---
title: "How to File a DBA in Connecticut: Where, Cost, Renewal | MCC"
description: "To file a DBA in Connecticut, register the trade name certificate with your city or town. Steps, renewal dates, official links."
url: "https://mcc-solutionsnj.com/bookkeeping/dba-connecticut"
---

Business names · Connecticut

# Registering a DBA in Connecticut

Where the trade name certificate is filed, what it costs, when it has to be renewed, from the official pages.

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**Short answer.** The town clerk in the town where the business is primarily transacted, not the Secretary of the State. Individuals, unregistered groups and registered business organizations (on a separate form) all file there. Cost: No state fee; the town clerk collects a $20 filing fee.

## At a glance

Called

trade name certificate

Where to file

City or town

Filing fee

No state fee; the town clerk collects a $20 filing fee.

Local fees vary

No

## Renewal, with dates

For a registration filed on Thursday, November 12, 2026:

Setting up the books for the new name? [A free bookkeeping health check](/bookkeeping/health-check).

- **Sole proprietor or partnership:** not confirmed

Your own date: [open the calculator set to Connecticut](/bookkeeping/dba-renewal-date-calculator?state=ct).

## Before you file

Forms must be hand-signed and notarized by the town clerk or another notary; new forms apply to trade names filed on or after October 1, 2026 (CGS 35-1).

**Not stated on the pages we read:** how long it lasts, a newspaper notice and online filing.

## Official sources

- [Connecticut Business Portal: Trade names, or doing business as](https://business.ct.gov/Manage/Trade-Names) (checked November 2026)
- [Connecticut Secretary of the State: Trade names](https://portal.ct.gov/sots/business-services/tradename) (checked November 2026)

General information, not legal advice; we are not lawyers. Checked November 2026 against the pages above. Fees and forms change, and a county or town office can add its own steps, so confirm with the filing office before you file. We don't file DBAs or trade names for anyone.

## Questions people ask

**Where is a DBA filed in Connecticut?**

It's called a trade name certificate. The town clerk in the town where the business is primarily transacted, not the Secretary of the State. Individuals, unregistered groups and registered business organizations (on a separate form) all file there.

**What does it cost to register a business name in Connecticut?**

No state fee; the town clerk collects a $20 filing fee.

**Anything else to know before filing in Connecticut?**

Forms must be hand-signed and notarized by the town clerk or another notary; new forms apply to trade names filed on or after October 1, 2026 (CGS 35-1).

All states: [DBA registration by state](/bookkeeping/dba-registration-by-state) · [California](/bookkeeping/dba-california) · [District of Columbia](/bookkeeping/dba-district-of-columbia)

Tallyfinch

### Books you keep on your own computer

Tallyfinch does invoices, bills, bank import, reconciliation and the main reports, in a file you own. $99 once, then $5 a month for updates; the app keeps working if you stop the plan. It does not do payroll or sales tax filing. The free download records up to 60 entries.

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## Want the books set up for the new name?

[See bookkeeping services](/bookkeeping/)[Call (908) 444-6373](tel:+19084446373)