Alabama DBA — there is no DBA filing in Alabama (2026)
Alabama does not register DBAs. There is no fictitious-name or assumed-name filing for sole proprietors — not at the Judge of Probate, not at any Alabama county, not at the state — and no fee. You may operate under a business name without registering it anywhere. Alabama does offer optional TRADEMARK registration, which is a different filing and is described below.
The one thing to knowThe $30.00 you may have seen is TRADEMARK registration, not a DBA fee. It registers a mark under the Alabama Trademark Act; Alabama has no DBA registration at any price.
The process
- Check whether you must file anything
You need not. Alabama has no fictitious-name or DBA registration for sole proprietors, at the county or the state.
- Use the name
You may trade under a business name without registering it. Rights come from adoption and use, not from a filing Alabama does not offer.
- Consider trademark registration — a different filing
Optional registration of a trademark, service mark or trade name with the Secretary of State on form LAT-1, three specimens and a $30.00 fee, under Ala. Code §§ 8-12-8 and 8-12-10. It registers a mark, not a DBA.
- Entity formation is a third thing
An LLC or corporation registers the ENTITY with the Secretary of State. That is neither a DBA nor a mark.
DBA filing by county — all 67 Alabama counties
Alabama has no county DBA filing. The table lists county offices for contact purposes only — none of them registers a DBA.
| County | Where to file |
|---|---|
| Autauga County | No DBA filing — Alabama registers no DBAs |
| Baldwin County | No DBA filing — Alabama registers no DBAs |
| Barbour County | No DBA filing — Alabama registers no DBAs |
| Bibb County | No DBA filing — Alabama registers no DBAs |
| Blount County | No DBA filing — Alabama registers no DBAs |
| Bullock County | No DBA filing — Alabama registers no DBAs |
| Butler County | No DBA filing — Alabama registers no DBAs |
| Calhoun County | No DBA filing — Alabama registers no DBAs |
| Chambers County | No DBA filing — Alabama registers no DBAs |
| Cherokee County | No DBA filing — Alabama registers no DBAs |
| Chilton County | No DBA filing — Alabama registers no DBAs |
| Choctaw County | No DBA filing — Alabama registers no DBAs |
| Clarke County | No DBA filing — Alabama registers no DBAs |
| Clay County | No DBA filing — Alabama registers no DBAs |
| Cleburne County | No DBA filing — Alabama registers no DBAs |
| Coffee County | No DBA filing — Alabama registers no DBAs |
| Colbert County | No DBA filing — Alabama registers no DBAs |
| Conecuh County | No DBA filing — Alabama registers no DBAs |
| Coosa County | No DBA filing — Alabama registers no DBAs |
| Covington County | No DBA filing — Alabama registers no DBAs |
| Crenshaw County | No DBA filing — Alabama registers no DBAs |
| Cullman County | No DBA filing — Alabama registers no DBAs |
| Dale County | No DBA filing — Alabama registers no DBAs |
| Dallas County | No DBA filing — Alabama registers no DBAs |
| DeKalb County | No DBA filing — Alabama registers no DBAs |
| Elmore County | No DBA filing — Alabama registers no DBAs |
| Escambia County | No DBA filing — Alabama registers no DBAs |
| Etowah County | No DBA filing — Alabama registers no DBAs |
| Fayette County | No DBA filing — Alabama registers no DBAs |
| Franklin County | No DBA filing — Alabama registers no DBAs |
| Geneva County | No DBA filing — Alabama registers no DBAs |
| Greene County | No DBA filing — Alabama registers no DBAs |
| Hale County | No DBA filing — Alabama registers no DBAs |
| Henry County | No DBA filing — Alabama registers no DBAs |
| Houston County | No DBA filing — Alabama registers no DBAs |
| Jackson County | No DBA filing — Alabama registers no DBAs |
| Jefferson County | No DBA filing — Alabama registers no DBAs |
| Lamar County | No DBA filing — Alabama registers no DBAs |
| Lauderdale County | No DBA filing — Alabama registers no DBAs |
| Lawrence County | No DBA filing — Alabama registers no DBAs |
| Lee County | No DBA filing — Alabama registers no DBAs |
| Limestone County | No DBA filing — Alabama registers no DBAs |
| Lowndes County | No DBA filing — Alabama registers no DBAs |
| Macon County | No DBA filing — Alabama registers no DBAs |
| Madison County | No DBA filing — Alabama registers no DBAs |
| Marengo County | No DBA filing — Alabama registers no DBAs |
| Marion County | No DBA filing — Alabama registers no DBAs |
| Marshall County | No DBA filing — Alabama registers no DBAs |
| Mobile County | No DBA filing — Alabama registers no DBAs |
| Monroe County | No DBA filing — Alabama registers no DBAs |
| Montgomery County | No DBA filing — Alabama registers no DBAs |
| Morgan County | No DBA filing — Alabama registers no DBAs |
| Perry County | No DBA filing — Alabama registers no DBAs |
| Pickens County | No DBA filing — Alabama registers no DBAs |
| Pike County | No DBA filing — Alabama registers no DBAs |
| Randolph County | No DBA filing — Alabama registers no DBAs |
| Russell County | No DBA filing — Alabama registers no DBAs |
| Shelby County | No DBA filing — Alabama registers no DBAs |
| St. Clair County | No DBA filing — Alabama registers no DBAs |
| Sumter County | No DBA filing — Alabama registers no DBAs |
| Talladega County | No DBA filing — Alabama registers no DBAs |
| Tallapoosa County | No DBA filing — Alabama registers no DBAs |
| Tuscaloosa County | No DBA filing — Alabama registers no DBAs |
| Walker County | No DBA filing — Alabama registers no DBAs |
| Washington County | No DBA filing — Alabama registers no DBAs |
| Wilcox County | No DBA filing — Alabama registers no DBAs |
| Winston County | No DBA filing — Alabama registers no DBAs |
Alabama-specific details
Form LAT-1 is the "APPLICATION TO REGISTER TRADEMARK, SERVICE MARK, OR TRADE NAME IN ALABAMA", and it states that trademark, service mark and trade name registrations are "(hereinafter referred to as “marks”)" and are administered at state level by the Office of the Secretary of State. A trade name registered there is a MARK under the Trademark Act — a different legal instrument from the fictitious-name registration most states call a DBA, which Alabama does not have. The $30.00 fee buys that mark registration. It is also not what gives you the name: per LAT-1, "Rejection/denial of the application by this office does not prevent use of the mark. Rights of ownership of a particular mark are achieved through the common laws of adoption and usage, not registration." There is no DBA fee in Alabama, because there is no DBA.
What to bring
- Nothing — there is no Alabama DBA filing to make
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to register a DBA in Alabama?
No. Alabama has no fictitious-name or assumed-name registration for sole proprietors, at the county or the state.
Is there a county DBA filing in Alabama?
No. No Alabama county registers DBAs, including the Judge of Probate.
How much does a DBA cost in Alabama?
Nothing. There is no DBA filing and no DBA fee.
What is the $30.00 fee I have seen?
That is TRADEMARK registration — optional registration of a trademark, service mark or trade name with the Secretary of State on form LAT-1 under Ala. Code §§ 8-12-8 and 8-12-10. It registers a mark, not a DBA.
Does registering protect my name?
Not by itself. LAT-1 states that "Rejection/denial of the application by this office does not prevent use of the mark" and that rights of ownership "are achieved through the common laws of adoption and usage, not registration."