DBA Filing in Delaware: Who Issues It, Cost & Steps
A DBA filing is a local permit. In Delaware, as everywhere else in the US, it comes from a city or county office rather than a state agency — so the first job is working out which local office covers your address.
Delaware's DBA filing goes through a business licensing portal, not a traditional secretary of state office.
Delaware handles fictitious business names (DBAs) through the Division of Revenue's Trade, Business and Fictitious Names database, which is searchable online. For actual business registration and licensing, you need to use Delaware OneStop, a separate portal from the Division of Corporations.
- You can search existing Delaware business names and DBAs in the state's Trade, Business and Fictitious Names database to verify your name is available.
“Whether you are a business owner verifying your name is available, or are searching for a specific business, we invite you to search through the database.”
https://revenue.delaware.gov/trade-business-and-fictitious-names-search/ - The Revenue Department's Trade Names database can lag up to 72 hours behind live filings, so check Delaware OneStop directly for real-time name availability.
“Update times between One Stop business and licensing registration and the Department of Revenue's Trade Names database may vary by up to a 72-hour data lag. For real time Trade Name availability, please visit the One Stop website.”
https://revenue.delaware.gov/trade-business-and-fictitious-names-search/ - To actually register and license your business in Delaware, you file through Delaware OneStop, not the Division of Revenue or Division of Corporations.
“For business registration and licensing in the State of Delaware, visit Delaware OneStop.”
https://revenue.delaware.gov/trade-business-and-fictitious-names-search/ - Delaware maintains historical DBA records from the former Delaware Courts Trade, Business, and Fictitious Names database that are still publicly available.
“Historic data from the Delaware Courts former Trade, Business, and Fictitious Names database are still available for view.”
https://revenue.delaware.gov/trade-business-and-fictitious-names-search/
Sources (each one opened and read on 2026-09-15)
- Trade, Business and Fictitious Names Search: https://revenue.delaware.gov/trade-business-and-fictitious-names-search/
Who issues a DBA Filing in Delaware
This is a local permit. It is issued by your city or county, not by the state of Delaware. The state office listed underneath handles a related filing — it does not issue this permit.
- Delaware — the state business-filing office (Secretary of State in most states) (registers business entities)
https://sos.delaware.gov
https://corp.delaware.gov
Where a DBA is filed varies more than almost any other filing on this site — county clerk in many states, the state business-filing office in others.
Finding your local office
Start with the city your address sits in — the relevant department is usually called Planning, Building, Community Development, or Business Licensing. If your address is unincorporated, the county performs that role instead. Calling the main switchboard and asking who handles this is usually faster than searching.
Starting point for anything else in Delaware: the state business portal, https://corp.delaware.gov. It is a starting point, not the issuer of this permit.
The general US process
This sequence is the shape the process takes across the US. It is not a list of Delaware requirements, and no step here should be read as one — the issuing office named above sets the actual requirements.
- Step 1: Find out where a DBA is filed where you are. County clerk in many states, the state business-filing office in others, and both in a few.
- Step 2: Search that register for the name you want.
- Step 3: File the statement — often called a fictitious business name or assumed name filing — and pay the fee.
- Step 4: Publish the filing in a newspaper if that jurisdiction requires publication. Several do; most do not.
- Step 5: File the proof of publication where publication was required.
- Step 6: Use the name consistently on marketing, invoices and the bank account.
What varies: county versus state filing, whether publication is required, the fee, and whether the filing expires.
Documents usually asked for
A typical list, not a Delaware checklist.
- Government-issued ID
- Legal business name (if an entity, not sole prop)
- Business address
Related permits in Delaware
DBA Filing in states bordering Delaware
Rules stop at the state line — same permit, each state bordering Delaware:
See DBA Filing in all 50 states & DC →
Frequently asked questions
Who issues a DBA filing in Delaware?
Your city or county — not the state.
How much does a DBA filing cost in Delaware?
We don't publish a Delaware figure we haven't verified. The typical US range is $10–$150. The office named above has the real number for your address.
How long does it take to get a DBA filing in Delaware?
Typical US processing is 1–30 days, and expedited handling is often available for a fee. The issuing office publishes its own turnaround, and that is the number to trust.
What is Delaware-specific on this page: the issuing office, 4 Delaware facts, each quoted off the government page beside it. Everything else — the numbered process, the document list, the cost and timeline — is the general US pattern, not a Delaware rule, and is labelled that way above. Requirements, fees and deadlines are set by the issuing office; confirm with it before you file or pay.