Do I need a business license?

Almost every business needs at least one authorization, but which one depends on three questions: what you do, where you do it, and who regulates that activity. Some states, Washington, Alaska, and a handful of others, require a general state business license for nearly every company. Most states do not; instead they license specific activities, so a bakery, a bookkeeper, and a lender in the same city can carry completely different requirements.

The three layers to check

Work through the layers in order. Local first: cities and counties commonly require a business tax certificate or general registration for anyone operating inside their limits, including home businesses. State second: check whether your state has a general license requirement and, separately, whether your specific activity is regulated. Regulated fields, lending, collections, money transmission, insurance, construction, food service, childcare, carry their own state licenses with applications, fees, and sometimes bonds. Federal third: most businesses need nothing federal beyond a tax ID, but activities like alcohol production, firearms, aviation, and broadcasting have federal permits.

Why the question has no single answer

The license is attached to the activity and the location, not to the business as an idea. Open a second location and the local layer repeats. Add a new service line and a new state license can appear. Sell into a new state and that state's rules join the list. This is why two businesses with the same name on the door can have very different license stacks.

Our business licensing service maps your activities to the licenses each state requires, and the state-by-state summaries show what each state expects before you file.