Registering a New Company in Ohio
There is no national registration of companies in the USA. All businesses are registered at the county or state level. Listed below is how to register in Ohio. The state or counties will not check (or care) if your name conflicts with names of other businesses in other states!
Sole Proprietorships and private partnerships are registered at the County level in Oho. This includes Fictitious Business Name statements (also known as “DBA”s). In most cases the fee is under $50 and anyone can register a business simply by visiting your county’s business office and completing the right paperwork.
Corporations (both for-profit and non-profit), including C or S Corps, Limited Liability Partnerships (LLPs), and Limited Liability Corporations (LLC) are only valid when registered with the Secretary of State.
Secretary of State
P.O. Box 670
Columbus, OH 43216
(614) 466-3910
www.sos.state.oh.us/SOS/Businesses.aspx
NOTE: These notes are on registering the business only. You may also need a business license for any regulated businesses, and may also require city permits or licenses. These vary greatly from city to city.
Trademarks: Ohio does have its own trademarks and service marks. These provide you no protection outside the state, so we strongly recommend proper federal trademark filings with the US Patent and Trademark office.
Save yourself time and money by having a full trademark search done first through a naming agency (like this one in this site) or through a low cost online legal service. If your trademark application is rejected, you will lose your filing fee.
Sales Tax: In Ohio retail sales tax is the same in all counties. Clothing and food for home consumption are not taxed in Minnesota. If you will be selling taxable good or services (which is often the case unless you only sell to resellers), you will need a tax id from the Illinois Department of Revenue.
Largest Cities: Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Cincinatti, Akron, Toledo, Mansfield, Zanesville, Youngstown, Upper Arlington, Springfield, Reynoldsburg, Middletown, Lorain, Kettering, Hamilton, etc.
Brighter Naming has done extensive creative and process naming work and trademark checking for clients throughout Ohio, including all the major area codes which are 216, 234, 330, 419, 440, 513, 567, 614, 740, 937.
The name “Ohio” originated from Iroquois word ohi-yo’, meaning “great river” or “large creek”. Although there are conflicting narratives regarding the origin of the nickname, Ohio is historically known as the “Buckeye State” (relating to the Ohio buckeye tree) and Ohioans are also known as “Buckeyes”.
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Disclaimer: These are purely informational guidelines. For details in your particular case, please consult your lawyer, accountant or state/county office. Brighter Naming is not licensed to provide legal advice. The information here is provided as an informational service only.
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