A Dallas County DBA Starts with the Business Type

Start with the legal type of business, not the name on the sign. Texas sends a sole proprietor or general partnership to the county clerk where it keeps a business office. With no Texas office, county filing follows the counties where it does business. Corporations, LLCs, limited partnerships, professional associations, LLPs, and foreign filing entities use the Secretary of State. They generally do not add a county filing. A less common business type may take another path, so use the state's full list.

When Dallas County is the right lane, the Clerk accepts an online form or an in-office filing on its research library computers. Walk-in owners bring a government-issued ID. A mail filing needs a notarized form and a stamped return envelope. The Clerk's procedure page has the current fee and payment methods.

An assumed-name certificate puts the link between a business name and its owner in the public record. It does not reserve the name or settle trademark and other name rights. The filing term can run up to 10 years. A change that makes the record misleading calls for a new certificate. Search the records before spending money on signs, cards, or a website.