The Santa Monica Observer Newspaper
focuses on Santa Monica and adjoining
communities, such as Pacific Palisades, Brentwood, West
L.A. and Venice.
Click Here to View This Week's Issue!!
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT
(FBN, sometimes called DBA) To download the Fictitious Business Name Statement form in PDF Acrobat format, please click Fictitious Business Name Form.
IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY FILED
YOUR FBN: Please fill out mail your FBN form with a check for $105 for each form to:
SM Observer, P.O. Box 5652, Santa Monica, CA 90409-5652
This includes the $23 County filing fee. OR You can BRING IT to our office at 1844 Lincoln Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90404. OR FAX IT to us at 310-388-1235 (include a cover sheet with your credit card number, exp. date, and signed authorization to charge you $105). ORClick Here to e-mail us your DBA form as an attachment.
IF YOU HAVE ALREADY FILED
YOUR FBN, the cost of publishing it is $50. FAX your
filed FBN along with credit card information to us at (310)
388-1235. Or, mail a copy with a $50 check to SM Observer. or, scan your DBA and Click Here to e-mail it to us as an attachment. We're here to serve you!
After we have published your FBN 4 times (once a week for
4 weeks) as required by law, we will file a Proof of Publication
with the County Recorder. YOU NEED DO NOTHING BUT SEND US
THE FBN FORM AND PAYMENT!!
FAQS:
Can I bring the form directly to
the LA County Recorder?
Yes. If you have time to drive to Norwalk, and wait in
line.
Can I mail the form directly to the
LA County Recorder?
Sure. If you have 6 weeks to wait for them to mail it back to you.
Look at it this way; you would pay us $50 just to publish it, and the County fee is $23 which you also pay. Our Santa Monica office receives around 10 DBA's each day. We personally bring them to the County Recorder for you, making the turn around time no more than 72 hours. So you could say you pay $32 to us to expedite it, and to leave the driving to us! ($50 + 23 + 32 = $105).
What might cause them to reject it?
There are many possible reasons, the most frequent being
strikeouts or cross outs on the form.
Will you provide me with proof that
I published my DBA?
In the short term, it's a good idea to get a copy of the
newspaper to prove you published it. After publishing it
4 times as required by law, we file a Proof of Publication
with the LA County Recorder. They compare it to the original,
and mail it back to you in about 10 weeks. Again, you need
not wait this long to get a copy of the newspaper, which
proves you published your DBA.
Do I need to check and see if the name is available? The L.A. County Recorder will let us record (i.e., file) any Fictitious Business Name you choose. You aren't required to check name availability, but it's still a good idea. If you want to see if anyone else has already recorded the same name, click on this link. Bear in mind that many names are similar or repetitive or generic--e.g., there's more than one Alice's Restaurant or Main Street Locksmith in L.A. County. Just don't file "Blockbuster Video Store" and start renting DVDs; that will get you a cease and desist letter from a lawyer! (Even if that happens, you could probably avoid a lawsuit by changing your business' name). Filing a DBA gives you some rights to the name in Los Angeles County, especially if you recorded it before anyone else did. For more information on intellectual property, you may wish to consult with an attorney.
Do I need to pay someone else to publish my DBA?
No. You already paid us to publish it! So, if after you pay us, a newspaper solicits you to publish your DBA in their paper; don't pay them, you already paid us.
How can I get a Federal Taxpayer ID Number
Taxpayer Identification Numbers (i.e., Employer Identification Numbers or EINs), are available online. To obtain your EIN, click here for IRS Form SS4.
Do I have to get a Federal Taxpayer ID Number
No. But if you do obtain a Federal Tax ID Number, you can use it instead of your own Social Security Number, and this will put you ahead of the curve on insulating your personal credit and yourself from liability.
So if I get a Federal Tax ID Number, I’ll be just like a corporation.
No, we didn’t say that. Corporations fully insulate you from personal liability from many lawsuits . On the other hand, they usually require you pay more in taxes. Having an Federal Tax ID Number does, however, convince many creditors that you’re a corporation, and may keep many items like late payments off your personal credit report.
Do you do other types of legal notices?
Yes, we do Petitions for Change of Name, Service by Publication of Summons, Petition to Probate Estate, Notice of Auction, Notice of Bulk Sale, Notice of Trustee Sale, and other legal notices in Santa Monica and Los Angeles County. Call us for details at (310) 260-2199.
Do you do incorporations and LLCs?
Yes. We form corporations, Limited Liability Companies (LLCs) and non profit corporations. We can help you with your 501(c)3 company, just call us!.
How can I do a Statement of Withdrawal from Partnership, or Notice of Abandonment of Fictitious Business Name?
Download the form that you need, complete it and mail it with a check for $105 to us.
SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION: Subscriptions are available
thru the U.S. Mail; the cost is $100 per year.
All material on this website is copyright The Santa Monica
Observer Newspaper, Inc. 2002-2005, all rights reserved.
The Santa Monica Observer Newspaper
is the only legally adjudicated newspaper of general circulation
in Santa Monica, California.
