Register a DBA in Colorado

Filed with the state

A DBA (fictitious or assumed business name) lets you operate, bank, and advertise under a trade name. Below: who must file in Colorado, where, for how long, and what happens if you don't — quoted from the statutes.

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Filing office

Statements of trade name are delivered to the Colorado Secretary of State for filing under the filing procedures of part 3 of article 90 of title 7. This is a statewide registry; there is no county clerk trade name filing (a separate optional county-recorded affidavit exists only for real property title purposes, § 7-71-108).

Term & renewal

Publication

No newspaper publication requirement found in the act.

Exclusive rights?

No — registration does not by itself grant exclusive rights to the name. A trademark does that.

Who must file in Colorado

Business type	Required?	Where
Sole proprietors (individuals)	Yes	Colorado Secretary of State
General partnerships (that are not LLPs)	Yes	Colorado Secretary of State
Registered (reporting) entities such as corporations and LLCs	Yes	Colorado Secretary of State
Nonprofit entities	No	Colorado Secretary of State (optional)

The law behind it

Quoted verbatim from Trade Names (C.R.S. Title 7, Article 71) (Colo. Rev. Stat. §§ 7-71-101 to 7-71-112).

What the law requires

Colorado requires any person transacting business under a name other than the person's true name (or, for a general partnership that is not an LLP, other than the true name of each general partner) to have an effective statement of trade name on file in the records of the Secretary of State.

"Except as otherwise provided in section 7-71-107, a person shall not transact business in this state under a name other than the true name of the person or, in the case of a general partnership that is not a limited liability partnership, under a name other than the true name of each general partner of the general partnership, except in compliance with this article and not unless an effective statement of trade name is on file in the records of the secretary of state." — C.R.S. § 7-71-101

Where filings go

"A person may deliver to the secretary of state, for filing pursuant to part 3 of article 90 of this title, a statement of trade name for any name other than the true name of the person or, in the case of a general partnership that is not a limited liability partnership, other than the true name of each general partner of the general partnership, under which the person transacts business, or contemplates transacting business, in this state." — C.R.S. § 7-71-103(1)

How long it lasts

For reporting entities, a filed statement of trade name remains effective in perpetuity (unless withdrawn, or limited by delinquency or dissolution). For persons other than reporting entities (sole proprietors, general partnerships), it remains effective only through the last day of the twelfth calendar month following the calendar month in which it becomes effective. Renewal: A non-reporting-entity filer may renew during the last three calendar months of effectiveness; each filed renewal extends effectiveness by one calendar year (§ 7-71-105(1)).

"for reporting entities shall remain effective in perpetuity, subject to the provisions of paragraphs (b) and (c) of this subsection (1), and for persons other than reporting entities shall remain effective only through the last day of the twelfth calendar month following the calendar month in which the statement of trade name becomes effective, unless it is renewed in accordance with section 7-71-105." — C.R.S. §§ 7-71-104(1)(a), 7-71-105(1)

Entities and assumed names

A foreign entity whose true name is not permitted for use in Colorado under the entity-name standards of § 7-90-601 must adopt an assumed entity name that complies with § 7-90-601 in order to obtain authority to transact business in the state. Reporting entities adopting trade names use the same article 71 statement of trade name, effective in perpetuity.

"If the name that a foreign entity would use as its foreign entity name is not permitted to be used by the foreign entity under section 7-90-601, the foreign entity, in order to obtain authority to transact business or conduct activities in this state, shall assume for use in this state as its foreign entity name a foreign entity name that would comply with section 7-90-601." — C.R.S. § 7-90-603; see also §§ 7-71-104(1)(a), 7-90-102(23.3)

Statutory text quoted from the official published statutes as captured on 2026-08-02. Read the full code at the Colorado statutes. This is information, not legal advice — laws change.

If you skip it

A person transacting business under an unregistered trade name may not maintain a Colorado court proceeding to collect a debt arising from business transacted under that name until an effective statement of trade name is on file; the violation does not, however, impair the validity of the person's acts or prevent the person from defending a proceeding. (C.R.S. § 7-71-102(1), (3))

Transacting business in violation of § 7-71-101 carries a civil penalty of up to $500, recoverable in an action brought by the attorney general in Denver district court. (C.R.S. § 7-71-102(2))

In addition to or instead of the civil penalty, the court may enjoin further transaction of business under the violating name until the person complies with the article. (C.R.S. § 7-71-102(2))

Colorado DBA FAQs

Where do I file a trade name (DBA) in Colorado?

With the Colorado Secretary of State. A statement of trade name is delivered to the Secretary of State for filing under part 3 of article 90 of title 7 (C.R.S. § 7-71-103(1)). Colorado does not use county clerk DBA filings; a county-recorded trade name affidavit exists only as optional evidence for real property title purposes (§ 7-71-108).

How long does a Colorado trade name filing last?

It depends on the filer. For reporting entities (such as corporations and LLCs in the Secretary of State's records), a filed statement of trade name remains effective in perpetuity unless withdrawn. For everyone else, including sole proprietors and general partnerships, it is effective only through the last day of the twelfth calendar month after the month it becomes effective, and may be renewed for one year at a time during its last three calendar months (C.R.S. §§ 7-71-104(1)(a), 7-71-105(1)).

What happens if I do business in Colorado under an unregistered trade name?

You cannot maintain a Colorado court proceeding to collect a debt arising from that business until an effective statement of trade name is on file, and you are subject to a civil penalty of up to $500 and possible injunction in an action brought by the attorney general. The violation does not invalidate your business's acts or prevent you from defending a lawsuit (C.R.S. § 7-71-102).

Does a Colorado LLC or corporation file the same trade name paperwork as a sole proprietor?

Yes, both file a statement of trade name with the Secretary of State under article 71, but the terms differ: a reporting entity's statement remains effective in perpetuity, while a sole proprietor's or general partnership's statement runs about twelve months and must be renewed (C.R.S. § 7-71-104(1)(a)).

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