A DBA, or “doing business as”, comes into play if, for example, your LLC's legal name is “The John Doe LLC” but you want customers to know you as “Superlative Salon” or, well, anything besides “The John Doe LLC”.
May operate several restaurants, one called “Ms Peggy's Famous Foods” and another called, “Uncle Joe's Pancakes.” Those trade names and nomenclatures are considered fictitious business names since they do not name the owners or the actual entity operating the business.
An example of a generic fictional company is the Acme Corporation. Often, when a fictional company is used, it will be a parody of a real world counterpart, which would avoid any unwanted legal issues.
The FBN Statement expires five years from the date of filing, unless it is abandoned sooner. You must re-file every 5 years, paying the current fees, even if there are no changes. You are not required to republish a renewal if the information remains the same.
"Smith and Company Catering" is a Fictitious Business Name. In the case of a corporation, limited liability company or limited partnership, a fictitious business name is any name other than the exact name that is on record with the Secretary of State's Office.
For a natural person, an example is when Jane Doe (legal name) starts a catering business called JD Catering (fictitious business name). State or county approval or registration may be required to use a fictitious business name. States may also impose rules for the use of fictitious names.
You will want to check the county clerk/recorder's office where the business is to find out the business owner's name. You will be looking up Fictitious Business Name (FBN) records. The records will show that the business could be owned by a person or another type of business.
Monetary Limits Usually, the most "a natural person" can ask for is $12,500; however, you are limited to filing no more than two claims anywhere in the State of California for over $2,500 in one calendar year. You may file an unlimited amount of claims for $2,500 or less.
You can report an issue by going online, dialing 3-1-1 from within the unincorporated areas of the County or dialing 916-875-4311 if calling from outside of the County's unincorporated areas.
An individual or a business entity must file a fictitious business name (FBN) statement with the Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk's office in the county where the business will be located when the name of the business does not include the owner's last name.