On December 1, 2017, the legislature repealed Chapter 66, Article 14 and enacted Article 14A, the “Assumed Business Names Act.” This change modernized the assumed business name process to make it easier to register, find, and maintain assumed name information. The new Act altered the requirements for the assumed business name certificate and created the means by which a single registration in the office of one Register of Deeds can be made effective for multiple counties.
Certificates filed before December 1, 2017 remained valid for a five-year transitional period during which individuals and entities with pre-existing assumed business names could re-file a certificate to preserve the effectiveness of the name designation. That transitional period is ending and filers have until December 1, 2022 to re-file a certificate for a pre-existing assumed name. Remember also that filers of assumed business names must update the filings within 60 days of the information changing.
Compliant blank certificate forms are available from registers of deeds or may be downloaded from https://edpnc.com/start-or-grow-a-business/start-a-business/business-forms/.
For additional information about when, how and why to file an Assumed Business Name, go to: https://www.sosnc.gov/divisions/business_registration/assumed_business_names.