Editor’s Update, June 2, 2025 — Delaware House Bill 177 referenced below has been signed into law. The effective date of the Delaware Trade Name/DBA re-registration process has changed from June 2, 2025 to February 2, 2026. The article below has been updated to reflect this change. 

Editor’s Update, May 20, 2025 — The State of Delaware has announced the introduction of House Bill 177, proposed by Rep. Griffith and Sen. Townsend. Introduced yesterday, May 19, 2025, this bill would delay the effective date of the trade name registration process addressed in House Bill 40 — and detailed below — from June 2, 2025 to February 2, 2026. A Committee Hearing for House Bill 177 is required to take place within 12 legislative days of introduction and it is our understanding that said hearing is on the House agenda for this week, the week of May 19, 2025. As soon as we know an updated status of House Bill 177, we will update the article below.

As of February 2, 2026, all Delaware Trade Name/DBA registrations will shift from Delaware Superior Court prothonotaries to the Delaware Department of Revenue. This effectively makes Delaware DBA registration a state filing instead of a county filing.

Here’s what that means for entities with Delaware Trade Name/DBAs. 

Mandatory Re-Registration

Beginning February 2, 2026, all current Delaware Trade Name/DBA holders will be required to re-register their trade names. This is intended to clear a backlog of Trade Name/DBAs linked to defunct companies and ensure that the online registry accurately reflects active Trade Names/DBAs. There is no state fee associated with re-registering.

In late April, 2025, the Delaware Department of Revenue began sending out notices regarding this change and subsequent required actions to the business address on the registration document that is on file for each Trade Name/DBA. For entities that fail to receive this correspondence, it is likely that existing Trade Name/DBA data has either a missing or bad address. Contact orders@incserv.com for help.

Details on how long the Delaware Trade Name/DBA re-register window will remain open are expected to be available soon. It’s worth noting that in House Bill 40, the window was two months. Failure to re-register within that timeframe would have resulted in the release of the Delaware Trade Name/DBA, making it available to another entity that may seek to claim it. Moreover, if the Trade Name/DBA was still available after the original August 1, 2025 deadline and had not been re-registered, the entity would have had to pay the registration fee again to associate the unique Trade Name/DBA with its business license. 

It is recommend that current Delaware Trade Name/DBA holders re-register on or shortly after February 2, 2026.

Reminder: For entities conducting business in Delaware, Delaware Trade Names/DBAs do not expire or require renewal provided they are actively used by a registered business. 

Registration Fee

The filing fee for new Delaware Trade Names/DBAs will remain at $25.00.

Trade Name Only Business License

For entities that do not conduct business in Delaware but need a Delaware Trade Name/DBA, a Trade Name Only Business license is available. This special license is required to register a Delaware Trade Name/DBA if the registrant does not intend to conduct business in Delaware. It also removes the licensee’s requirement to file for gross receipts and income taxes as long as they continue to not actively transact business within the State of Delaware. Otherwise, this license type will adhere to standard licensing protocols including fee proration, expiration, and periodic renewals. 

This special license must be renewed annually.

Notarization

As of June 2, 2025, notarization of Delaware Trade Name/DBA applications will no longer be required.

Incserv is Here to Help

Email us at orders@incserv.com to have us square away your mandatory Delaware Trade Name/DBA re-registration. It’ll be one less thing for you to worry about.