Notification of Assumed Business Name (DBA) Amendments – Cook County, IL

The Notification of Assumed Business Name (DBA) Amendments is the three-page Cook County Clerk's Office, Vital Records, form that owners and partners file to change, cancel or request copies of an assumed business name registration already recorded with the Clerk.

An assumed name is issued to a business that uses a name other than the names of the individuals who own or operate it. This form does not create a registration; it amends one, so it asks for the assumed business name, its registration number, the primary business address and a contact person.

In section B you mark each change you are filing with an "X":

• Add or remove a business address (sections C1 and C2). A new address must be in Cook County.
• Modify the nature of business (section D).
• Add or remove business partners (sections E and F).
• Change an owner's or partner's name (section G) or address (section H).
• Cancel the assumed business name (section I).
• Request a Certified Application Copy or a Duplicate Certificate.

The form is signed by all owners and partners and acknowledged before a notary public. Page 3, the Copy of Legal Notice to be published, is completed only when a business partner is added. The Clerk's page also offers an online route to register or amend an assumed name; this PDF is the version for submitting an amendment by mail or in person.

Owners and partners of a business that has an assumed business name registered with the Cook County Clerk use this form when something about that registration changes: a business address, the nature of the business, a partner, an owner's name or address, or the cancellation of the name.

The Clerk's page explains who registers assumed names under state law. Sole proprietorships, general partnerships and professional services corporations that conduct business in Cook County are required to register. Limited liability companies, limited liability partnerships, limited partnerships and corporations are not required to register assumed names, so they have no registration to amend here.

Signing rules printed on the form:

• All owners and partners must sign, including any withdrawing partner.
• Every signature must be individually acknowledged by a notary public.
• A sole proprietorship cannot withdraw the existing owner until the Proof of Publication for the new owner or partner is returned and activated.

Do not use this form to register a new assumed name for the first time; the Clerk's page directs new registrations to its application.

File this form when a change to your registered assumed business name needs to be recorded: a new or removed address, a changed nature of business, an added or withdrawing partner, an owner's new name or address, or a cancellation. Section I asks for the date the business name was canceled or dissolved, and the form sets no other deadline of its own.

When you add a business partner, the form requires a new legal notice in a local newspaper (page 3). The Clerk's page describes the publication steps for registrations and amendments: publish the notice within 15 calendar days from the registration date, once a week for three consecutive weeks, and submit proof of publication no later than 50 days from the original date of application. The Clerk's office issues the Assumed Business Name Certificate and records the name once it receives proof of publication. For questions about timing, call 312.603.5652.

You can submit the amendment by mail, in person at the Clerk's Vital Records office, or through the Clerk's online application system, which is described on its assumed business name page.

• By mail: Cook County Clerk's Office – Vital Records Division, P.O. Box A3390, Chicago, IL 60690, ATTN: Assumed Business Name Unit. Include the signed and notarized form and a check payable to Cook County Clerk.
• In person: the Clerk's Vital Records office in the County Building, 118 N. Clark, Chicago. Same-day in-person service for certificates is available at the downtown Chicago location.
• Online: the Clerk's system walks you through registering or amending an assumed name, accepts payment by credit card or e-check and emails you at each stage. After applying online you print the application, have it signed and notarized, then mail or deliver it to the Clerk's office.

A fee applies and is non-refundable; the form says to make checks payable to Cook County Clerk. Ask the Clerk's office for the current amount at 312.603.5652 or [email protected]. FillingPDF lets you fill out and download the PDF; submission follows the channels above.