Butler County
Butler County Auditor
In short
Butler County Auditor issues 2 permits we publish for Butler County, last verified 2026-10-20. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| County Vendor's License | Butler County Auditor | $50 one-time, for each fixed place of business in the county — a combined state and county amount under ORC 5739.17(A): $25 goes to the state Organized Crime Commission Fund and $25 to the Butler County general fund; the Auditor's page states there is no annual renewal fee | one-time license that stays in force with no annual renewal fee; a move within the county can be handled by a transfer at no fee, and a change of ownership needs a new license | 2026-10-20 |
| Retail Cigarette Dealer Licenseonly if it applies to you | Butler County Auditor | $125 a year, for each physical place of business where cigarettes are sold at retail — a statutory fee under ORC 5743.15(B)(1), prorated when the application is filed after June 1 but never below $25; a duplicate license is $5 | one year commencing on June 1 (ORC 5743.15(B)(2)); the Auditor's page states that 'these licenses are valid from June to June', and applications are due annually on or before June 1 | 2026-10-20 |
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
County Vendor's License
A business making taxable sales from a fixed place of business in Butler County gets this license from the County Auditor at 130 High Street in Hamilton. The amount is set by statute: ORC 5739.17(A) requires the applicant to pay 'a license fee in the sum of fifty dollars for each fixed place of business in the county that will be the situs of retail sales,' and directs the auditor to send twenty-five dollars of it to the state organized crime commission fund, with 'The remaining twenty-five dollars of each license fee' credited to the county general fund. The Auditor's vendor page states the same figure: 'There are two types of vendor licenses available, each costing $50. (The fee increased from $25 to $50 effective April 9, 2025 …) There is no annual renewal fee for either license.' The Auditor's April 2025 notice describes it as 'the one-time fee for applying for a new vendor license' under House Bill 366. Per the Auditor's page, the county license is 'required for vendors selling products at a permanent location,' service vendors with a fixed place of business in the county also need it, and on a move within the county 'There is no fee for transferring the license,' while 'A new license must be obtained if there is a change in ownership.' A vendor without a fixed location buys the transient vendor's license from the Ohio Department of Taxation instead, which is a state registration.
Retail Cigarette Dealer License
A store, cafe or restaurant that sells cigarettes at retail in Butler County needs this license from the County Auditor for each physical place of business. The Auditor's page states that 'To obtain a Retail Cigarette Dealer License, you must first have a Vendor License' and that 'The annual fee for a cigarette license is $125, and these licenses are valid from June to June.' The amount is statutory: ORC 5743.15(B)(1) requires an 'application fee in the sum of one hundred twenty-five dollars for each physical place where the person proposes to carry on such business,' and (B)(2) issues the license 'for one year commencing on the first day of June,' prorating a late application but never below twenty-five dollars in a year, with a duplicate for a lost, destroyed or defaced license 'upon payment of a five-dollar fee.' Under (B)(3) the holder 'may transfer the license to a place of business within the same county other than that designated on the license on condition that the licensee's ownership interest and business structure remain unchanged, and that the licensee applies to the county auditor therefor, upon forms approved by the commissioner and the payment of a fee of five dollars into the county treasury.' ORC 5743.15(D)(2) distributes the retail fees: 'Thirty per cent shall be paid upon the warrant of the county auditor into the treasury of the municipal corporation or township in which the places of business for which the tax revenue was received are located'; 'Ten per cent shall be credited to the general fund of the county'; and 'Sixty per cent shall be paid into the cigarette tax enforcement fund.'
Contact
- Jurisdiction
- Butler County
- Phone
- 513-887-3154
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.
- Licensing — the Butler County Auditor's licensing index: dogs, kennels, junk yards, retail cigarette dealers and vendorsButler County Auditor, Ohio · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-20
- ORC 5739.17, Vendor's License — $50 fee ($25 to the state Organized Crime Commission Fund, $25 to the county general fund), effective April 9, 2025Ohio Legislative Service Commission · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-29
- ORC 5743.15 — retail cigarette dealer's license, $125 application fee per physical place, license year commencing 1 June, $25 proration floor, $5 duplicate and transfer fees, and the 30/10/60 distribution of the feeOhio Legislative Service Commission · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-30
- Retail Cigarette Dealer License — the Auditor's page: vendor license prerequisite, $125 annual fee, licenses valid from June to JuneButler County Auditor, Ohio · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-20
- Vendor License — the Auditor's page: two types of vendor license each costing $50 since April 9, 2025, no annual renewal fee, no fee for an in-county transferButler County Auditor, Ohio · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-20
- Vendor License Fee Increase Effective April 9, 2025 — House Bill 366 raises the one-time new vendor license fee to $50Butler County Auditor, Ohio · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-20
Other offices serving Butler County
The full permit list for this jurisdiction
Industry permit lists that include this agency
Ohio jurisdictions
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