--- title: "How to File a DBA in Michigan: Where, Cost, Renewal | MCC" description: "To file a DBA in Michigan, register the assumed name with the state or county, depending on who owns it. Steps, renewal dates, official links." url: "https://mcc-solutionsnj.com/bookkeeping/dba-michigan" --- Business names · Michigan # Registering a DBA in Michigan Where the assumed name is filed, what it costs, when it has to be renewed, from the official pages. [![Intuit ProAdvisor Gold tier badge](/img/credentials/intuit-proadvisor-gold.png)](https://proadvisor.intuit.com/app/accountant/search?searchId=matthew-coleman77)Gold tier in Intuit's ProAdvisor program. [See my Intuit listing](https://proadvisor.intuit.com/app/accountant/search?searchId=matthew-coleman77) Keeping your own books? Tallyfinch does invoices, bank import and reports on your computer. [See Tallyfinch](/bookkeeping/mcc-books-downloadable-bookkeeping-software) **Short answer.** Individuals and co-partnerships file with the county clerk. Corporations, LLCs and limited partnerships file a Certificate of Assumed Name with the state (LARA's Corporations Division). Cost: County clerk: $16 in Wayne County, $10 in Macomb County. At the state, an LLC's certificate of assumed name is $25 (Michigan LLC Act fee, 2012 House Bill 5820); the corporation and LP fee wasn't confirmed. County certificates authorize the name for five years, and a renewal filed before expiration adds five more (Michigan Act 101 of 1907, section 1a). ## At a glance Called assumed name Where to file Depends on the owner Filing fee County clerk: $16 in Wayne County, $10 in Macomb County. At the state, an LLC's certificate of assumed name is $25 (Michigan LLC Act fee, 2012 House Bill 5820); the corporation and LP fee wasn't confirmed. Local fees vary Yes How long it lasts Individuals: 5 years; entities: 5 years, to december 31 Online filing Some county clerks take applications online (Macomb County, with notarization by appointment); Wayne County is mail-in only. ## Individuals and companies file in different places Individuals and co-partnerships file with the county clerk. Corporations, LLCs and limited partnerships file a Certificate of Assumed Name with the state (LARA's Corporations Division). Setting up the books for the new name? [A free bookkeeping health check](/bookkeeping/health-check). ## Renewal, with dates County certificates authorize the name for five years, and a renewal filed before expiration adds five more (Michigan Act 101 of 1907, section 1a). State filings expire on December 31 of the fifth full calendar year after the year filed. For a registration filed on Wednesday, November 4, 2026: - **Sole proprietor or partnership:** expires Tuesday, November 4, 2031 - **LLC or corporation:** expires Wednesday, December 31, 2031 Your own date: [open the calculator set to Michigan](/bookkeeping/dba-renewal-date-calculator?state=mi). **Not stated on the pages we read:** a newspaper notice. ## Official sources - [Wayne County Clerk: Assumed names](https://www.waynecountymi.gov/Services/Business/Assumed-Names) (checked November 2026) - [Michigan LARA form 541: Certificate of assumed name](https://michigan.gov/documents/lara/541_08-15_527736_7.pdf) (checked November 2026) - [Michigan House Bill 5820 (2012), as passed](https://archive.legislature.mi.gov/documents/2011-2012/billconcurred/House/htm/2012-HCB-5820.htm) (checked November 2026) - [Macomb County Clerk: Register, renew or dissolve an assumed name](https://www.macombgov.org/index.php/dba) (checked November 2026) - [Michigan Act 101 of 1907: Assumed names](https://capitol.legislature.mi.gov/documents/mcl/pdf/mcl-Act-101-of-1907.pdf) (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 Michigan?** It's called a assumed name. Individuals and co-partnerships file with the county clerk. Corporations, LLCs and limited partnerships file a Certificate of Assumed Name with the state (LARA's Corporations Division). **What does it cost to register a business name in Michigan?** County clerk: $16 in Wayne County, $10 in Macomb County. At the state, an LLC's certificate of assumed name is $25 (Michigan LLC Act fee, 2012 House Bill 5820); the corporation and LP fee wasn't confirmed. Local fees differ from one office to the next. **How long does a Michigan assumed name last?** County certificates authorize the name for five years, and a renewal filed before expiration adds five more (Michigan Act 101 of 1907, section 1a). State filings expire on December 31 of the fifth full calendar year after the year filed. **Can the filing be done online in Michigan?** Some county clerks take applications online (Macomb County, with notarization by appointment); Wayne County is mail-in only. All states: [DBA registration by state](/bookkeeping/dba-registration-by-state) · [Kentucky](/bookkeeping/dba-kentucky) · [Minnesota](/bookkeeping/dba-minnesota) 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. [See Tallyfinch](/bookkeeping/mcc-books-downloadable-bookkeeping-software) [Download it free](/tools/pro/trial/mccBooks) [Compare the three apps](/software) ## Want the books set up for the new name? [See bookkeeping services](/bookkeeping/)[Call (908) 444-6373](tel:+19084446373)