Trade Name Certificate

Description & Overview

Any person conducting business under any assumed name shall file a Trade Name Certificate in the town they are doing business in. All people who are authorized to sign on behalf of the business must sign their name on the Trade Name Certificate.

Use the Trade Name Application (Business Organizations) form if you are filing a trade name for a business organization registered with the Connecticut Secretary of the State. Before proceeding, look up the business at business.ct.gov. The status of the business must be active. 

Use the Trade Name Cancellation form to cancel a trade name in the town where the trade name was originally filed. 

Trade names now expire 5 years from when they are filed, unless renewed. Trade names on file prior to January 1, 2025, will expire on December 31, 2029.

Restrictions

The trade name filing requirement does not apply to:

• Limited liability companies that have registered with the Secretary of State and are not using a dba
• Limited partnerships that have registered with the Secretary of State and are not using a dba
• Partnerships, if the partnership name contains the true last name of at least one of the persons comprising said partnership

FeeS

The fee for filing a Trade Name Certificate in the Town Clerk’s Office is $20. The Trade Name Certificate can be notarized in the office for an additional $5. 

The fee for filing a Trade Name Cancellation is $20. The trade name cancellation should be filed in the town where the trade name was originally filed. 

More Information

For additional information, please visit the State of Connecticut Trade Name website.