Lake Charles
City of Lake Charles Finance Department, Occupational License Division
In short
City of Lake Charles Finance Department, Occupational License Division issues 8 permits we publish for Lake Charles, last verified 2026-10-09. Each carries the fee as the agency publishes it, with a link to the schedule it was read from.
What this agency issues
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Occupational License Tax — Retail Dealers | City of Lake Charles Finance Department, Occupational License Division | $50–$6,200 a year, by gross receipts bracket under Table 1, the state-prescribed retail dealers schedule the city administers directly | annual — calendar year; the minimum fee is $50 for a business commencing before July 1, or $25 for one commencing July 1 or later | 2026-09-08 |
| Occupational License Tax — Professions | City of Lake Charles Finance Department, Occupational License Division | $50–$2,000 a year — 0.1% of gross receipts under Table 6 (Professions), with a $50 minimum and $2,000 maximum tax | annual — calendar year | 2026-09-08 |
| License for Retailers with No Fixed Place of Business (Trucks, Vehicles and Street-Side Stands)only if it applies to you | City of Lake Charles Finance Department, Occupational License Division | $300 per truck, vehicle, stand or location — examination and inspection fee, on top of the occupational license tax; a $2,000 surety bond is also filed with the Director of Finance | up to one year, issued on an annual basis; no refund if cancelled | 2026-10-09 |
| Tire Business Permitonly if it applies to you | City of Lake Charles Finance Department, Occupational License Division | $50 a year, per location — nonrefundable, due by January 1 | calendar year — January 1 to December 31; a change of ownership requires a new permit | 2026-10-09 |
| Retail Permit for Beverages of Low Alcoholic Content (Beer and Wine)only if it applies to you | City of Lake Charles Finance Department, Occupational License Division | $60–$75 a year — Class B (sealed containers for off-premises consumption) $60; Class A (consumption on or off the premises) $75 | annual or biennial, dating from January 1; renewal applications are due by November 1, and a renewal filed after that date carries a 25% delinquency penalty | 2026-10-09 |
| Retail Permit for Beverages of High Alcoholic Content (Liquor)only if it applies to you | City of Lake Charles Finance Department, Occupational License Division | The City Code sets no fixed amount for this permit — § 3-17 states only the code's ceiling (see notes); contact the Occupational License Division at (337) 491-1442 for the fee charged | annual or biennial, dating from January 1 | 2026-10-09 |
| Restaurant Endorsement Permit (Sunday Alcohol Service with Meals)only if it applies to you | City of Lake Charles Finance Department, Occupational License Division | $100 per application — new, renewal or one-month temporary permit; no charge for the first full permit after a temporary one | temporary permit valid one month; the Code sets no term for the full permit | 2026-10-09 |
| Occupational License Tax — Contractors | City of Lake Charles Finance Department, Occupational License Division | $50–$750 a year, by gross receipts bracket under Table 2, statutorily capped at $750 for a contractor regardless of size | annual — calendar year | 2026-09-08 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
About each permit
Occupational License Tax — Retail Dealers
The city publishes the same statewide rate table directly rather than a city-specific schedule of its own, and applies it to restaurants, retail stores, salons, fitness studios, and auto repair shops as retail/service businesses under Table 1. The city's own codified ordinance text adopts this by law, not merely by practice: Code of Ordinances § 12-27 states the license tax 'is hereby fixed, determined, ordained and levied to be the same as those maximum amounts which may be fixed, levied and collectable by a governing authority under R.S. 47:354 through 47:359' — R.S. 47:354 being the Table 1 retail-dealers schedule applied here. An unusual case should still be confirmed with the Occupational License Division (337-491-1442). A Certificate of Occupancy must be completed before this license is issued.
Occupational License Tax — Professions
This listing places veterinary practice under Table 6 (Professions) of the city's occupational license tax table, which sets the tax at 0.1% of gross receipts with a $50 minimum and a $2,000 maximum. The city's own tax table does not individually name veterinary practice, so confirm the classification with the Occupational License Division (337-491-1442) before budgeting.
License for Retailers with No Fixed Place of Business (Trucks, Vehicles and Street-Side Stands)
City Code § 12-33 (Ord. No. 8471, 6-3-87) requires anyone selling at retail other than from a fixed place of business — including from trucks or other vehicles parked on or beside public streets, and from temporary stands beside streets — to pay the occupational license tax and also obtain this license. Subsection (d) sets 'an examination and inspection fee of $300.00 for each truck, vehicle, stand or location', and (e) requires a $2,000.00 surety bond in favour of the City. Under (h), everything except the annual license tax does not apply to sellers of their own agricultural products or to sellers whose gross annual receipts do not exceed $5,000.00. Subsection (f)(6) requires a Calcasieu Parish Health Unit certificate for products under its jurisdiction.
