How much does a DBA cost in El Paso, Texas?

The government fees are small: the Texas Secretary of State charges $25 for Form 503, and the El Paso County Clerk charges a comparable recording fee for individual certificates. Our flat fee covers the name conflict search, preparation, notarization and filing. Most clients spend well under what a single hour of litigation over a name dispute would cost.

How long does a DBA take in Texas?

A county filing with the El Paso County Clerk can be recorded the same day it is presented, and the file-stamped copy is usually available immediately or within a few days. Secretary of State filings submitted through SOSDirect are generally processed within a few business days. We complete the name search and paperwork within one or two business days of your intake.

Do I need to go to court or appear in person to file a DBA?

No court is involved. A DBA is a simple recording with the county clerk or the Secretary of State. Individuals sign the certificate before a notary, which can be done in our El Paso office, and we deliver it to the County Clerk for you. Entity filings are entirely electronic. You never need to visit a courthouse or a government office.

Does my Texas LLC need a DBA?

Only if it operates under a name different from the exact name on its Certificate of Formation. Dropping the letters LLC in advertising is generally tolerated, but running a restaurant called El Chuco Grill through an entity named Ramirez Holdings LLC requires Form 503 filed with the Secretary of State. Each additional brand or location name needs its own certificate. We can file several at once.

Does a DBA protect my business name in El Paso?

No. An assumed name certificate is public notice of who owns a business, not a grant of exclusive rights. Someone else can register the same DBA, and a federal trademark holder can force you to stop using it. If the name matters to your brand, the protection comes from a trademark search and registration with the USPTO or the Texas Secretary of State, which we handle as a separate flat-fee service.

DBA Assumed Name Filing El Paso

DBA and Assumed Name Filing in El Paso — Filed in the Right Office, Flat Fee

We check the name, file your assumed name certificate with the El Paso County Clerk or the Texas Secretary of State as the law requires, and make sure the DBA does not step on someone's trademark.

Last reviewed by Robert Andrew Navar, Esq. · State Bar of Texas

A DBA — doing business as — is the legal way to operate under a name that is not your own legal name or your company's registered name. The taquería run by a sole proprietor, the landscaper who wants to call himself Sun City Lawn Care, and the El Paso LLC that opens a second brand all need an assumed name certificate before a bank will open an account under that name or a customer can be invoiced with it. A DBA does not create a separate legal entity and does not protect you from liability; it simply makes the public record show who is really behind the name, which is what Texas law requires.

Assumed names are governed by Chapter 71 of the Texas Business and Commerce Code. Where you file depends on who you are. An individual, sole proprietor or general partnership files the certificate with the county clerk of each county where business is conducted — in our case the El Paso County Clerk. Since a 2019 amendment, a Texas LLC, corporation, limited partnership or other registered entity files Form 503 only with the Texas Secretary of State and no longer needs a county filing. A certificate is valid for up to ten years, must be renewed before it expires, and using an assumed name without one can bar you from suing on a contract until you comply.

The Law Office of Robert Navar handles DBA filings for El Paso individuals and companies on a small flat fee. We run the name against the Secretary of State database, the El Paso County records and the USPTO trademark register before filing, because a county clerk will accept a name that infringes a registered trademark and you will find out only when the cease-and-desist letter arrives. We then prepare the certificate, have it notarized where required and file it with the correct office. No court is involved. A filing that costs a few hundred dollars to get right is far cheaper than rebranding a business, reprinting signs and losing the goodwill you built on the wrong name.

County Clerk or Secretary of State? The most common DBA mistake

Before September 2019, an El Paso LLC had to file its assumed name in both places, and many older guides still say so. Today the rule is simple: registered entities file only with the Secretary of State on Form 503 for a $25 fee; unincorporated individuals and partnerships file only with the El Paso County Clerk, whose office on East Overland downtown records the certificate for a modest fee. Filing in the wrong office wastes money and, worse, leaves you without a valid certificate. If a sole proprietor later forms an LLC, the old county DBA does not transfer; the LLC must file its own Form 503.

What a DBA does not do

An assumed name certificate gives you no exclusive right to the name. Another El Paso business can file the identical DBA the next day, and a company in Dallas may already own a federal trademark on it. It also gives you no liability protection: a sole proprietor doing business as a trade name is still personally responsible for every debt and lawsuit. For owners who want the name protected, we pair the DBA with a trademark search and registration; for owners who want personal protection, we recommend LLC formation with the DBA filed by the LLC. We explain the options before you spend money on either.

What's included

Name conflict search: Texas Secretary of State records, El Paso County assumed name index and USPTO trademark database
Determination of the correct filing office under Business and Commerce Code Chapter 71
Assumed name certificate prepared (Form 503 for entities, county form for individuals) with notarization where required
Filing with the Texas Secretary of State via SOSDirect or with the El Paso County Clerk, filing fee paid
File-stamped certificate delivered for your bank, vendors and licensing
Ten-year renewal reminder and written advice on trademark and LLC options

How it works

Name search and filing office

Tell us the name you want and who will use it. We search the state, county and trademark records the same day and confirm whether you file with the El Paso County Clerk or the Secretary of State.

Certificate prepared and signed

We complete the assumed name certificate with the owner's legal name, address, business type and term. Individuals sign before our notary; entity filings are signed electronically by an authorized officer or member.

Filed and delivered

We file with the correct office and pay the fee. County filings are typically recorded the same week; SOSDirect filings return a file-stamped copy within a few business days. You receive the certificate ready for the bank.