Business Certificates

The New York County Clerk accepts for filing, pursuant to Section 130 of the General Business Law, certificates of sole proprietorships, partnerships, and assumed names for businesses, including DBA, for businesses the address of which is in New York County.

The Business Certificate form is X-74 for a partnership and X-201 for a sole proprietorship, and they can be purchased at any commercial or legal stationery store, including the candy shop/newsstand in the lobby of the courthouse at 60 Centre Street.

The filing is made in Room 109B in the basement at 60 Centre Street. The filing fee is $ 100 cash, and certified copies are an additional $ 10 each. The County Clerk will accept only cash, or Visa, MasterCard, or American Express for payment of the requested fee. No personal or company checks are accepted.

If a business or corporation is already in existence with the name that a filer has selected, the filer will be prohibited from using that name and may have to create or use a different name. Searches of business names and records on file can be made in Room 109B in the basement at 60 Centre Street either in advance or at the time of filing.

If a person wishes to make a filing for corporate, limited partnership, limited liability partnership, and limited liability corporation status, that can be done only through the Secretary of State in Albany, New York (www.dos.ny.gov).