Any person who regularly transacts business, under a fictitious name, in the County of Santa Barbara is required to file a Fictitious Business Name Statement with the Clerk-Recorder within 40 days of first transacting business.

The Fictitious Business Name is one that DOES NOT include the surname of the individual owner, and EACH of the partners or the nature of the business is not clearly evident by the name.

You can file before you make your first transaction. In any case, you must file within 40 days of making your first transaction.

No. You must update it every five years, even if no information about your business has changed, or it must be updated if any change occurs such as a registrants change of address or a change in status (i.e.) from an individual to a corporation.

You can file a statement at any one of three Clerk-Recorder Offices. You can also complete the form online, and mail it with payment to one of our three offices.

Yes, you may have as many Fictitious Business Name Statements on file as you have separate businesses. Also, there may be more than one registrant listed on your Fictitious Business Name Statement.

No, it does not reserve the name for your exclusive use. The filing is for consumer protection, and is a requirement under law. Applicants are responsible for verifying that the business name used is unique. The applicant is also responsible for verifying that the name does not violate any trademark protocols.

The Fictitious Business Name must be published, by the registrant, in a newspaper of general circulation in the county in which the principal place of business is located within 30 days after filing.

The first publication must appear in the paper on or before the 30th day after filing. Newspapers require lead-time before publication, and it is your responsibility to meet the newspaper deadline so that publication occurs in time. If you miss the publishing deadline, you must re-file with us, paying all fees again.

Publication requirements are once a week for four successive weeks. Click here to see a list of newspapers that circulate in the area the business is to be conducted.

An affidavit showing the publication of the statement must be filed with us within 30 days after completion of publication. The newspaper you select will either mail the affidavit to the Clerk-Recorder or they will mail it to you, and you must then mail or bring in the affidavit to the Clerk-Recorder Office (B&P 17917).

$2 (two dollar) Mail-in Fee;

$6 (six dollar) Search Fee;

There is a $41 fee to file, and a $4 fee for each additional fictitious business name and registrants name filed on the same statement and doing business at the same location.

A Fictitious Business Name statement is not a license to conduct business. Individuals or corporations that sell merchandise or provide a fee for service within the unincorporated areas of Santa Barbara County may need a business license. For more information, contact the Santa Barbara County Treasurer-Tax Collector at (805) 568-2933.

Please be advised that cities may require a business license when conducting business within city limits. Applicants are encouraged to contact the respective city for rules and regulations governing their business license practices.

For information regarding applicable rules, regulations, and permits, please visit the State of California Business Portal CalGold.