When you stop using a registered Fictitious Business Name — because you closed the business, rebranded, or the ownership changed — California Business and Professions Code §17922 requires you to file a Statement of Abandonment with the County Clerk and publish it in a newspaper of general circulation for 4 consecutive weeks. NewFBN handles the publication for $66 flat.
How to File an FBN Abandonment
- Complete the Statement of Abandonment form with the original FBN details.
- File with the Riverside County Clerk-Recorder.
- Within 45 days, publish for 4 consecutive weeks (order with NewFBN here).
- File the Proof of Publication with the county within 45 days of the final run.
Filing and publishing your FBN abandonment from anywhere in Riverside County
A Statement of Abandonment is filed with the same county office as the original FBN: the Riverside County Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder (ACR) — offices in Riverside (Gateway), Temecula, Hemet, Palm Desert, and Blythe; you can also file by mail. Use whichever branch is nearest — Gateway in Riverside, Temecula, Hemet, Palm Desert, or Blythe.
Abandonments carry the same publication requirement as a new FBN — four consecutive weekly runs in an adjudicated county newspaper — so formally retiring a business name works just like registering one, and it's worth doing whenever you close, sell, or rebrand. After filing, upload your stamped form and we publish in a court-adjudicated Riverside County newspaper for $66 flat.
Frequently Asked Questions
- When do I need to file a Statement of Abandonment?
- File a Statement of Abandonment when you've stopped using a registered FBN — typically because you closed the business, rebranded, or the owners changed and you want to formally drop the old registration.
- How much does FBN abandonment publication cost?
- NewFBN charges $66 for Statement of Abandonment publication. That covers all 4 weekly runs plus the Proof of Publication.
- What's the difference between abandonment and withdrawal?
- Abandonment means the entire FBN is no longer in use. Withdrawal removes one registrant from a multi-owner FBN while the remaining owners continue using the name.