About ClearFormsClearForms is workflow automation software designed to help local governments bring permits, licenses, and processes online quickly and at low cost. We've taken workflows (like this one) that other governments have developed and refined and made them easy to copy and customize.

Get up and running with new digital services quickly by starting with one of our templates.

Fictitious Business Name Registration

Fictitious Business Name Registration

Most communities require that an individual, group, or corporation operating a business using something other than their personal or corporate legal name file a Fictitious Business Name registration (commonly known as a "Doing Business As" or DBA). ClearForms worked with Inyo County in California to develop the first completely online FBN/ DBA workflow in the state of California, helping the County's Clerk-Recorder win an innovation award from the California Association of Counties.

Key features:

  • Includes applicant and reviewer sign-off
  • Automatically calculated fees and online payment
  • Automatic open data for public records

You can adapt this workflow to reflect the requirements of your jurisdiction's FBN/ DBA workflow. This workflow includes applicant and reviewer signatures, registration fee calculation and collection, and customized document output that serves as a certified copy for the registrant.

Bringing this workflow online helped Inyo, a rural county in the Eastern Sierra of California where some residents are more than 50 miles from the County seat, more than double the number of FBNs filed per year without requiring any additional staff time to process and register these DBA submissions.

Import this template
Use case
Business Licensing and Registration
Staff
Clerk
Time to complete
2 days
Has payment
Yes
Creator
Inyo County, California