Rules & Licenses
Erie DBAs Are Not Business Licenses
Erie County business-name filings should be paired with a license check because a DBA certificate does not authorize every regulated activity.
Published June 23, 2026 · Last verified June 23, 2026
An Erie County assumed-name filing is useful, but it is not permission to run every business. Assumed Name Certificates, often called DBA certificates, must include certain filer details. The clerk also warns that registering an assumed name is not a license to conduct business. A separate license may be needed for the activity.
Before filing, search business names in the clerk’s Online Public Search. Then check the state Corporation and Business Entity Database, and ask whether the work needs another state, county, or local license.
Keep the exact assumed name, filer details, search results, and filed certificate together. Keep any separate license, tax, zoning, or permit answer with the business records too; the DBA certificate does not replace those approvals.