Kentucky DBA (Assumed Name) — Who Files Where, Fees & Forms (2026)
In Kentucky a DBA is a Certificate of Assumed Name, and where you file it depends entirely on what you are. A sole proprietor files with the county clerk in the county where they keep their principal place of business — that’s it, one office. Every business entity — LLC, corporation, general partnership, limited partnership, business trust, limited cooperative association — files with the Kentucky Secretary of State first, and then files a file-stamped copy with a county clerk too. Two offices, two fees. Counties publish $46.00; the Secretary of State charges $20.00. The registration lasts five years.
The one thing to knowKentucky is a dual-filing state for business entities. If you have an LLC or a corporation, filing with the Secretary of State is not the end of it — KRS 365.015(3) requires you to take the file-stamped copy to the county clerk where your registered agent is (or, if you don’t need a registered agent, where your principal office is). The only entities that file with the Secretary of State alone are those with no Kentucky registered agent and no Kentucky principal office. And note that a general partnership counts as an entity here — it goes to the Secretary of State, not to the county.
County clerk only — the county where you maintain your principal place of business. You never file with the Secretary of State (KRS 365.015(3)). Worth knowing: the Secretary of State’s own ASN instructions describe this as the county where the person “is deemed a resident … under KRS Chapter 355.” The statute says principal place of business. Where the form and the statute disagree, the statute governs.
General partnership (including an LLP), limited partnership, business or statutory trust, corporation, LLC, or limited cooperative association: first deliver the certificate to the Secretary of State with one exact or conformed copy ($20.00), then take one file-stamped copy to the county clerk — the county where the entity maintains its registered agent for service of process, or, if no registered agent is required, where it maintains its principal office. The exception: an entity with neither a Kentucky registered agent nor a Kentucky principal office files only with the Secretary of State (KRS 365.015(3)).
An unincorporated nonprofit association that has filed a certificate of association is required to file a certificate of assumed name under KRS 365.015(2)(a), but subsection (3) doesn’t say which office takes it. The Secretary of State’s form lists them as an option, which suggests the state in practice — but the statute is genuinely silent, so call the Division of Business Filings at (502) 564-3490 rather than rely on us for this one.
Kentucky says this in the statute itself: “The filing of a certificate of assumed name shall not automatically prevent the use of that name or protect that name from use by other persons” (KRS 365.015(7)). A DBA is a disclosure that you’re operating under a name that isn’t your legal one. It is not a trademark, and it doesn’t create a legal entity or separate your personal assets from the business’s.
The two filing routes get different name checks, and that has a concrete consequence. A certificate filed with the Secretary of State cannot set out a name that isn’t distinguishable from a name already on the Secretary of State’s records (KRS 365.015(2)(d)). A county-clerk filing by an individual gets no such screen — no county checks your name against another county’s records, and nothing checks it against the Secretary of State’s. So two sole proprietors in two different Kentucky counties can register the same assumed name, both entirely validly, and neither filing gives either one a claim against the other. If the name matters to your business, the county filing is not what secures it.
County schedules publish $46.00. State law accounts for $43.00 of that: $33.00 to record and index an assumed name of five pages or fewer (KRS 64.012(1)(a)1.p), plus a $10.00 permanent records storage reimbursement that applies to every filing in KRS 64.012(1)(a) (KRS 64.012(3)(a)). Add $3.00 for each page after the fifth, and $4.00 for each additional reference to the same instrument. Of the $33.00, $27.00 stays with the county clerk and $6.00 goes to the state affordable housing trust fund (KRS 64.012(1)(a)2; KRS 198A.710).
