comp. Laws § 445.2 — filing before commencement and county name screening. Official text (accessed 2026-07-28).
• Mich. Comp. Laws § 445.3 — separate $10 indexing/filing language and certified copies. Official text (accessed 2026-07-28).
• Mich. Comp. Laws § 445.4 — corporations and limited partnerships excluded from Act 101. Official text (accessed 2026-07-28).
• Mich. Comp. Laws § 445.5 — misdemeanor, daily offense, preserved contracts, and curable suit-bar. Official text (accessed 2026-07-28).
• Mich. Comp. Laws § 450.1217 — corporation assumed-name certificate, term, renewal window, and no substantive name rights. Official text (accessed 2026-07-28).
• Mich. Comp. Laws § 450.4206 — LLC assumed-name certificate, term, renewal, and no substantive name rights. Official text (accessed 2026-07-28).
• Mich. Comp. Laws § 449.1104 — limited-partnership assumed-name certificate, term, renewal, and no substantive name rights. Official text (accessed 2026-07-28).
• Mich. Comp. Laws § 450.5101(1)(f) — $25 LLC assumed-name filing fee. Official text (accessed 2026-07-28).
• Michigan LARA Corporations Division fee schedule — current Form 541 fee for corporations and limited partnerships. Official fee schedule (accessed 2026-07-28).
• Oakland County Clerk assumed-name instructions — current county filing and renewal fee. Official county form (accessed 2026-07-28).