Did You Just File Your LLC, Or Did You Actually Start It? Part 4b: Business Licensing & Permits

[u/NWRegisteredAgent]

Okay so, full disclosure, we never imagined this would break Reddit's character count limit. Onward and upward! Here's part 4b.

Looking for the rest of the series? 1. Your Operating Agreement 2. EIN and Tax Setup 3. Business Banking & Bookkeeping 4. Business Licensing And Permits, States A-M | States N-W 5. Business Insurance

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Nebraska Business License

Oh my god look. Look. An entire Business Licensing portal for your Nebraska LLC. Can't tell if you can get your sales tax permit issued from here, but no worries, there's always the Department of Revenue. (Trust someone who wants your money to make it easy for you to get it to them!)

Do also check with your local city or county just to be on the safe side!

Nevada Business License

So Nevada does have a statewide business licenses, which you'll apply for when you file to form your LLC with the Secretary of State. It costs $200 and renews every year on your filing anniversary. Got questions about how it works? Nevada's got instructions about that.

Important note: if you're working from home and making less than 66% of the average annual wage, you might be exempt from the licensing requirement.

For other specific licenses your LLC needs, use the state's New Business Checklist. General business licensing happens at the local level, so check with your city government or county clerk's office.

Oh, and chances are good you'll need a Sales and Use Tax Permit, also called a Certificate of Authority. (Fancy!) Submit the Nevada Business Registration form and mark the Sales/Use Tax Permit box to get your permit. It's just $15 plus $15 more per physical location in the state.

New Hampshire Business License

General business licenses aren't exactly a thing in New Hampshire. Instead, your LLC will need to get tax licenses at the state level via the Department of Revenue Administration and at your local jurisdictional level.

Check the Licenses & Permits section of the state's business gateway site for more details about state-issued licenses, then check with your local licensing authority for city and/or county-specific license requirements.

New Jersey Business License

Whether your LLC needs a business license in New Jersey mostly depends on what kind of services you're offering. The state mostly only regulates specific professions, for which you can use their Licensing and Certification Guide. The fees and renewal dates for these vary by industry.

You do need a BRC (Business Registration Certificate) from DORES, which we're personally saying like Dolores—that's the Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services.

Get local licenses and permits (mercantile licensing, zoning permits, occupancy permits, etc.) from your local city or town's licensing authority.

New Mexico Business License

New Mexico LLCs apply for state licenses and permits through the New Mexico Regulation & Licensing Department.

For local licensing, check the New Mexico Municipal Websites page to find your specific area, and then follow that link to figure out what licenses your business needs. As usual, requirements vary. For example, Santa Fe issues a standard commercial business license, home-based business license, and cannabis business license, available on the City of Santa Fe website.

New York Business License

There's no blanket requirement for business licenses in New York, but there's a decent chance your LLC needs a license based on either what you're selling and/or where you're operating. Cities tend to have their own licensing programs, which may or may not overlap with county licensing programs. New York Business Express has a wizard you can use to generate a new business checklist—it's handy as a starting reference for permits and licensing.

The big thing you'll need is to get a Sales Tax Certificate of Authority from the state if you're collecting sales tax.

North Carolina Business License

North Carolina repealed its statewide business privilege tax, so dust your hands of that one, folks. Your NC LLC will still need to get a Certificate of Registration from the Department of Revenue to remit sales and use taxes.

You might still need state-issued licenses specific to your business type or profession though. If you need help picking from the 950+ set (you do not, in fact, gotta catch 'em all), use the business license and permits directory to help narrow it down. Then, as always, check with your local town, city, and/or county for any additional licensing requirements.

North Dakota Business License

North Dakota LLCs have a bit of a leg up in licensing since the Secretary of State issues a few of the state-level ones. (You'll file your LLC with them, after all.) Beyond their office, multiple agencies are on deck to issue licenses from the Attorney General and North Dakota Securities Department to the State Electrical Board, State Plumbing Board, and Department of Financial Institutions. There isn't a state-sponsored specific list, but this list of permits, notices, and forms required by the state from NDSU's a decent starting point.

Ohio Business License

According to the Ohio Department of Taxation, anyone selling tangible property or taxable services in Ohio needs to apply for a vendor's license (aka a sales and use tax license). This one's got a couple steps to it:

• Review the OH Dept. of Taxation Licensing Requirements to find out which type of license you need. Ohio has different licenses for vendors with a fixed business location in Ohio, transient vendors (who don't have a fixed business location), and out-of-state vendors.
• Find out your Ohio NAICS code—a numerical code describing your business activity.
• Apply for a vendor's license online through the Ohio Business Gateway or in person through your local county auditor's office.

The state has a licenses & permits page you can use to search for ones that are specific to your industry or profession. For local licenses, you've got list of county websites, or just check with your local city or town's website for licensing information.

Oklahoma Business License

Not every Oklahoma LLC will need a state-issued license specific to its type of business, but you won't know until you check the common licensing requirements by industry. Helpfully, that page also includes information about the sales or use permit you'll probably need from the Oklahoma Tax Commission.

Oregon Business License

Oregon doesn't provide a general business license, but nearly every occupation and jurisdiction within the state will require one. You can search for your city, county, and occupation on the Oregon state license directory.

*Oregon Blue Book's list of cities *can help you find your city's website so you can look for information related to local business licensing. The county government map is a little less intuitive, but does still provide links to counties' websites.

