Los Angeles DBA and Business Tax Certificate: Which Address Goes Where

If you start a business in Los Angeles, two government filings ask where you are. The county clerk's fictitious business name statement, which is the DBA filing, wants a principal place of business and a business mailing address. The City of Los Angeles Office of Finance asks for a Business Address and a Mailing Address on its Business Tax Registration Certificate application, usually shortened to BTRC. Both end up public: the DBA statement is printed in a newspaper, and the city posts the addresses from its form on its website.

This post goes through both forms field by field, using the statute and the official county and city pages as they read on September 30, 2026, including what changes for home-based businesses and for people whose only tie to LA is a mailing address. We sell a mailbox address in Los Angeles, and the section before the FAQ says which of these lines it fits.

What address does an LA County DBA ask for?

The contents of a fictitious business name statement are set by California Business and Professions Code section 17913. The address line is in subdivision (b)(2): "If the registrant has a place of business in this state, insert the street address, and county, of the registrant's principal place of business in this state. If the registrant has no place of business in this state, insert the street address, and county, of the registrant's principal place of business outside this state."

The Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk puts it in its own words on the requirements page: "Street address of principal place of business and county must be listed." On the county's sample form for an individual, the field is labeled "Street address of principal place of business."

That line also decides where you file. The county's filing page says the "Statement must be filed in county of principal place of business and may also be filed in other counties as long as the requirements for filing in the county of principal place of business have been met." If you're unsure whether your address is actually in Los Angeles County, or which city it falls in, we worked through that in which city is my business address in, California. The general rules for a California DBA are in our DBA guide.

Section 17913 adds one more rule that shapes the form: "Only those businesses operated at the same address and under the same ownership may be listed on one fictitious business name statement." Two businesses at two addresses need two statements.

The statute and the county's requirements page don't say "no P.O. Box" for the business address in those words, though an older county sample form (Rev. 01/2013) marked its registrant lines "(P.O. Box not accepted)." The current samples (Rev 1/2024) don't carry that note. The business address field does ask for a street address, and what counts as a principal place of business is covered in our principal place of business guide. Whether the county accepts a private mailbox suite as a principal place of business isn't addressed anywhere we found, so ask the county clerk before you file that way.

What is the "business mailing address" on a fictitious business name statement?

The second address line comes from section 17913(b)(3): "If the registrant is an individual, insert the registrant's full name and business mailing address if it differs from the business address."

On the county's sample form the field reads "Business Mailing Address (if Corp. or LLC enter the physical address of the Corp./LLC)." That parenthetical matters when a company is the owner, because the county then asks for the company's physical address in that spot. The requirements page adds: "All owners and their business mailing addresses must be listed."

The county's filing page explains the change behind this line: "Effective January 1, 2024 [AB 878 and SB 1526 (2023-2024) any registrant who files a fictitious business name statement, statement of abandonment, or statement of withdrawal is required to include a 'business mailing address' instead of a residence address." The change came from AB 878, and the statute's history note gives the same date: "(Amended by Stats. 2023, Ch. 20, Sec. 3. (AB 878) Effective January 1, 2024.)"

Some county pages haven't caught up. The general information page still says "All owners and their residence addresses must be listed," and the sample notice in the county's PDF still mentions a residence address. The current statute and the county's filing page both ask for a business mailing address, so follow those when an older county page disagrees.

Does my home address get printed in the newspaper?

If you run the business from home, it very likely does. After filing, section 17917(a) says "the registrant shall cause a statement in the form prescribed by subdivision (a) of Section 17913 to be published pursuant to Section 6064 of the Government Code in a newspaper of general circulation in the county where the fictitious business name statement was filed." That form is the statement itself, and it includes the principal place of business address.

For a home-based business the home is the principal place of business, so the home street address goes on the statement and then runs in a newspaper. Listing a separate mailing address changes where your mail goes. It doesn't change what goes on the principal place of business line or what gets printed.

The county's requirements page describes the schedule: "Filed copy of statement must be published once per week for four consecutive weeks in an adjudicated newspaper in Los Angeles County." After the run ends, section 17917(d) requires that "An affidavit showing the publication of the statement shall be filed with the county clerk where the fictitious business name statement was filed within 45 days after the completion of the publication."

The county's pages disagree about when publication has to start. The requirements page says "Publication must begin within 30 days after a fictitious business name statement has been filed," citing section 17917(a). The statute itself says "Within 45 days," and the county's own publication page also says "within 45 days of filing." The statute controls, so the deadline is 45 days, and the 30-day wording is out of date.

How long does the LA County DBA last?

Section 17920(a) says a statement "expires five years from the date it was filed in the office of the county clerk," unless it expires sooner. One of the earlier triggers is in subdivision (b): a statement "expires 40 days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement pursuant to Section 17913." The principal place of business address is one of those facts, so a move would likely start that clock. The county's renewals page adds, "You are not required to publish your renewal in a newspaper of general circulation."

How much does an LA County DBA cost, and how do you file it?

These are the county's official fees as posted on its fees page.

