Pursuant to Section 130 of the New York State General Business Law, if you are conducting any business in the County of Westchester under a name other than your own, and are not a corporation, limited partnership or limited liability company, you must file a Business Certificate indicating your Westchester County address in our office.
Your business name
Prior to filing your original Business Certificate, you are encouraged to visit Westchester Records Online to search business names to be sure that the name you wish to do business under is not already in use. To get started, choose "Legal Records" and then choose the "Business Records" tab. You can also visit our office to conduct this search. Remember that if you are a sole proprietorship, you are not able to use designations such as "and Company" or "Association" in the name of your business. In addition, you are not allowed to use words which would imply the surname of another in your business name.
Filing your certificate
Once you have determined that your desired business name is available, sole proprietors should submit an original of a notarized Business Certificate along with $35.00 ($25.00 filing fee + $10.00 for two certified copies) cash, certified check or money order payable to "Westchester County Clerk". Personal checks are not accepted but American Express, Discover, MasterCard and Visa are accepted in our office. Partners should submit an original of the notarized Business Certificate for Partners along with $35.00 ($25.00 filing fee + $10.00 for two certified copies) cash, certified check, attorney's check or money order payable to "Westchester County Clerk". You can submit these forms in person or by mail. If you are submitting forms in person, a staff member can act as notary public as long as you are able to present valid identification. When submitting your forms by mail, please provide a self-addressed stamped envelope and note that credit cards and cash are not accepted. Our office is located at 110 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., Room 330, White Plains, NY 10601 and can be reached by entering through the Richard J. Daronco Courthouse entrance. The office is open Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays, from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.