Register a DBA in Washington
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 Washington, where, for how long, and what happens if you don't — quoted from the statutes.
Filing office
The Department of Revenue ("the department" throughout the chapter), through its business licensing service - fees are credited to the business license account and trade-name renewal is tied to business-license renewal. There is no county filing and the registry is not with the Secretary of State.
Term & renewal
No fixed statutory term. The department may establish a renewal process, but may not require renewal more often than annually and must allow renewal at the same time as business-license renewal; the department may cancel a trade name when the registrant's business license account is inactive, after notice and a 20-day objection window.
Publication
Not addressed 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 Washington
| Business type | Required? | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Sole proprietors and general partnerships | Yes | Department of Revenue |
| Corporations, LLCs, and limited partnerships (foreign or domestic) using a trade name | Yes | Department of Revenue |
| Registered foreign entities doing business under an RCW 23.95.525 alternate name | No | Secretary of State (alternate name in the foreign registration statement) |
The law behind it
Quoted verbatim from Trade Names (chapter 19.80 RCW) (RCW 19.80.001 to 19.80.080).
What the law requires
Washington requires each person conducting business in the state under a trade name to register that trade name with the Department of Revenue, which maintains a central statewide registry. The chapter's stated purposes are true-name disclosure and a central registry of trade-name businesses.
"The purposes of this chapter are: (1) To require each person who is conducting business in the state of Washington under a trade name to disclose the true and real name of each person conducting that business, and (2) to provide a central registry of businesses operating under a trade name in the state of Washington. ... Each person or persons who carries on, conducts, or transacts business in this state under any trade name must register that trade name with the department as provided in this section." — RCW 19.80.001; RCW 19.80.010
Where filings go
The Department of Revenue ("the department" throughout the chapter), through its business licensing service - fees are credited to the business license account and trade-name renewal is tied to business-license renewal. There is no county filing and the registry is not with the Secretary of State.
""Department" means the department of revenue. ... All fees collected by the department under this chapter must be deposited with the state treasurer and credited to the business license account." — RCW 19.80.005(2); RCW 19.80.075
How long it lasts
No fixed statutory term. The department may establish a renewal process, but may not require renewal more often than annually and must allow renewal at the same time as business-license renewal; the department may cancel a trade name when the registrant's business license account is inactive, after notice and a 20-day objection window. Renewal: As established by department rule; not more often than annually, aligned with business-license renewal (RCW 19.80.080(1)).
"The department may require the renewal of trade names and establish a process for renewing trade names. Any such renewal process may not require renewals of trade names more often than annually and must allow persons to renew their trade name at the same time they are required to renew their business license." — RCW 19.80.080(1)-(3)
Entities and assumed names
Under the Uniform Business Organizations Code hub chapter, a foreign entity whose name does not comply with Washington's name requirements (RCW 23.95.300) cannot register to do business until it adopts a compliant alternate name; after registering, it may do business under the alternate name, its true name with jurisdiction of formation identified, or an assumed name under chapter 19.80. Name reservations (RCW 23.95.310) give 180 days of exclusive use.
"A foreign entity whose name does not comply with RCW 23.95.300 for an entity of its type may not register to do business in this state until it adopts, for the purpose of doing business in this state, an alternate name that complies with RCW 23.95.300. ... After registering to do business in this state with an alternate name, a registered foreign entity shall do business in this state under: (a) The alternate name; (b) Its entity name, with the addition of its jurisdiction of formation clearly identified; or (c) An assumed or fictitious name the entity is authorized to use under chapter 19.80 RCW." — RCW 23.95.525(1)
Statutory text quoted from the official published statutes as captured on 2026-08-02. Read the full code at the Washington statutes. This is information, not legal advice — laws change.
If you skip it
An unregistered person doing business under a trade name may not maintain any suit in Washington courts until registration is properly completed; nonregistration does not impair contract validity or prevent defending a suit. (RCW 19.80.040)
Washington DBA FAQs
Where do I register a trade name in Washington?
Does my business name count as a "trade name" in Washington?
Does registering a Washington trade name give me exclusive rights to it?
What happens if I do not register my trade name?
Related services
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