List the fictitious-name registration items for a business name
Key facts
- Human involvement
- YellowClose supervision
- How AI is used
- List the items § 865.09 requires a fictitious-name registration to contain for the name the lawyer has chosen, and leave each item blank. Do not decide that an entity already in active status must register. State law governs, and the lawyer confirms the governing state. For example, Florida.
- What the lawyer must review
- Florida Statutes § 865.09, opened in the 2026 compilation. A person may not engage in business under a fictitious name, meaning a name other than the person's legal name, unless the person first registers it with the Division of Corporations. The registration lists the name, the mailing address of the business, the name and address of each registrant, and any other information the division reasonably needs. If the registrant is a business entity that had to file incorporation or similar documents in its state of organization, the entity must be registered with the division and in active status, and the registration gives its Florida document number and its federal employer identification number if it has one. At least one registrant certifies that the intention to register was advertised at least once in a newspaper, as chapter 50 defines that word, in the county where the principal place of business is or will be. Chapter 50 was not opened. A general partnership that is not registered with the division registers in the partners' names. A registered general partnership registers in the partnership's name and must be in active status. An attorney licensed in Florida, a person licensed by the Department of Business and Professional Regulation or the Department of Health to practice that profession, and a corporation, limited liability company, partnership, or other entity that is organized or registered and in active status with the division, need not register the name unless the name used in business differs from the licensed or registered name. Registration is public notice only. It does not presume a right to own or use the name, it does not affect a trademark or an entity name already acquired, and it does not reserve the name. If the registrant stops using the name, a cancellation is filed within 30 days. The registration runs from its date through December 31 of the fifth calendar year, counting the year of registration as the first year. Renewal is filed from January 1 through December 31 of the expiration year. The division gives notice of expiration no later than September 1. Failure to receive that notice is not a ground to appeal the expiration. Subsection (12) states nonrefundable fees of $50 to register, $50 to cancel or to cancel and reregister, $50 to renew, $30 for a certified copy, and $10 for a certificate of status. The form is the one the division prescribes. Subsection (14) lists words the fictitious name may not contain unless the registrant is the kind of entity that subsection names, or holds the certificate of authority it names. You compare the chosen name with that subsection. You do not file from this list. State law governs, and the lawyer confirms the governing state. For example, Florida.
- Written for / version
- United States versionUS
Who does what
| Role | What they do |
|---|---|
| Assistance | Consider narrowly defined preparation support after confirming the tool’s capability and permitted scope. |
| Lawyer | Set the scope, supervise the work closely, verify every part relied on, resolve omissions and exceptions, and approve the exact output. |
Checklist
- Open each relied-on authority independently. Confirm its existence, current status, proposition and any quotation or pinpoint reference.
- Check the current court or regulator requirements, prescribed form and attachments for the intended document and filing.
- Obtain and inspect the relevant current official register or search result. Confirm identities, interests and the date and scope of the search.
- Verify the applicable jurisdiction and the version of each relevant law, rule or instrument in force at the material time.
- Confirm the output against the client’s instructions and the complete relevant source material, including omissions or contradictions.
- Resolve exceptions and record the responsible lawyer’s approval of the exact output and intended use.