Salt Lake City
City of Salt Lake City Finance Department, Business Licensing Division
In short
City of Salt Lake City Finance Department, Business Licensing Division issues 9 permits we publish for Salt Lake City, last verified 2026-09-09. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Business License | City of Salt Lake City Finance Department, Business Licensing Division | A base Commercial license fee of $198/year (risen from $193 before September 2026), plus $29/year for every full- or part-time employee once the business has more than one. Several specific trades owe a further named-category fee on top — see the individual industry records below. Per the Consolidated Fee Schedule amended 06/16/2026 (Ordinance 2026-29). | annual (renewal cycle not stated in the published fee schedule) | 2026-09-09 |
| Mobile Food Business License | City of Salt Lake City Finance Department, Business Licensing Division | Standard mobile food business: $103/year per vehicle, in addition to the base Commercial license and employee fees. Reciprocal mobile food business (a truck or trailer already licensed by another Utah city under the state's reciprocal mobile-vending framework): $103/year per vehicle, with no base license fee required. | annual (renewal cycle not stated in the published fee schedule) | 2026-09-09 |
| Business License Add-On — Restaurants/Cafeterias | City of Salt Lake City Finance Department, Business Licensing Division | $128 annual, in addition to the base license and employee fees | annual (renewal cycle not stated in the published fee schedule) | 2026-09-09 |
| Business License Add-On — Auto/Truck & Mechanic Related Services | City of Salt Lake City Finance Department, Business Licensing Division | $77 annual, in addition to the base license and employee fees | annual (renewal cycle not stated in the published fee schedule) | 2026-09-09 |
| Fitness Studio Business License — City Fee Schedule Position (Salt Lake City)only if it applies to you | City of Salt Lake City Finance Department, Business Licensing Division | No fee | not applicable | 2026-09-09 |
| Business License Add-On — Retail/Wholesale Sales | City of Salt Lake City Finance Department, Business Licensing Division | $60 annual, in addition to the base license and employee fees | annual (renewal cycle not stated in the published fee schedule) | 2026-09-09 |
| Business License Add-On — Childcare Facilities | City of Salt Lake City Finance Department, Business Licensing Division | $170 annual, in addition to the base license and employee fees | annual (renewal cycle not stated in the published fee schedule) | 2026-09-09 |
| Business License Add-On — Construction Business | City of Salt Lake City Finance Department, Business Licensing Division | $34 annual, in addition to the base license and employee fees | annual (renewal cycle not stated in the published fee schedule) | 2026-09-09 |
| Veterinary Clinic Business License — City Fee Schedule Position (Salt Lake City)only if it applies to you | City of Salt Lake City Finance Department, Business Licensing Division | No fee | not applicable | 2026-09-09 |
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
General Business License
Mandatory for anyone conducting business — even temporarily — within Salt Lake City's corporate limits, per the Finance Department's own description; the licensing review itself is what confirms zoning, fire-code and building-code compliance rather than a separate stand-alone certificate. A commonly repeated '$100 non-refundable application fee' appears on several third-party small-business sites but does not match the city's own Consolidated Fee Schedule, which is the figure given here.
Mobile Food Business License
A background check on the owner/driver and a certificate of insurance are both required. Operation is limited to specific zoning districts (M-1, M-2, D-1 through D-4, and G-MU) within the public right-of-way, capped at two hours per location unless a Transportation Division permit extends it. This is the city's license to operate the vehicle as a business; the Salt Lake County Health Department's own separate Food Truck Permit (recorded below) additionally licenses the food-safety side and is required on top of this one.
Business License Add-On — Restaurants/Cafeterias
Risen from $124 before September 2026 (Consolidated Fee Schedule, 'Food/Restaurant/Café'). Applies to any restaurant or cafeteria; the fee schedule has no separate 'coffee shop' category, so a coffee shop preparing and serving food or beverages for immediate consumption is treated under this same line. A current, valid Salt Lake County Health Department food permit is required before this license issues.
Business License Add-On — Auto/Truck & Mechanic Related Services
Risen from $75 before September 2026. A body/collision shop that stores flammable or hazardous materials above the fire code's minimum threshold quantities also owes the Fire Prevention Bureau's separate annual hazardous-materials permit recorded below; an ordinary mechanical shop below that threshold owes only this business-license fee.
Fitness Studio Business License — City Fee Schedule Position (Salt Lake City)
There is no additional category fee: the Consolidated Fee Schedule's Business Licensing list names no 'fitness,' 'gym,' or 'health club' category, and its nearest neighbour, 'Dance Studio,' is listed with no additional charge ('refer to base license fee listed in this section'). Under that schedule a fitness studio pays only the base Commercial license fee ($198) plus the employee fee.
Business License Add-On — Retail/Wholesale Sales
Risen from $59 before September 2026. This is the generic retail category; a handful of specific retail lines carry their own separate, differently-priced category instead (for example, Clothing Sales is priced at $128) — confirm with Business Licensing (801-535-6644) whether a specific line of retail trade has its own named schedule entry.
Business License Add-On — Childcare Facilities
Risen from $165 before September 2026. This is on top of, not instead of, the Utah Division of Licensing and Background Checks (DLBC) child care facility license recorded at the state layer, and separate again from the county health department's food-service inspection recorded below if the facility serves food.
Business License Add-On — Construction Business
Risen from $32 before September 2025 — a flat annual add-on, not a gross-receipts-based schedule (a claim to that effect circulates on third-party contractor-licensing sites but does not match the city's own published fee). This is the only Salt Lake City-specific licensing touchpoint for contractors beyond the base business license: the City publishes no separate local contractor exam, registration card or bond. A permit applicant must show proof of an active Utah DOPL contractor license (recorded at the state layer) at business-license and building-permit application.
Veterinary Clinic Business License — City Fee Schedule Position (Salt Lake City)
There is no additional category fee: the Consolidated Fee Schedule's Business Licensing list (Amusement Devices through Wrecker Service) names no 'veterinary,' 'animal hospital,' or 'kennel' category. Under that schedule a veterinary clinic pays only the base Commercial license fee ($198) plus the employee fee, on top of the Utah DOPL veterinarian license recorded at the state layer, which itself licenses only the individual practitioner.
Contact
- Jurisdiction
- Salt Lake City
- Phone
- (801) 535-6644
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.
- Business Licensing — program overview, mandatory-license statement, and application processCity of Salt Lake City, Finance Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-09
- Mobile Food Business — license requirements, per-vehicle fee statement, zoning restrictions and health department cross-referenceCity of Salt Lake City, Finance Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-09
- Salt Lake City Consolidated Fee Schedule, Amended 06/16/2026 by Ordinance 2026-29 (business license columns 'Effective Sept '26') — business licensing, building/electrical/plumbing/sign permit, zoning and fire fee tablesCity of Salt Lake City · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08
- Salt Lake City Food Truck Guide — combined city, county and state requirements for mobile food vendorsCity of Salt Lake City, Department of Economic Development · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-09
Other offices serving Salt Lake City
The full permit list for this jurisdiction
Industry permit lists that include this agency
- Restaurants in Salt Lake City
- Coffee shops in Salt Lake City
- Retail stores in Salt Lake City
- Salons and barbers in Salt Lake City
- Food trucks in Salt Lake City
- Fitness studios in Salt Lake City
- Childcare centres in Salt Lake City
- Contractors and trades in Salt Lake City
- Auto repair shops in Salt Lake City
- Veterinary clinics in Salt Lake City
Utah jurisdictions
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.