Filing a DBA in Polk County: Who Still Goes to the Clerk

Say you mow lawns or fix porches around Livingston under a business name instead of your own. That name is a DBA, or assumed name. For a person or general partnership, the public record usually goes to the Polk County Clerk.

The certificate has to be notarized or acknowledged before the clerk files it. If the business has partners, each partner signs before the notary. A deputy in the clerk's office can acknowledge a signature for $1 while you are there.

The county step changed for formal business entities. Since September 1, 2019, corporations, LLCs, and limited partnerships file assumed names with the Texas Secretary of State rather than the county clerk. In plain terms: a solo shop may still visit the courthouse; an LLC files with the state.