How to Cancel a Utah DBA
Short answer: Canceling a Utah DBA you no longer need is simple and free — you submit a Letter of Cancellation to the Division of Corporations and Commercial Code, by mail, fax, in person, or email, with no filing fee. The one real catch: you can't cancel a DBA that's already expired. Cancellation only applies to an active registration — an expired one is already gone on its own and doesn't need (or accept) a separate cancellation.
Who this guide is for
Utah business owners who've stopped using a registered DBA — closed the business, rebranded, or simply no longer need the name — and want to formally remove it from the state's records.
What the cancellation letter needs to include
- A clear statement requesting the Division cancel the Business Name Registration (DBA)
- The business's address
- The name(s) of the applicant(s)/owner(s)
- The exact name of the DBA being canceled
- Signature(s) of the applicant(s)/owner(s)
How to file it
You can submit the cancellation letter in person, by mail, by fax, or by email to the Division. There's no filing fee for cancellation — a real contrast to most other DBA-related filings, which do carry a fee.
When it takes effect
A cancellation is effective on the date the Division actually receives the letter, not the date you send it — worth accounting for if timing matters (for example, if you're canceling one DBA in order to immediately register a new name and want to avoid any gap or overlap).
Why you'd cancel rather than just let it expire
A DBA automatically lapses after its 3-year term anyway if you don't renew it — so why bother formally canceling? A few real reasons:
- You want the name to become available to someone else (including yourself under a different entity) immediately, rather than waiting out the remainder of the 3-year term.
- You're closing the underlying business and want a clean, documented record that you're no longer operating under that name.
- You're transferring the name to a new owner — though that's technically a Letter of Transfer, not a cancellation; see How to Change a Utah DBA for that separate process.
Frequently asked questions
Does canceling my DBA also close my LLC or corporation? No — a DBA is separate from the underlying business entity. Canceling the assumed name doesn't dissolve an LLC or corporation; that's its own separate process. See Utah Business Dissolution: How to Close an LLC or Corporation.
If my DBA already expired, do I need to do anything to "close it out"? No — an expired DBA is already terminated on its own; there's nothing further to file, and as noted above, the Division won't even accept a cancellation for one that's already lapsed.
Can I cancel a DBA and immediately re-register the same name under a different owner? Generally yes, once the cancellation is processed, though the specific mechanics depend on your situation — for an ownership change specifically, the Letter of Transfer process is usually the more direct path rather than canceling and re-filing from scratch.