California Fictitious Business Name by County: Example Fees $23 to $90, 40-Day Filing Rule and Publication

If you do business under a name that is not your own legal name, you need a fictitious business name statement in California. You file it with a county clerk, not the Secretary of State, so the fee, the paperwork and the publication deadline all depend on the county where you file. This guide covers the statewide rules every county follows, a table of example county fees, the county differences that change your timeline, and what this guide does not cover. For the step-by-step filing process, read our California DBA how-to guide.

This content is informational, not legal or tax advice. Confirm current fees and procedures with your county clerk, and consult a qualified attorney or CPA for complex situations, such as a business with multiple owners or a name that may conflict with an existing trademark.

Statewide rules every California county follows

The governing statute is Business and Professions Code 17900 and following. Publication requirements also appear in Government Code 6064. These rules apply in all 58 counties:

1. File within 40 days. File the statement with the county clerk within 40 days of starting to transact business under the name (BPC 17910).
2. File in the right county. File in the county where your principal place of business is located. If you have no place of business in California, file in Sacramento County (BPC 17915).
3. Publish once a week for four weeks. Publish the statement in a newspaper of general circulation in that county once a week for four successive weeks. Publication must start within 45 days after filing (BPC 17917(a)). Government Code 6064 describes the four publications as running over 28 days.
4. File the affidavit of publication. Return the affidavit of publication to the clerk within 45 days after publication ends (BPC 17917(d)).
5. Know when it expires. The statement expires five years after filing, 40 days after any change in its facts, or when an abandonment is filed (BPC 17920).
6. Wait to sue. Until the statement is filed and published, the business cannot sue on a contract made under the name (BPC 17918).

Name rules also apply. A name cannot include "Corporation," "Corp.," "Incorporated" or "Inc." unless the registrant is a corporation. It cannot include "LLC," "Limited Liability Company" or "LC" unless the registrant is an LLC (BPC 17910.5).

The state statute sets the base fee at $10 for the first name and owner, plus $2 for each additional name or owner on the same statement (BPC 17929). Counties charge more than that, so the county fee is the one you will pay.

County fee table

Each county clerk sets its own fees within state law, so there is no single California DBA fee. The examples below are the fees posted by each clerk. The first column is the fee for the first name and registrant, and the second column is the charge for each additional item. Fees from $23 to $90 across these counties show how much the county changes the cost.

County	First name and registrant	Each additional item	Notes posted by the clerk
Los Angeles	$26	$5	Renewal $26. Search $5 per name.
San Diego	$54	$5	Plus $2.50 on card payments.
Orange	$23	$7 per extra name	$7 per registrant after the first two.
San Bernardino	$90	$2	Filings processed within 10 business days. A card surcharge applies.
Alameda	$40	$7	Confirm current details with the clerk.
Tehama	$31	$5	$5 for each additional name or owner.

Sacramento County: Check with Sacramento County before you file. Its fictitious business name filings are handled by the Department of Finance rather than the clerk.

All other counties, including Santa Clara, Fresno and Sonoma: Check with the county clerk for the current fee. Do not assume a neighboring county's price applies to yours.

Newspaper publication is a separate cost. The newspaper charges for it, not the county, and the price varies by paper and by county. Request quotes from papers of general circulation in your county before you file so you can budget for the full cost.

A sample timeline using the 40-day rule

Suppose you start doing business under your name on March 1, 2027. The statewide timeline would work like this:

1. March 1, 2027: You begin transacting business under the name. The 40-day clock starts.
2. By April 10, 2027: You must file the statement with the county clerk. Filing earlier is safer.
3. By May 25, 2027: Publication must start, based on the statewide 45-day window from an April 10 filing. Counties that state a shorter window will set an earlier date.
4. Four weekly publications: If the first runs May 25, the remaining three run on June 1, June 8 and June 15.
5. By July 30, 2027: Return the affidavit of publication to the clerk, measured from the end of publication on June 15.
6. April 2032: The statement expires five years after filing unless you file a new one or an abandonment.

The sample dates assume a statewide 45-day publication window. Your county may require something tighter, so use the window it posts.

County differences that change your timeline

The statewide rules set the outer limits. Counties may state shorter windows or add requirements, and these differences can change your deadlines.

Los Angeles County: 30-day publication start and an Affidavit of Identity

Los Angeles County says publication must begin within 30 days of filing, not the 45 days in the statute. Using the sample above, an April 10 filing would need publication to start by May 10, 2027. Los Angeles also requires a notarized Affidavit of Identity with every original statement, refile and new statement. That requirement has applied since 2015 under SB 1467. Arrange the notary before you go to the counter, because a missing affidavit can hold up your filing.

Orange County: a missed publication window expires the statement

Orange County says the first publication must run within 45 calendar days. If you miss that window, the statement expires. You then have to file a new statement and pay the fees again. Treat the 45-day date as a hard deadline in Orange County, not a guideline.

San Bernardino County: 45-day start and the 40-day filing rule

San Bernardino says publication must start within 45 days of filing and repeats the 40-day filing rule. Its $90 first-name fee is the highest in the table above, and it processes filings within 10 business days, so build that time into your launch date.

The general advice is simple: start publication within the window your own county states, and start early. Newspapers set their own deadlines, and a late start can push your timeline past the county's limit.

Who needs a fictitious business name statement

• Individuals whose business name does not include their own surname, or whose name suggests other owners, such as "& Sons," "& Associates" or "Company."
• Partnerships whose name does not include the surname of every general partner.
• Corporations and LLCs that use any name other than the exact name in their articles of incorporation or articles of organization.

If you are unsure whether your name qualifies, the safer choice is to file. A statement costs far less than a contract you cannot enforce until the filing is complete (BPC 17918).

What this guide does not cover

• Newspaper publication cost. This is set by the newspaper, varies, and is not a county fee.
• Statewide or trademark protection. A fictitious business name statement does not protect the name statewide, does not work as a trademark, and does not reserve an entity name. The Secretary of State checks entity names only against entities of the same type, not against fictitious names or trademarks. A trademark search is a separate step.
• Fees in counties not listed above. Check with the county clerk for the current fee.
• Licenses and taxes. A fictitious business name statement does not license your business. California has no general statewide business license, and the Secretary of State issues none. Most cities charge a local business tax or registration certificate, with no common formula, so check your city. Regulated trades and professions are licensed by state boards such as the Contractors State License Board. If you sell taxable goods, register with the CDTFA, which issues the seller's permit at no cost. If you have employees, register with the EDD.

Before you file: a short checklist

1. Confirm the date you started, or will start, transacting business under the name.
2. Identify the county of your principal place of business, or confirm Sacramento County if you have none in California.
3. Check the current fee and publication window on that county clerk's page.
4. If the county requires a notarized affidavit, book the notary before filing.
5. Get publication quotes from a newspaper of general circulation in that county and schedule the four weekly runs.
6. Calendar the affidavit deadline, the expiration date and the reminder to refile if your facts change.

Official resources include the Secretary of State's fictitious business name page at https://www.sos.ca.gov/business-programs/business-entities/fictitious-business-names, the Secretary of State's Business Programs Division at https://www.sos.ca.gov/business-programs, and the CDTFA at https://www.cdtfa.ca.gov/. The California Small Business Development Center network at https://californiasbdc.org/ can help with planning questions at no cost.

This guide is informational, not legal or tax advice. County fees and procedures change, so verify each figure with the county clerk before you file. If your business has multiple owners, a name that resembles an existing trademark, or a tax question about its entity, consult a qualified attorney or CPA.