Registrant Type |
Definition |
Signature Requirement |
|---|---|---|
Copartners |
A copartner is a member of a partnership. A partnership is a voluntary association of two or more persons who jointly own and carry on a business for profit. |
Signature by a General Partner |
Corporation |
An entity (usually a business) having authority under law to act as a single person distinct from the shareholders who own it and having rights to issue stock and exist indefinitely. |
Signed by an Officer |
Domestic Partnership |
A nonmarital relationship between two persons of the same or opposite sex who live together as a couple for a significant period of time. |
Signed by one of the Domestic Partners |
General Partnership |
A partnership in which all partners participate fully in running the business and share equally in profits and losses (though the partners' monetary contributions may vary). |
Signed by a General Partner |
Individual |
Of or relating to a single person or thing, as opposed to a group. An individual proprietorship or sole proprietorship is a business in which one person owns all the assets, owes all the liabilities, and operates in his or her personal capacity. |
Signed by the Individual |
Married Couple |
A husband who has a lawful wife living and a wife who has a lawful husband living. |
Signed by a party to the marriage |
Joint Venture |
A business undertaking by two or more persons engaged in a single defined project. |
Signed by a General Partner |
Limited Liability Company (LLC) |
A company - statutorily authorized in certain states - that is characterized by limited liability, management by members or managers, and limitations on ownership transfer. |
Signed by a Manager or Officer |
Limited Liability Partnership (LLP) |
A partnership composed of one or more persons who control the business and are personally liable for the partnership's debts (called general partners), and one or more persons who contribute capital and share profits but who cannot manage the business and are liable only for the amount of their contribution (called limited partners). (In California, a limited partnership must be filed with the Secretary of State and is defined as a partnership formed by two or more persons under the laws of this state and having one or more general partners and one or more limited partners). |
Signed by a General Partner |
Trust |
The right, enforceable solely in equity, to the beneficial enjoyment of property to which another person holds the legal title; a property interest held by one person (the trustee) at the request of another (the settlor) for the benefit of a third party (the beneficiary). A "business trust" is a form of business organization, similar to a corporation, in which investors receive transferable certificates of beneficial interest (instead of stock shares). |
Signed by a Trustee |
Unincorporated Association |
An Association is a gathering of people for a common purpose. An unincorporated organization that is not a legal entity separate from the persons who compose it. |
Signed by a General Partner |
Definitions from Black's Law Dictionary (Eighth Ed.) are provided to assist you in completing the Fictitious Business Name Statement and are not intended to provide exact legal definitions under California law or to supplant the need to consult an attorney. Signature requirements according to Business and Professions Code § 17914. Our staff is prohibited from rendering legal advice according to Government Code §24004. You may wish to consult an attorney or an accountant.
