---
title: "How to File a DBA in North Carolina: Where, Cost, Renewal"
description: "To file a DBA in North Carolina, register the assumed business name certificate with the county. No expiry. Steps, renewal dates, official links."
url: "https://mcc-solutionsnj.com/bookkeeping/dba-north-carolina"
---

Business names · North Carolina

# Registering a DBA in North Carolina

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

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**Short answer.** The register of deeds in the county. Sole proprietorships, partnerships, and corporations or LLCs using an assumed name all file there. Cost: No state fee; $26 per certificate at the register of deeds. Certificates filed after December 1, 2017 don't expire or need renewal.

## At a glance

Called

assumed business name certificate

Where to file

County

Filing fee

No state fee; $26 per certificate at the register of deeds.

Local fees vary

No

How long it lasts

No expiry

## Renewal, with dates

Certificates filed after December 1, 2017 don't expire or need renewal.

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

For a registration filed on Tuesday, November 24, 2026:

- **Sole proprietor or partnership:** no expiry date

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

**Not stated on the pages we read:** a newspaper notice and online filing.

## Official sources

- [Durham County Register of Deeds: Assumed business name](https://dconc.gov/Register-of-Deeds/Business-Records/Assumed-Business-Name) (checked November 2026)
- [NC Secretary of State business manual: Assumed business names](https://sosnc.gov/manual/assumed_business_names/Page14) (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 North Carolina?**

It's called a assumed business name certificate. The register of deeds in the county. Sole proprietorships, partnerships, and corporations or LLCs using an assumed name all file there.

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

No state fee; $26 per certificate at the register of deeds.

**How long does a North Carolina assumed business name certificate last?**

Certificates filed after December 1, 2017 don't expire or need renewal.

All states: [DBA registration by state](/bookkeeping/dba-registration-by-state) · [New York](/bookkeeping/dba-new-york) · [Ohio](/bookkeeping/dba-ohio)

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)