You can file online, by mail, or in person. Online filing covers identity proof, signature and payment, and the county notes that "Filing online includes a $10.75 service fee." For paper, "Mail filings are only processed at our Norwalk Headquarters." For a visit, "Appointments can be scheduled up to three (3) weeks in advance."

The county clerk then points you to a different office for a license. Its general information page says: "This office does not issue business licenses. To obtain a license, contact the City Hall in the city where the business will be conducted." In the City of Los Angeles, the next office you'll deal with is the Office of Finance.

Do I need a Los Angeles business tax certificate if I work from home?

In almost every case, yes. The Office of Finance says that "All individuals or entities conducting business activities within the City of Los Angeles are required to apply for and obtain a Business Tax Registration Certificate." Its AB63 FAQ answers the home question directly: "Yes, home-based businesses are subject to City Business Tax. In almost all cases, businesses located within the City of Los Angeles, whether at a commercial or residential location, require that a Business Tax Registration Certificate be obtained from the Office of Finance."

The city's test for doing business there is physical. The Business Tax Information FAQ says: "You are considered to be engaged in business in the City of Los Angeles when you physically perform work within the City of Los Angeles for seven (7) or more days per year." Its list of businesses that don't need to register includes "Businesses with a physical presence within the City of los Angeles limited to six (6) or less days per calendar year."

What about someone whose only presence in LA is a mailing address? The Office of Finance doesn't say in anything we read. Its stated test turns on where work is physically performed and doesn't mention where mail arrives. If you receive mail in LA but work somewhere else, put that question to the Office of Finance directly.

Which address goes on the BTRC application, and is it public?

The application, revised January 2026, carries this notice: "The following information is subject to disclosure." One field is labeled "Business Address: (Do not use P.O. Box here)." A separate "Mailing Address:" field comes with a "Care of (C/O):" line. Under both addresses the form asks, "Is this a residential address? YES NO (Check One)."

The city's Tax Information Booklet lists the same pair as "Business address (no P.O. Boxes);" and "Mailing address, if different from the business address;". The registration page describes them as "Where your business is located and where you receive mailings."

The disclosure notice has a practical effect. The booklet says: "However, non-financial information such as business name, address, and primary activity, is not confidential pursuant to the California Public Records Act. This information, including residential addresses if they are used as a business or mailing address, is posted on the Office of Finance website."

So a home-based filer's home is posted as the business address. If you also give your home as the mailing address, the city posts it a second time. Using a different mailing address keeps the home off that one line and leaves the business address line as it is.

Which address goes in each field?

California's state-level business forms have their own address rules, which we went through in California business forms and a private mailbox. For the wider question of using a home address at all, see can I use my home address as my business address.

Where an LA mailbox address helps, and where it doesn't

We sell mailbox addresses, so read this as the seller's view. Our address fits the business mailing address line on an LA County fictitious business name statement and the Mailing Address line on the City of Los Angeles BTRC application. Because the city posts the mailing address, using ours there keeps your home off that line.

It doesn't do more than that. The BTRC Business Address is where your business is located, and the form refuses a P.O. Box there, so we don't offer our address for it. On the DBA, the principal place of business is a street address where the business operates. If you work from home, your home goes there and gets published whatever you put on the mailing line. If you have no other location, ask the county clerk whether a mailbox suite is acceptable before you rely on it, because we won't promise that it is.

Auteur is in pre-launch, and orders are open in Los Angeles and Silicon Valley. The exact street address is assigned the day the city opens. The Virtual Mailing Address is for personal mail in individual names only. The Virtual Business Address also receives mail in a business or trade name, which makes it the one that matches a DBA. Every piece gets an envelope photo, and we open and scan only when you ask, for one flat fee per piece. USPS Form 1583 is required before any provider can receive mail for you.

See what the Los Angeles address includes, or get your address in Los Angeles. Ordering is free, no card is taken, nothing is charged, and pricing comes by email with the next steps.

FAQ

Can I use my home address on an LA County DBA?

Yes. If you run the business from home, your home is the principal place of business, and section 17913(b)(2) asks for its street address and county. That address appears in the notice published once a week for four weeks in an LA County newspaper. You can list a separate business mailing address for mail, but the home stays on the principal place of business line.

Can I use a P.O. Box or virtual mailbox on the LA fictitious business name statement?

For the business mailing address, a mailing address is what the line asks for. For the principal place of business, the statute and the county ask for a street address, and nothing we read from the county says whether a private mailbox suite qualifies. Ask the county clerk before you file with one on that line.

Do I need a City of Los Angeles business tax certificate if I work from home?

Almost always. The Office of Finance says home-based businesses are subject to City Business Tax and that "In almost all cases" businesses in the city, at commercial or residential locations, need a BTRC. The engaged-in-business test is physically performing work in the city for seven or more days a year.

Is my BTRC address public?

Yes. The application marks the information as subject to disclosure, and the Tax Information Booklet says business name, address and primary activity are posted on the Office of Finance website, "including residential addresses if they are used as a business or mailing address."

Do I need a BTRC if I only have a mailing address in Los Angeles?

The Office of Finance doesn't say in anything we read. Its test is about where you physically perform work, and it doesn't mention where mail is received. Ask the Office of Finance about your specific setup.