GENERAL INFORMATION
A Fictitious Business Name ("FBN") is a business name 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. For example, doing business under a name like:
"Eisenberg & Yandall Associates" OR "Eisenberg & Yandall Sons"
would require a Fictitious Business Name to be registered; even though the surname of the owner is stated, the words following the surname suggest other owners that are not specifically named.
HOWEVER, doing business under a name like:
would
NOT require a Fictitious Business Name to be registered, because the owner "Teresa Fiske" is conducting business under her legal name.
In the case of a corporation, a Fictitious Business Name is
ANY name
OTHER than the
EXACT corporate name as stated in the articles of incorporation.
Any person who regularly transacts business for profit
under a fictitious name in the County of San Diego is required to file a Fictitious Business Name Statement with the County Clerk within 40 days of first transacting business.
A Fictitious Business Name may be filed in person or by mail with the County Clerk; however, because of its importance,
WE STRONGLY RECOMMEND for registrants to file
IN PERSON. If registrants are unable to appear in person, Fictitious Business Names may be filed
BY MAIL.
Fictitious Business Name forms are available at our
office locations and
online, and can be mailed to requesters after receiving the request by phone, mail, or
e-mail.
PLEASE NOTE: Although registration of a Fictitious Business Name is required, the County Clerk's Office serves ONLY as the central depository of these names, neither approving nor disapproving a particular name, and CANNOT accept responsibility for omissions, similarities, or duplications among the Fictitious Business Names on file. Fictitious Business Names are filed
ONLY in the county where the business is located. State-wide registries do
NOT exist. All prospective registrants are cautioned that registration of a fictitious name
DOES NOT guarantee exclusive use of that name. To determine if a particular business name is currently registered or to research the name of the owner(s) of a particular business, you may conduct an
FBN Records Search in person and online, or request the information by mail for a fee.
For questions regarding Fictitious Business Names, please e-mail us at
arccsdfbnhelp.fgg@sdcounty.ca.gov or contact us at (619) 237-0502 and press "0". Se habla Español.
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FILING IN PERSON
To file a Fictitious Business Name Statement in person, please take the following actions and bring the following documents to any of our
office locations Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM (excluding holidays):
- Conduct an
FBN Records Search in person or online to ensure the name you intend to file is NOT already registered.
- Complete the
Fictitious Business Name Statement filing form in black or blue ink. The form must be legible – no erasures or whiteouts. Strikeovers are acceptable if accompanied with initials. Third parties and authorized agents filing on behalf of the registrant must show valid government-issued photo identification.
- Valid government-issued photo identification such as a driver's license or passport.
- Payment of
$42.00 for the first business name and owner, and
$5.00 for each additional business name or owner name. The fees are payable by cash, check, money order, or credit/debit card (with an additional
$2.50 surcharge for card payment).
After filing, you will receive an automatic renewal reminder prior to the five-year re-registration deadline at the address listed on the original statement.
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FILING BY MAIL
Because of its importance, the County Clerk's Office strongly recommends that Fictitious Business Name Statements be filed in person whenever possible. The County Clerk's Office cannot accept responsibility for any filing attempted by mail. For questions regarding the filing forms and/or submitting the forms correctly, please e-mail us at
arccsdfbnhelp.fgg@sdcounty.ca.gov; completed forms
CANNOT be filed by e-mail and
WILL NOT be accepted since filings require original, wet-ink signatures.
To file a Fictitious Business Name Statement by mail, please take the following actions and send the following:
- Conduct an
FBN Records Search in person or online to ensure the name you intend to file is NOT already registered.
- Complete the
Fictitious Business Name Statement filing form in black or blue ink. The form must be legible – no erasures or whiteouts. Strikeovers are acceptable if accompanied with initials. Third parties and authorized agents filing on behalf of the registrant must provide a copy of their valid government-issued photo identification.
- Payment of
$42.00 for the first business name and owner, and
$5.00 for each additional business name or owner name. Payment must be made by check or money order, made payable to "San Diego Recorder/County Clerk".
Please mail your documents and payment to:
San Diego Recorder/County Clerk
ATTN: FBN
P.O. Box 121750
San Diego, CA 92112-1750
A copy of the filed Fictitious Business Name Statement will be mailed to you. After filing, you will receive an automatic renewal reminder prior to the five-year re-registration deadline at the address listed on the original statement.
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FBN RECORDS SEARCH
We recommend for prospective registrants to conduct an FBN Records Search in person at our
offices or
online to ensure the name you intend to file is NOT already registered. The FBN Records Search database is updated nightly.
For a fee, you may also submit a request by mail for County Clerk staff to conduct an FBN Records Search on your behalf. In the request, you must provide the EXACT business name and, if applicable, the owner name to be researched. The fee for staff conducting FBN Records Search on behalf of requesters is
$8.00 for each business or owner name, and payment must be made by check or money order payable to "San Diego Recorder/County Clerk". Please allow 7 to 10 business days from the date of receipt to receive the search results.
Please mail your request and payment to:
San Diego Recorder/County Clerk
ATTN: FBN
P.O. Box 121750
San Diego, CA 92112-1750
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REQUESTING COPIES OF FILED FBN
You may request copies of filed Fictitious Business Name Statements in person, by mail, and online. The fee for a copy of each filing is
$2.00 for the first page and
$0.05 for each additional page, with certification of copies available for
$1.00.
When requesting copies in person at our
office locations, the fees are payable by cash, check, money order, or credit/debit card (with an additional
$2.50 surcharge for card payment).
To request copies by mail, submit a request by mail and provide the EXACT business name and, if applicable, the owner name. Payment must be made by check or money order payable to "San Diego Recorder/County Clerk". Please allow 7 to 10 business days from the date of receipt to receive the search results. Please mail your request and payment to:
San Diego Recorder/County Clerk
ATTN: FBN
P.O. Box 121750
San Diego, CA 92112-1750
To request copies online, conduct an FBN Records Search
online then add your selected filings to the cart (this service requires the creation of an account).
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