You might need to register a fictitious name, commonly known as a trade name or DBA (doing business as), if you intend to launch a business or work as a sole proprietor in Ohio. You can conduct business under a name other than your legal name by registering a fictitious name. You can follow the instructions in this article to register a fictitious name in Ohio.
You must pick a distinctive name that is not being used by another company before you may register a fictitious name in Ohio. To see if the name you want is available, utilize the company name search tool provided by the Ohio Secretary of State. To make sure that the name you have picked has not previously been trademarked, it is also advised to conduct a trademark search.
After deciding on a name, you must register the fictitious name with the Ohio Secretary of State. You have two options for submitting the registration: by mail or online through Ohio Business Central. Five years of registration are allowed for a $39 charge.
Following the submission of the registration, you must issue a notice of your fictitious name in a newspaper with a wide distribution in the county where your company is based. After registering, you have 30 days to post the notification. You will receive an affidavit of publication from the newspaper, which you should save for your records.
Yes, LLCs in Ohio must pay an annual fee. LLCs are required to submit an annual report to the Ohio Secretary of State along with a $50 filing fee. On the anniversary of the LLC’s founding or registration, the annual report is required. The LLC may be dissolved if the annual report is not submitted.
You cannot have two businesses with the same trading name. A trading name is the name under which a company carries out its business. To minimize misunderstanding with other firms and to safeguard their brand, it is crucial for enterprises to use an original trading name. Legal problems like trademark infringement may arise if two businesses use the same trading name.
A trade name must first be registered with the relevant governmental body in order to be used. By submitting a fake name registration to the Ohio Secretary of State, you can register a trade name in Ohio. You can use your trade name to do business, advertise, and open bank accounts once it has been registered. It is crucial to understand that having a trade name does not turn your company into a separate legal entity; you remain liable for all debts and liabilities incurred by your company.