Brown County Ohio Chamber of Commerce

A Guide To Starting a Business In Brown County

CHOOSING AND REGISTERING A BUSINESS NAME

Trade Name
A Trade Name is a name used in business or trade to distinguish a business. The user of this name has an exclusive right to use of this name. Any person, partnership, or corporation doing business in Ohio is permitted to register a Trade Name with the Ohio Secretary of State. Registration of a Trade Name provides protection against any conflicting Trade Name being accepted in the future without consent. Ohio law states that if someone uses a registered Trade Name without consent, the registrant can take legal action against that person to prohibit the use of that Trade Name. Check telephone and business directories to make sure that the name you want to use is not already in use. You also can check with the Secretary of State’s office to see if the name you want to use is available. The $20 Trade Name registration fee is effective for five years. It may be renewed for a fee of $10. All changes of business addresses must be reported to the Secretary of State, and a $3 filing fee must accompany any change.

Corporate Name
Any state-approved Corporate Name is protected from use by others in the same manner as a Trade Name. The name of all corporations in Ohio must end with or include “Company”, “Co.”, “Corporation”, “Corp.”, “Incorporated”, or “Inc.”. Failure to report changes of the corporation address, the statutory agent’s address, or any change in the makeup of a corporation may result in the corporate charter being cancelled by the Secretary of State. Additional information is available from the Secretary of State’s office.

Fictitious Name
If a business name is not registered as a Trade Name or a Corporate Name or does not fully identify the owner(s) of a business, it can be registered as a Fictitious Name. This registration does not protect the use of that same name by another business. It is only a means of identification of the owner(s) of the business. The $10 Fictitious Name registration fee is renewable after five years for the same amount. Registrants of Fictitious Names must report all changes of the business address to the Secretary of State. A $3 fee is charged for filing a change.