• Fictitious names are recorded in the Record Room of the
Circuit Court Clerk's Office. Normal recording hours are from 9:00
a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Documents presented after
normal recording hours will be recorded the next business day. Click here to search the existing database to see if the business name that you would like to use has already been registered.
• Before registering a fictitious name, business owners
are encouraged to research names already registered to ensure that
the name to be registered is available. Indexes of all fictitious names
on record are available in the Circuit Court Record Room.
• The Clerk's Office has forms that can be used to register
a business name. Although use of the Clerk's Office's form is optional,
business owners preparing their own document must ensure that they
provide all information required by Virginia law. Forms must be signed
by the appropriate parties in the presence of a Notary Public or a
Deputy Clerk. Please note that forms that are not properly executed
and acknowledged cannot be recorded.
• Forms available (.pdf ):
• Certificate of Sole Ownership of a Business
• Certificate
of Assumed Name – Corporation
• Certificate
of Assumed Name – Co-Partners
• Certificate
of Assumed Name – LLC
• Certificate
of Amendment
• Certificate of Dissolution of a Business
Name
• The filing fee for the fictitious name certificate is
$10.00. Certified copies of the recorded certificate can be provided
for an additional $2.50 each (add $.50 for each additional page if
the document is more than one page in length). When submitting a fictitious
name certificate through the mail, please enclose a self-addressed,
stamped envelope for the return of the recordation receipt and any
copies requested. Payment may be made by cash, check or money order
(payable to the Chesterfield Circuit Court Clerk). Debit and credit
cards are not accepted for the payment of such fees.
• The Clerk's Office will issue a receipt that can then
be presented to the Commissioner of the Revenue as proof that the business
name has been registered.
• For additional information regarding fictitious names,
please call the Clerk's Office at (804) 748-1241 and ask to speak to
a staff member in the Record Room.
• For additional information regarding obtaining a business
license, please contact the Commissioner
of the Revenue at (804) 748-1281.
