Fort Bend County Assumed Name Certificate filing guide

The Fort Bend County Clerk records the Assumed Name Certificate, and its page states that a company doing business in Texas must file one with the County Clerk of each county in which the business will be conducted.

Since September 1, 2019, certificates for corporations, limited partnerships, limited liability partnerships, limited liability companies and foreign filing entities go to the Secretary of State only, so the county form is for unincorporated persons.

The clerk’s recording fee is $15.00 for one owner when the clerk notarizes, or $14.00 when the certificate arrives already notarized, plus $1.50 or $.50 for each additional owner.

Fort Bend County’s clerk, Laura Richard, publishes the certificate and withdrawal forms from an office at 301 Jackson in Richmond, Texas, and this county page is the recording office for unincorporated filers in the county.

Unlike the Harris County record in this group, Fort Bend states two fee tiers that depend on whether the clerk notarizes the certificate, and it records both partner withdrawals and abandonments in the same office.

This guide does not accept filings or fees; check the official page for the current fee schedule and office hours before visiting.

The official form is the Assumed Name Certificate for Certain Unincorporated Persons, a certificate of ownership that names the assumed name, the business address, the period of use and the registrant.

The clerk no longer accepts personal or business checks in Official Public Records; payment may be made by cash in person only, money order, credit card or cashier’s check.

Military veterans can obtain a partial waiver of fees under Business & Commerce Code 71.155(a), which the page links.

This guide does not link an online filing service, a mailing route or a walk-in procedure for Fort Bend County because the clerk’s page is silent on each of them.

A certificate is good for a period of up to 10 years as indicated on the application, and the form itself asks for the period, not to exceed ten years, during which the name will be used.

The withdrawal of a partner or the abandonment of an assumed name is recorded in the same office, using the Withdrawal Notice of an Assumed Name published on the clerk’s forms page.

This guide cannot confirm a renewal or amendment procedure for Fort Bend County because the clerk’s page is silent on both.

Decide the period of use, up to ten years, before completing the certificate, because the form records it and the county treats the certificate as good for that period.

Bring cash, a money order, a credit card or a cashier’s check for the $15.00 or $14.00 fee plus any additional-owner charge; personal and business checks are no longer accepted.

If a partner leaves or the name is abandoned, record the withdrawal with the same clerk.