One of the most important parts of any business is its name. Your limited liability company’s name is your first impression with prospective clients, whether they hear about your business by word of mouth, drive past a billboard advertising your business on the freeway, or if they stumble upon your business as a result of a Google search.
One way to change your business name — or to add an additional name that your LLC can use interchangeably — is by filing a “doing business as” name application, commonly known as a DBA. There are many reasons to get a DBA — from marketing a new product line to granting a sole proprietorship the ability to use an assumed name — so this article will walk you through the process of registering a DBA for your Texas LLC.

A solid name goes a long way in establishing your brand in customers’ minds. Doing Business As (DBA) names give you increased customization, flexibility, and versatility with your business identity. Once you're ready to lock it down, have ZenBusiness file all the paperwork.
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What Is a DBA?
To begin, let’s quickly run down what exactly a DBA is. One point of confusion we often hear about is that a DBA is not a business entity, like an LLC, corporation, sole proprietorship, general partnership, etc. Instead, you can think of a DBA as an add-on feature of sorts.
The DBA allows you to create alternate business names for your entity, which you can then use interchangeably with your LLC’s official business name. In addition, for informal business entities that don’t have exclusive business names (like sole proprietorships and general partnerships), a DBA can be a great way to inject some additional professionalism into a business venture.
But let’s talk strictly about LLCs, shall we? Why would an LLC want an additional business name? There are several potential reasons, although they obviously vary considerably depending on what your business does. One popular reason is to differentiate a new product line from a company’s existing offerings.
Let’s say that you own a business called “Fine Footwear, LLC” that produces high-end shoes. If you decide to also start a new product line that sells inexpensive flip-flop sandals, you might want a way to differentiate this brand from your core business. In this circumstance, you could register a DBA for “Flip-Flops by Fine Footwear,” and you can use this name to market your new products, while your original product line remains unaffected if your sandal side business fails.
It could also be helpful if you decide to expand your local business into a new market. For instance, if you own a Texas-based plumbing business called “Houston Plumbing,” and you want to expand beyond Houston, you can register a DBA for “Austin Plumbing” and use that name in the Austin market.
The state of Texas provides no exclusivity for DBA names. This means that if another entrepreneur decides that they like your DBA name, they can register and use it for themselves with no penalty. In our opinion, this largely undermines the point of registering an assumed name.
If you want to create an additional official business name for your LLC, you might simply want to form an additional LLC. This is more work and costs more money, but the exclusivity you receive for your name may make it worthwhile.
That said, if you still want to get a DBA for your Texas LLC, we’ll outline the process below.
How to Get a DBA for a Texas LLC
First off, we’ll note that Texas typically refers to DBAs as “assumed names,” but for the purposes of this article, we’ll continue to use both terms interchangeably because most states use the term “DBA.”
The process for obtaining a DBA in Texas starts with a search of the state’s taxable entity database to make sure that no formal business entity has already registered the name you want. Once you determine the name’s eligibility, you can move on to actually registering it.
To get a DBA for your Texas LLC, you’ll need to fill out the Assumed Name Certificate. The information you need to complete this form includes the assumed name you’re registering, your LLC’s legal business name, an indication that your business is an LLC, your LLC’s Texas Secretary of State file number, the jurisdiction where you originally formed your LLC, your LLC’s principal office address, the period of duration you plan on using the name for (up to ten years), the county or counties in which you will use your assumed name in Texas, the date, and your signature.
When you’re ready to file the form, you can submit it to the Texas Secretary of State online, by mail, by fax, or by hand. There is a $25 fee associated with this filing. The state typically processes online filings within two business days, while paper filings take roughly 5-7 business days. You can expedite your filing for $25, which upgrades your turnaround time to just one business day.
In Conclusion
The doing business as (DBA) name varies more from state to state than most other business filings. In some states, a DBA grants you exclusive rights to your new assumed name. However, Texas specifically says that registering a DBA name in this state grants you no exclusive right to use that name. Due to this lack of exclusivity, we’re not fans of registering DBAs in this state.
Instead, it’s probably a better option to form an additional LLC if you want to be able to use multiple names for your business. This is certainly more of a hassle than registering a DBA, but at least you’ll have exclusive rights to your name.
If you’re looking for a new way to market your LLC in Texas, a DBA might not be the best idea.
Get a DBA for an LLC in all States
We break down the DBA filing process in every state. View all of our guides below.
- Get a DBA for an LLC in Alabama
- Get a DBA for an LLC in Alaska
- Get a DBA for an LLC in Arizona
- Get a DBA for an LLC in Arkansas
- Get a DBA for an LLC in California
- Get a DBA for an LLC in Colorado
- Get a DBA for an LLC in Connecticut
- Get a DBA for an LLC in Delaware
- Get a DBA for an LLC in Florida
- Get a DBA for an LLC in Georgia
- Get a DBA for an LLC in Hawaii
- Get a DBA for an LLC in Idaho
- Get a DBA for an LLC in Illinois
- Get a DBA for an LLC in Indiana
- Get a DBA for an LLC in Iowa
- Get a DBA for an LLC in Kansas
- Get a DBA for an LLC in Kentucky
- Get a DBA for an LLC in Maine
- Get a Trade Name for an LLC in Louisiana
- Get a DBA for an LLC in Maryland
- Get a DBA for an LLC in Massachusetts
- Get a DBA for an LLC in Michigan
- Get a DBA for an LLC in Minnesota
- Get a DBA for an LLC in Mississippi
- Get a DBA for an LLC in Missouri
- Get a DBA for an LLC in Montana
- Get a DBA for an LLC in Nebraska
- Get a DBA for an LLC in Nevada
- Get a DBA for an LLC in New Hampshire
- Get a DBA for an LLC in New Jersey
- Get a DBA for an LLC in New Mexico
- Get a DBA for an LLC in New York
- Get a DBA for an LLC in North Carolina
- Get a DBA for an LLC in North Dakota
- Get a DBA for an LLC in Ohio
- Get a DBA for an LLC in Oklahoma
- Get a DBA for an LLC in Oregon
- Get a DBA for an LLC in Pennsylvania
- Get a DBA for an LLC in Rhode Island
- Get a DBA for an LLC in South Carolina
- Get a DBA for an LLC in South Dakota
- Get a DBA for an LLC in Tennessee
- Get a DBA for an LLC in Utah
- Get a DBA for an LLC in Vermont
- Get a DBA for an LLC in Virginia
- Get a DBA for an LLC in Washington
- Get a DBA for an LLC in D.C.
- Get a DBA for an LLC in West Virginia
- Get a DBA for an LLC in Wisconsin
- Get a DBA for an LLC in Wyoming