Tire Business Permit
City Code § 6-503 (Ord. No. 19109, 1-19-22) states: 'All tire dealers located within the city limits engaging in the sale or resale of tires or the generation of waste tires shall be required to obtain a permit annually ... for a nonrefundable fee of $50.00', with a separate permit for each location. Section 6-502 defines a tire dealer as any person or business that engages in the sale of new or used tires, so this applies to an auto repair shop or store that sells tires. The application, made to the Occupational License Department, needs proof of a current business license, proof of insurance and the estimated number of tires stored on site, and the permit must be posted.
Retail Permit for Beverages of Low Alcoholic Content (Beer and Wine)
City Code § 3-31 (as amended by Ord. No. 20034, 8-21-24) requires every retail dealer in beverages of low alcoholic content to obtain a permit for each separate business and sets a non-refundable fee of $75.00 per year for a Class A retailer and $60.00 per year for a Class B retailer, paid to the Director of Finance. Under § 3-32 the application is approved by the mayor or his designee, and § 3-55 sets nonrefundable Alcohol Review Board fees of $50.00 for an initial or renewal application under that division. This City permit is separate from the state permit issued under Title 26.
Retail Permit for Beverages of High Alcoholic Content (Liquor)
City Code § 3-15 requires each dealer in beverages of high alcoholic content to obtain a City permit annually or biennially for each separate business. Under § 3-17 (Ord. No. 20034, 8-21-24) the fee 'shall not exceed $500.00 per year for each place of business' — that is the code's ceiling, not a stated fee — and a permit issued after July 1 to a new business costs one-half of the annual fee. Section 3-16 requires a sworn application approved by the mayor or his designee, and § 3-55 sets $50.00 Alcohol Review Board fees for an initial or renewal application under that division.
Restaurant Endorsement Permit (Sunday Alcohol Service with Meals)
Under City Code § 3-8(b)(3), a restaurant holding a restaurant endorsement permit may serve alcoholic beverages with meals between 10:00 a.m. Sunday and 12:01 a.m. Monday while its restaurant facilities are open. Section 3-8.1 (Ord. No. 10857, 12-4-96) makes the permit separate from any other City permit, requires a Calcasieu Parish Health Unit compliance statement and proof that most gross revenue comes from food and nonalcoholic beverages, and states: 'A fee of $100.00 shall be paid with the application for a restaurant endorsement permit, a renewal permit, or a temporary permit.' Applications go to the mayor or his designee.
Occupational License Tax — Contractors
The $750 statutory cap on a contractor's occupational license tax applies statewide under R.S. 47:362, regardless of Table 2's higher general bracket ceiling; on top of, not instead of, the state contractors board license recorded at the state layer.
Contact
- Jurisdiction
- Lake Charles
- Phone
- (337) 491-1442
Contact details are taken from the agency’s own site or its published fee schedule. Where we have not verified a phone number we leave it blank rather than guess.
Sources
Every fee and term above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- City of Lake Charles — Occupational License Procedures, including the July 1 half-year minimum fee rule and the Certificate of Occupancy preconditionCity of Lake Charles, Finance Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-08
- City of Lake Charles — Occupational License Tax TableCity of Lake Charles, Finance Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-08
- City of Lake Charles Code of Ordinances, § 12-33 — Retailers with no fixed place of business (Ord. No. 8471, 6-3-87)City of Lake Charles, Louisiana (Code of Ordinances, via Municode) · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
- City of Lake Charles Code of Ordinances, § 3-17 — Fee (permits for beverages of high alcoholic content) (Ord. No. 20034, 8-21-24)City of Lake Charles, Louisiana (Code of Ordinances, via Municode) · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
- City of Lake Charles Code of Ordinances, § 3-31 — Required; fees (permits for beverages of low alcoholic content) (Ord. No. 9731, 11-18-92; Ord. No. 20034, 8-21-24)City of Lake Charles, Louisiana (Code of Ordinances, via Municode) · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
- City of Lake Charles Code of Ordinances, § 3-55 — Fees (Alcohol Review Board application processing and advertising fees) (Ord. No. 7771, 1-18-84)City of Lake Charles, Louisiana (Code of Ordinances, via Municode) · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
- City of Lake Charles Code of Ordinances, § 3-8.1 — Restaurant endorsement permits—Regulations (Ord. No. 10857, 12-4-96)City of Lake Charles, Louisiana (Code of Ordinances, via Municode) · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
- City of Lake Charles Code of Ordinances, § 6-503 — Tire business license (Ord. No. 19109, 1-19-22)City of Lake Charles, Louisiana (Code of Ordinances, via Municode) · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
- City of Lake Charles Code of Ordinances, Chapter 12 (Licenses and Regulations), Article I (Occupational License Taxes), § 12-27 (Rates, terms and conditions) — read directly: the license tax 'is hereby fixed, determined, ordained and levied to be the same as those maximum amounts which may be fixed, levied and collectable by a governing authority under R.S. 47:354 through 47:359' (Ordinance No. 8471, 6-3-1987; Ordinance No. 8672, 6-1-1988)City of Lake Charles, Louisiana (Code of Ordinances, via elaws.us) · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-18
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