How to Publish a DBA
When you are doing business under a name other than your legal name, most states require you to apply for a DBA (Doing Business As) or Fictitious Name Certificate. DBAs are generally obtained from the county clerk's office in the county in which you wish to conduct business. You are required by law to notify the public of your DBA through a local publication. The DBA must be published within the time frame specified by your state. If you are uncertain of your state's required time frame, contact your local county clerk's office to get this information.
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Instructions
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Visit the office for your local newspaper. The newspaper must be a "general circulation" paper in the county for which the business is operating. Most local city newspapers are considered general circulation papers.
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Present a copy of your DBA application to the newspaper's representative. Advise the representative that you would like to publish a legal notice in the paper to announce your DBA. There is generally a fee to publish your notice, between $20 and $75.
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Allow the notice to remain in the local newspaper for the amount of time specified by your state's laws. For instance, in California, the publication must run once per week for a period of four weeks. In Illinois, it must be published once per week for three weeks. If you don't know the exact amount of days, contact your county clerk's office to find out.
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Take proof of newspaper publication to your local county clerk's office. Some newspaper companies will send a certificate of publication to the county clerk's office for you.
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