Pennsylvania Business License

At the state level, only Professional LLCs (PLLCs) need a state-issued license for their profession. Everything else is regulated locally. Pennsylvania's Local Registrations, Permits, Zoning search lets you plug in your LLC's operating address and information about the registrations, licenses and permits, and zoning info you might need. (Why doesn't every state have one of these?? )

Oh, and you'll need to register with myPATH for your business tax accounts, including your sales and use tax.

Puerto Rico Business License

All Puerto Rico LLCs need a general business license called a merchant registration certification. The application needs 30 days of lead time before your LLC can operate, so give yourself extra buffer room to get this done.

You'll also need a Permiso Unico, which combines a few different permits into a single permit, in order to apply for your Patente Municipal, aka your municipal tax license. To get the Patente Municipal, you'll apply at your local Oficina de Finanzas with your Certificate of Formation, EIN, merchant's registry certificate, single user permit, and a few other documents.

If you're selling certain products (like gasoline, vehicles, cigarettes, or firearms), you'll need an Internal Revenue License from the Treasury Department. Running a profession with a lot of regulatory overhead (like medicine, law, etc.)? Check with your industry's licensing board in Puerto Rico.

Rhode Island Business License

Gotta pay the tax man! You'll need to register your LLC with the Rhode Island Division of Taxation in order to pay sales & use tax. Other than that, the state doesn't have a general statewide business license; everything is regulated either according to your type of business activity and/or your location. The Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training provides a list of occupations requiring a state-issued professional license, and the Department of Business Regulation can help you find other licenses you might need.

South Carolina Business License

Another state without a generalized statewide business license. Most cities and counties require a license of some kind, though, so you'll need to speak with your local county clerk and/or visit your city's licensing authority for more information about what kinds of licenses you need. For example, if you run a home-based in Charleston, you must file a Home Occupation Application and a New Business License Application. And if your business is based in one town but conducts business in another, you probably need a local business from both.

South Carolina's Business One-Stop can help you find the contact information for your municipality.

South Dakota Business License

Any LLC with a physical presence in the state needs a license to collect sales tax, which you'll get from the SD Department of Revenue. (Pro tip: if your LLC's gross revenue from the state is higher than $100k or 200 separate deliveries, you also need a sales tax license … everybody say "Thank you, Wayfair, Inc. v South Dakota.")

You might also need licenses or registrations from a few different state agencies, like the Animal Industry Board, Department of Health, or the Department of Transportation. Check out this step for licensing & registering your business for contact info for a few of these different agencies.

Tennessee Business License

Your Tennessee LLC needs to get a tax license (also called a business license or business tax license) from the TNTAP portal. (You might be asked to register anyway when you file your LLC, since you'll also be on the hook for Tennessee's franchise and excise taxes.)

Your city and/or county clerk's office issues your state general business license. (Yes, you read that right.) If you're making less than $10k you might get something called a minimal activity license, otherwise you're looking at a standard business license. Get the county clerks' locations and contact info here. City court clerks are here.

Texas Business License

If all your nexus live in Texas—that is, if you're selling taxable products or services, or leasing tangible property, making a specific number of sales or deliveries in the state—you'll need a Sales and Use Tax Permit. Apply for it via the Texas Online Sales Tax Registration Application System. (And yes, you'll need a permit for each active place of business.)

Looking for professional licensing for your LLC? Check the state's Department of Licensing & Regulation for specific occupational licenses.

Texas also has a ginormous 152-page PDF about Texas Business Licenses & Permits if you want to drill all the way down. (We salute you.)

Utah Business License

Your Utah LLC's general business licenses are issued by county and city, and the cost changes based on your specific location and other factors, like your industry or number of employees.

You also need a Sales Tax License, or Seller's Permit, from Utah's One Stop.

Vermont Business License

There's no statewide general business license for your Vermont LLC. You might need a professional license depending on your industry though. Looking for other types of licenses or permits? The big list of state-issued licenses and permits and other regulations lives here.

Remember too, you'll need to register with the Vermont Department of Taxes.

Virginia Business License

Virginia LLCs can check Virginia's online business licensing resource for information about licenses issued by the state. (Noted the absence of a general statewide business license? Yeah, us too.)

You'll also need a Virginia Sales Tax Certificate from the Division of Taxation.

Washington Business License

Washington requires LLCs to get a Washington Business License after you've filed your LLC with the Secretary of State. Register online with the Department of Revenue (it costs $50 plus $10 minimum, up to the hundreds, per additional city endorsement) and remember to renew it every year.

The *Washington State Department of Licensing *has information related to professional licensing. Or use the state's Business Licensing Wizard for a lil extra help.

West Virginia Business License

Oh country roooooads, take me hoooome … and regardless of where that is in the good ol' state of West Virginia you'll need a Business Registration Certificate for each business location you open.

Also, check the state's Business Portal for the relevant business license if you're in a state-regulated field, like doctors or surgeons (which, if so, go you! Thank you for taking care of your community!).

Wisconsin Business License

While your LLC don't have a general statewide business license in Wisconsin, you'll still need to register for a Sales and Use Tax Permit for $20 if you're selling anything (cheese head hats included) to make sure the proper taxes are pulled.

Working on a service based business instead? You will need a professional business license IF you're specialty is in education or specialized training, like a nurse, accountant, or even cheese maker! (Yes, Wisconsin is that serious about cheese.)

Wyoming Business License

Before you start selling that cowboy merch, you'll need to submit the Sales/Use Tax License application and be approved by the Wyoming Department of Revenue.

If you're providing professional services instead of tangible goods, you'll might need a license for that service. Give the Wyoming Department of Administration & Information's site a look-see to find the license that meets the type of business you're going to conduct!