Every Kentucky county fee schedule we can read publishes $46.00, including Henderson’s, which was reissued on July 15, 2026, the day the current fee statute took effect — so $46.00 is a current figure, not a stale one. But no schedule itemizes it, and we could not source the last $3.00 to any statute; Kentucky’s legal-process tax (KRS 142.010) doesn’t reach assumed names at all. What we can say is that it’s applied selectively. On the same Henderson schedule, plats ($50.00) and wills ($47.00) land exactly on their statutory totals with nothing added, while assumed names and court-ordered name changes both carry the extra $3.00. Plats come out exactly on statute on the other schedules we read, too. So it isn’t a flat across-the-board county add-on — but we don’t yet know what it is. Bring $46.00 and ask the clerk what the $3.00 covers.
$20.00, for each certificate, amendment, and renewal certificate (KRS 365.015(11)) — confirmed on the face of the ASN, RAN, AAN and CWA forms, revision 7/25. An entity with a Kentucky presence pays this and the county fee.
The term is five years from the date of filing (KRS 365.015(4)). To renew, file a renewal certificate within the six months immediately before the term expires, in the same office(s) where you filed the original; that renews it for another five years. The Secretary of State charges $20.00 and is not required to send you a reminder — its own instructions tell filers to set their own. The county renewal is charged as an assumed-name filing; we read that from KRS 365.015(11) and KRS 64.012 together rather than from an explicit line in either, so confirm the amount with your clerk. When you stop using the name, file a certificate of withdrawal in the office where the original was filed, stating the assumed name, your real name and address, and the date the original was filed (KRS 365.015(5)). You can amend to change the real name or address (KRS 365.015(9)), and a general partnership that isn’t an LLP must amend when the partners change (KRS 365.015(6)).
Kentucky has no publication requirement for an assumed name. KRS 365.015 prescribes filing, renewal, amendment and withdrawal, and nothing else — there is no notice or publication step. Some states do require it; Kentucky isn’t one of them.
Which form you need
There are two different PDFs both titled “Certificate of Assumed Name,” and they are not interchangeable. Which one is yours depends on whether you’re filing as an individual or as a business entity.
Where: Your county clerk · Fee: $46.00
- Certificate of Assumed Name — The county form — no entity check-boxes; it cites KRS 365.015 and asks for your real name.
- Assumed Name Renewal Certificate — For the five-year renewal.
Many Kentucky counties use these standard forms; some post their own. Henderson County, for instance, hosts its own version. Check your county’s forms page first.
Not this one: The Secretary of State’s ASN form is not your form. Its check-boxes are corporation, LLC, partnership, trust and so on, with no option for an individual — because an individual doesn’t file with the Secretary of State at all.
Where: Kentucky Secretary of State, then your county clerk · Fee: $20.00 per form, plus the county fee
- Certificate of Assumed Name (ASN) — Domestic or Foreign Business Entity. Revision 7/25.
- Renewal of Assumed Name (RAN)
- Amended Certificate of Assumed Name (AAN)
- Certificate of Withdrawal of Assumed Name (CWA)
Entities can file, renew and withdraw an assumed name online through the Secretary of State’s FastTrack portal. Sole proprietors have no statewide online option — a county-clerk filing is handled by that county, and whether it accepts mail or in-person only varies by office.
The process
- Work out which you are
Individual → county clerk only. Any entity → Secretary of State, then county clerk. This decides everything else.
- Check the name isn’t already taken
If you’re filing with the Secretary of State, your name must be distinguishable from names already on its records, so search before you pay. County filings get no such check, but it’s still worth looking.
- Get the right form
The county form if you’re an individual, the ASN if you’re an entity. They are not interchangeable.
- File and pay
County clerks publish $46.00; the Secretary of State charges $20.00. Entities pay both.
- Entities: complete the second filing
Take the file-stamped copy to the county clerk. You are not done at the Secretary of State.
- Put the five-year date in your own calendar
Renewal opens six months before expiry, and nobody will remind you — the Secretary of State is not required to send notices.
DBA filing by county — all 120 Kentucky counties
One statewide figure, three levels of confidence. Kentucky sets this fee by statute, so we have found no county charging anything other than $46.00 — what varies is how well we’ve checked each office.
