Durham County · county seat Durham
Durham County business formation: LLCs, corporations and assumed names in Durham and beyond
Duke University and Duke Health spinouts, biotech in and around Research Triangle Park, and a strong independent restaurant and retail scene downtown. Your company is filed once with the NC Secretary of State ($125); a trade name is recorded with the Durham County Register of Deeds for $26.
Heads up: we are an independent company that prepares and submits North Carolina filings for owners. We are not the North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State and we do not give legal advice. Every state and county charge passes through at the exact amount billed, and anyone can file directly with the Business Registration Division for no service fee.
Heads up: we are an independent company that prepares and submits North Carolina filings for owners. We are not the North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State and we do not give legal advice. Every state and county charge passes through at the exact amount billed, and anyone can file directly with the Business Registration Division for no service fee.
Your local license in Durham County
Durham city and county share a planning department, so zoning questions for a home business or a new storefront go to one place. There is no general business license to buy.
Cities we see most
Durham · Research Triangle Park (part) · Bahama · Rougemont
City guides: Durham business license
What Durham owners should know
- Founders raising venture money often choose a corporation from day one so stock options and preferred shares are straightforward.
- University spinouts should confirm the IP license is with the company's exact legal name.
- RTP straddles Durham and Wake; record your DBA in whichever county you actually operate.
Worked example: A university researcher spinning a lab tool out into a company that expects venture funding
Entity: North Carolina corporation (G.S. Chapter 55)
| Corp USA Complete package | $479 |
| NC Secretary of State filing fee | $125 |
| Day-one total | $604 |
Next year: a corporate annual report due the 15th day of the fourth month after fiscal year end (April 15 for a calendar year). North Carolina cities no longer sell general privilege licenses, so there is no city business license line here; trade permits and zoning approvals are separate.
Heads up: we are an independent company that prepares and submits North Carolina filings for owners. We are not the North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State and we do not give legal advice. Every state and county charge passes through at the exact amount billed, and anyone can file directly with the Business Registration Division for no service fee.
Recording a Durham County assumed business name
If you will trade under a name other than the exact legal name, North Carolina requires an assumed business name certificate filed with the Register of Deeds in a county where you do business (G.S. 66-71.4). One filing covers the whole state. Durham records assumed business name certificates at the standard $26 fee and takes them by mail at the P.O. box above.
- Durham County Register of Deeds
- Durham County Administration Building II, 201 East Main Street, 2nd Floor, Durham, NC 27701
- Phone
- 919-560-0480
- Attention: Real Estate and Recording Department, P.O. Box 1107, Durham, NC 27702
Heads up: we are an independent company that prepares and submits North Carolina filings for owners. We are not the North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State and we do not give legal advice. Every state and county charge passes through at the exact amount billed, and anyone can file directly with the Business Registration Division for no service fee.
Durham questions
Is a North Carolina corporation fine for raising venture capital?
Many investors accept one; some ask for a Delaware corporation registered in NC as a foreign corporation for $250. Ask your lead investor first.
SourceWhere do I mail a Durham DBA?
Durham County Register of Deeds, Attention: Real Estate and Recording Department, P.O. Box 1107, Durham, NC 27702.
Source