Forsyth County · county seat Winston-Salem
Forsyth County business formation: LLCs, corporations and assumed names in Winston-Salem and beyond
Health care and biotech around the Innovation Quarter, a growing craft food and beverage scene, and suppliers to the old tobacco and textile industrial base. Your company is filed once with the NC Secretary of State ($125); a trade name is recorded with the Forsyth 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 Forsyth County
Winston-Salem has no general privilege license. New businesses in the downtown Innovation Quarter and in Kernersville deal with zoning and, for food or alcohol, county health and ABC permits.
Cities we see most
Winston-Salem · Kernersville · Clemmons · Lewisville · King (part) · Rural Hall
City guides: Winston-Salem business license
What Forsyth owners should know
- Use the five-names-per-certificate rule: one $26 filing can cover a catering brand and a food-truck brand.
- Food businesses need Forsyth County environmental health approval; the state LLC filing does not cover it.
- Keep the book and page number of your assumed name; a withdrawal later must cite it.
Worked example: A two-chef catering company in Winston-Salem that will trade as a shorter brand
Entity: North Carolina LLC (G.S. Chapter 57D)
| Corp USA Pro package | $349 |
| NC Secretary of State filing fee | $125 |
| Assumed business name certificate (county recording fee) | $26 |
| Day-one total | $500 |
Next year: a $200 annual report (plus $3 online) due April 15. 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 Forsyth 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. Up to five business names fit on one certificate and the filing fee is $26. Certificates can be recorded in person, by mail or by e-filing.
- Forsyth County Register of Deeds
- Forsyth County Government Center, 201 North Chestnut Street, Winston-Salem, NC 27101
- Phone
- 336-703-2700
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.
Forsyth questions
Can I put two brands on one Forsyth DBA?
Yes, up to five names on one certificate for one $26 filing.
SourceDoes Winston-Salem require a business license?
North Carolina cities no longer issue general privilege licenses; check zoning and any trade-specific permits.
Source