4 confirmed from the county’s own published schedule · 36 read from the county’s schedule but not yet independently confirmed · 80 not independently checked.
| County | Fee | How well we know it |
|---|---|---|
| Adair County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| Allen County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| Anderson County | Likely $46.00 | Read from this county’s schedule (June 2026) — not yet independently confirmed |
| Ballard County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| Barren County | Likely $46.00 | Read from this county’s schedule (June 2026) — not yet independently confirmed |
| Bath County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| Bell County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| Boone County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| Bourbon County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| Boyd County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| Boyle County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| Bracken County | Likely $46.00 | Read from this county’s schedule (June 2026) — not yet independently confirmed |
| Breathitt County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| Breckinridge County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| Bullitt County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| Butler County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| Caldwell County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| Calloway County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| Campbell County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| Carlisle County | Likely $46.00 | Read from this county’s schedule (June 2026) — not yet independently confirmed |
| Carroll County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| Carter County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| Casey County | Likely $46.00 | Read from this county’s schedule (June 2026) — not yet independently confirmed |
| Christian County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| Clark County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| Clay County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| Clinton County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| Crittenden County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| Cumberland County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| Daviess County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| Edmonson County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| Elliott County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| Estill County | Likely $46.00 | Read from this county’s schedule (June 2026) — not yet independently confirmed |
| Fayette County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| Fleming County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| Floyd County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| Franklin County | Likely $46.00 | Read from this county’s schedule (June 2026) — not yet independently confirmed |
| Fulton County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| Gallatin County | Likely $46.00 | Read from this county’s schedule (June 2026) — not yet independently confirmed |
| Garrard County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| Grant County | Likely $46.00 | Read from this county’s schedule (June 2026) — not yet independently confirmed |
| Graves County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| Grayson County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| Green County | Likely $46.00 | Read from this county’s schedule (June 2026) — not yet independently confirmed |
| Greenup County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| Hancock County | Likely $46.00 | Read from this county’s schedule (June 2026) — not yet independently confirmed |
| Hardin County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| Harlan County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| Harrison County | Likely $46.00 | Read from this county’s schedule (June 2026) — not yet independently confirmed |
| Hart County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| Henderson County | $46.00 | Confirmed from this county’s published schedule — Verified in person June 2026; schedule reissued effective July 15, 2026 (post-amendment) and still $46.00. |
| Henry County | Likely $46.00 | Read from this county’s schedule (June 2026) — not yet independently confirmed |
| Hickman County | Likely $46.00 | Read from this county’s schedule (June 2026) — not yet independently confirmed |
| Hopkins County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| Jackson County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| Jefferson County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| Jessamine County | Likely $46.00 | Confirmed from this county’s published schedule — County schedule read directly. |
| Johnson County | Likely $46.00 | Read from this county’s schedule (June 2026) — not yet independently confirmed |
| Kenton County | Likely $46.00 | Read from this county’s schedule (June 2026) — not yet independently confirmed |
| Knott County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| Knox County | Likely $46.00 | Read from this county’s schedule (June 2026) — not yet independently confirmed |
| LaRue County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| Laurel County | Likely $46.00 | Read from this county’s schedule (June 2026) — not yet independently confirmed |
| Lawrence County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| Lee County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| Leslie County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| Letcher County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| Lewis County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| Lincoln County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| Livingston County | Likely $46.00 | Read from this county’s schedule (June 2026) — not yet independently confirmed |
| Logan County | Likely $46.00 | Read from this county’s schedule (June 2026) — not yet independently confirmed |
