What does California call a DBA, and how do I file one for Bumble's Auto Glass?

Vicente wrote: “I'm a mobile auto glass technician. I will buy car windows and sell to the public, and I go to the customer.”

Hi Vicente, Bumble's Auto Glass sounds like a promising venture. In California, registering "Bumble's Auto Glass" comes first, and the state calls that filing a Fictitious Business Name Statement. Below you will find how California treats a business name, whether a newspaper notice is involved, and the other registrations Bumble's Auto Glass needs.

A van that drives to the customer's driveway is basically a moving billboard, so Bumble's Auto Glass should be on record in California as a Fictitious Business Name Statement unless you work under your own legal name. California requires the statement to be published in a newspaper of general circulation once a week for four weeks, starting within 45 days of filing, and the proof of publication must be filed within 45 days after the last notice. Until that last step is done, the filing is unfinished. Buying glass and selling to the public also means supplier and card accounts, which go smoothly when the registered name matches.

How California handles a business name

In California, a business name other than your own legal name is registered as a Fictitious Business Name Statement, which you will also hear called FBN, DBA, or fictitious name. A sole proprietor, partnership, LLC or corporation doing business under a name that differs from the owner's or entity's exact registered name (or that suggests additional owners) must file one within 40 days of starting to use the name. A sole proprietor using their own full name needs nothing.

Newspaper publication: California requires the statement to be published in a newspaper of general circulation once a week for four weeks, starting within 45 days of filing, and the newspaper's proof of publication must then be filed within 45 days after the last notice. The filing is not complete until that is done.

How long it lasts: A statement expires after five years and has to be refiled before then, and most changes to the facts on it call for a new statement.

What Bumble's Auto Glass needs

1. Fictitious Business Name Statement – Registering "Bumble's Auto Glass" puts the name on the public record under your ownership, and it is what banks, suppliers, and landlords usually ask to see. Because a newspaper notice is part of the process here, the registration is not complete until it has run.
2. Name check – Choose a name that is easy to spell and not confusingly close to a business already operating nearby. Registering a DBA announces your use of the name, but only a trademark gives you exclusive rights to it.
3. LLC (limited liability company) – A DBA only registers a name. Forming an LLC is what puts a legal wall between the business and your personal assets. When a customer says you cracked their dashboard during a replacement, the dispute is the shop's to settle, and your personal accounts stay out of it. If you form the LLC under the exact name Bumble's Auto Glass LLC, the LLC filing itself protects that name and you will not need a separate DBA for it. Once profits grow, an LLC can elect S corporation tax treatment; ask a tax adviser when the numbers justify it.
4. EIN (federal tax ID number) – You plan on 2 employees, so the federal tax ID number (EIN) is required for payroll, and you will use it for the business bank account opened in the registered name.
5. California seller's permit – Needed for the products you sell alongside your service, and it lets you buy items for resale without paying sales tax on them.
6. California employer ID – With 2 employees, you need a state employer account number for payroll withholding and unemployment insurance. It works like the EIN, but for state payroll taxes.
7. Business license – Most places require a local business license to operate, including home-based businesses. Check the rules where Bumble's Auto Glass will operate in North Hills, and ask about home occupation and zoning rules if you work from home.

By the numbers: Banks, insurers, and tax forms will ask for your industry code. For an auto glass shop it is NAICS 811122 (Automotive Glass Replacement Shops). With 2 employees planned, you are already creating jobs in North Hills. That makes 7 items on your list.

Tip: Follow proper adhesive cure times and give customers clear safe drive-away instructions.

To recap: Bumble's Auto Glass in North Hills, CA needs a Fictitious Business Name Statement, a name check, an LLC, an EIN, a sales tax permit, a state employer ID, and a business license. Check them off one by one and you will open with confidence.

We can file your business name registration and the other paperwork for you: start here.