Charleston
City of Charleston Revenue Collections Division
In short
City of Charleston Revenue Collections Division issues 4 permits we publish for Charleston, last verified 2026-09-08. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contractor Business License | City of Charleston Revenue Collections Division | Resident contractor (with a permanent place of business in the city): $40.00 minimum on the first $2,000 of gross income, plus $1.65 per additional $1,000. Non-resident contractor: $80.00 minimum plus $3.30 per additional $1,000 (double the resident rate). Per-job licensing is available for contract-specific work. | annual | 2026-09-08 |
| Salon/Barbershop Licensing — Standard City Business License Class Applies (Charleston)only if it applies to you | City of Charleston Revenue Collections Division | No fee | not applicable | 2026-09-08 |
| Business License | City of Charleston Revenue Collections Division | Annual privilege tax on gross income earned in the city, by rate class (base rate on the first $2,000, then per additional $1,000): Class 1 (retail, wholesale, agriculture, utilities, accommodations) $32.00 + $1.55; Class 2 (food services/drinking places, transportation, mining) $37.00 + $1.95; Class 3 (manufacturing, health care/social assistance, arts/entertainment, other services including personal care and auto repair) $43.00 + $2.35; Class 4 (information, professional/scientific/technical) $49.00 + $2.80; Class 5 $55.00 + $3.15; Class 6 (real estate/rental) $60.00 + $3.50; Class 7 (finance/insurance) $64.00 + $3.90. A declining rate of 80% of the class rate applies to gross income over $4 million; non-resident businesses with no fixed place of business in the city pay double. | annual — license year runs May 1 to April 30 | 2026-09-08 |
| Auto Repair Licensing — Standard City Business License Class Applies (Charleston)only if it applies to you | City of Charleston Revenue Collections Division | No fee | not applicable | 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
Contractor Business License
This is the business-license rate for contractors (Class 8.1, NAICS 230000) in the City Code chapter 17 rate schedule. The ordinance states that no contractor shall be issued a business license until all state and municipal qualification examination and trade license requirements have been met, so the contractor must already hold the required South Carolina state license (via LLR) and have filed the required Building Code performance/indemnity bonds. The ordinance also requires each contractor to post a sign in plain view on each job identifying the contractor with the job.
Salon/Barbershop Licensing — Standard City Business License Class Applies (Charleston)
The Business License Class Schedule by NAICS code in Appendix B to City Code chapter 17 (as published in the City's Business License Ordinance and Rate Schedule document) places NAICS 812 'Personal and laundry services' in Class 3 and lists no salon- or barbershop-specific subclass, so a salon or barbershop pays the standard Class 3 business license rate recorded in the Business License entry ($43.00 on the first $2,000 of gross income plus $2.35 per additional $1,000). There is no separate city salon fee beyond that business license.
Business License
A salon/barbershop (personal care services) and an auto repair/body shop are both confirmed under Class 3. Whether a veterinary practice falls under Class 4 is an inference from the sector-level ordinance language ('54 – Professional, scientific, and technical services'), not a named line item, and is not asserted as confirmed.
Auto Repair Licensing — Standard City Business License Class Applies (Charleston)
The Business License Class Schedule by NAICS code in Appendix B to City Code chapter 17 (as published in the City's Business License Ordinance and Rate Schedule document) lists NAICS 8111 'Auto repair and maintenance' by name in Class 3, so an auto repair shop pays the standard Class 3 business license rate recorded in the Business License entry ($43.00 on the first $2,000 of gross income plus $2.35 per additional $1,000). There is no separate city auto repair fee beyond that business license.
Contact
- Jurisdiction
- Charleston
- Phone
- (843) 724-3711
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 Charleston Code, Chapter 17, Business License Ordinance and Appendix A/BCity of Charleston · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-08
Other offices serving Charleston
The full permit list for this jurisdiction
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South Carolina jurisdictions
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.