| Lyon County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| Madison County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| Magoffin County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| Marion County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| Marshall County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| Martin County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| Mason County | Likely $46.00 | Read from this county’s schedule (June 2026) — not yet independently confirmed |
| McCracken County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| McCreary County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| McLean County | Likely $46.00 | Read from this county’s schedule (June 2026) — not yet independently confirmed |
| Meade County | Likely $46.00 | Confirmed from this county’s published schedule — County schedule read directly. |
| Menifee County | Likely $46.00 | Read from this county’s schedule (June 2026) — not yet independently confirmed |
| Mercer County | Likely $46.00 | Read from this county’s schedule (June 2026) — not yet independently confirmed |
| Metcalfe County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| Monroe County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| Montgomery County | Likely $46.00 | Read from this county’s schedule (June 2026) — not yet independently confirmed |
| Morgan County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| Muhlenberg County | Likely $46.00 | Read from this county’s schedule (June 2026) — not yet independently confirmed |
| Nelson County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| Nicholas County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| Ohio County | Likely $46.00 | Read from this county’s schedule (June 2026) — not yet independently confirmed |
| Oldham County | Likely $46.00 | Confirmed from this county’s published schedule — County schedule read directly. |
| Owen County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| Owsley County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| Pendleton County | Likely $46.00 | Read from this county’s schedule (June 2026) — not yet independently confirmed |
| Perry County | Likely $46.00 | Read from this county’s schedule (June 2026) — not yet independently confirmed |
| Pike County | Likely $46.00 | Read from this county’s schedule (June 2026) — not yet independently confirmed |
| Powell County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| Pulaski County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| Robertson County | Likely $46.00 | Read from this county’s schedule (June 2026) — not yet independently confirmed |
| Rockcastle County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| Rowan County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| Russell County | Likely $46.00 | Read from this county’s schedule (June 2026) — not yet independently confirmed |
| Scott County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| Shelby County | Likely $46.00 | Read from this county’s schedule (June 2026) — not yet independently confirmed |
| Simpson County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| Spencer County | Likely $46.00 | Read from this county’s schedule (June 2026) — not yet independently confirmed |
| Taylor County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| Todd County | Likely $46.00 | Read from this county’s schedule (June 2026) — not yet independently confirmed |
| Trigg County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| Trimble County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| Union County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| Warren County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| Washington County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| Wayne County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| Webster County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| Whitley County | Likely $46.00 | Read from this county’s schedule (June 2026) — not yet independently confirmed |
| Wolfe County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
| Woodford County | Likely $46.00 | Not independently checked — statewide figure applies; call to confirm |
What to bring
- Your completed Certificate of Assumed Name — the right one for your filer type
- The assumed name, your real name, and your street address
- $46.00 for the county filing — call ahead about accepted payment; some offices restrict cards
- $20.00 for the Secretary of State, if you’re a business entity
- Entities filing at the county: the Secretary of State’s file-stamped copy
- No ID requirement appears in the statute, but individual counties may ask
Frequently asked questions
How much does a DBA cost in Kentucky?
County clerks publish $46.00. State law accounts for $43.00 of that — $33.00 to record and index it (KRS 64.012(1)(a)1.p) plus a $10.00 records-storage charge (KRS 64.012(3)(a)). The last $3.00 isn’t itemized on any schedule we’ve read. If you’re a business entity you also pay $20.00 to the Secretary of State.
Where do I file a DBA in Kentucky?
A sole proprietor files with the county clerk where they keep their principal place of business. Every business entity files with the Secretary of State and with a county clerk.
Does an LLC file a DBA with the county in Kentucky?
Yes — both. File with the Secretary of State first, then file the stamped copy with the county clerk where your registered agent is. Only an entity with no Kentucky registered agent and no Kentucky principal office files with the state alone.
Do general partnerships file with the county?
No. Despite being unincorporated, a general partnership files as an entity — Secretary of State, then county clerk.
Does filing protect my business name?
No. KRS 365.015(7) says so directly: filing “shall not automatically prevent the use of that name or protect that name from use by other persons.” It’s a disclosure, not a trademark, and it doesn’t create a legal entity. Two sole proprietors in different Kentucky counties can hold the same assumed name.
How long does a Kentucky assumed name last?
Five years from filing. Renew within the six months before it expires; the Secretary of State won’t remind you.
Does Kentucky require newspaper publication?
No. Kentucky has no publication requirement for an assumed name.
Do I need a separate filing for each name?
Yes — a separate certificate for each assumed name.