8 published records
Business licenses and permits in Sarasota County, Florida
Sarasota County, Florida, county seat Sarasota. The Sarasota County Tax Collector's page states that the Board of County Commissioners voted to repeal the County Business Tax on July 9, 2024, so the County Business Tax is no longer collected, and that businesses located within city limits may be required to pay the business tax in the local municipality: Longboat Key, North Port, Sarasota or Venice. Those four municipalities, the City of Sarasota, the City of North Port, the City of Venice and the Town of Longboat Key, each run their own business tax, building and zoning requirements, which stack on the state and county items. Under the county's Unified Development Code, a business premises needs a Business Use Permit from the Zoning Administrator before it opens. Child care facilities and family child care homes are licensed under County Code Chapter 62 by Sarasota County Child Care Licensing, one of four Florida counties the Department of Children and Families lists as licensing child care locally. Contractors in county-regulated trades hold a Sarasota County Certificate of Competency and Operating Certificate. The population figure of 476,604 is the U.S. Census Bureau's 2024 estimate.
What are you opening in Sarasota County?
- RestaurantsFull-service restaurants carry the densest permit load of any small business: food, fire, occupancy, waste, and usually alcohol.See the full permit list
- Coffee shopsCafés are permitted as food service establishments even where no cooking happens, and the plan review step catches most operators by surprise.See the full permit list
- Retail storesRetail is the lightest common permit load, but the sales tax permit and the certificate of occupancy are non-negotiable in every jurisdiction.See the full permit list
- Salons and barbersPersonal care is licensed at state board level as well as locally, so the shop license and the practitioner licenses are separate obligations.See the full permit list
- Food trucksMobile food is the one category with no certificate of occupancy — but it gains a commissary agreement, and the unit itself is inspected rather than the premises.See the full permit list
- Fitness studiosPrepaid memberships trigger state registration and often a surety bond, which catches operators who budgeted only for the fit-out.See the full permit list
- Childcare centresThe heaviest permit load of any small business: state agency licensing, per-person background checks, and a stricter fire standard than ordinary commercial use.See the full permit list
- Contractors and tradesLicensed at state board level rather than locally, and the only common category with no premises permits at all — the bond is usually the long pole.See the full permit list
- Auto repair shopsOrdinary commercial permitting plus an environmental layer: waste oil, solvents and stormwater are each registered separately.See the full permit list
- Veterinary clinicsA state facility permit, controlled substances registration at both state and federal level, and a medical waste manifest — none of which a general business license covers.See the full permit list
Permits that apply to every type of business in Sarasota County
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| County Business Tax — Repeal Statement (Tax Collector and Ord. No. 2024-048)only if it applies to you | Sarasota County Tax Collector | The Sarasota County Tax Collector's page states that the Board of County Commissioners voted to repeal the County Business Tax on July 9, 2024 and that the County Business Tax will no longer be collected; Ord. No. 2024-048, adopted July 9, 2024, rewrote Chapter 114, Article IV of the County Code and reserved the former business tax sections. A business inside Longboat Key, North Port, Sarasota or Venice checks that municipality's business tax. | not applicable — this record reports the Tax Collector's repeal statement rather than a license with a term | 2026-10-15 |
| Business Use Permit (Unified Development Code s. 124-51) | Sarasota County Planning and Development Services, Zoning | Unified Development Code s. 124-51 sets no dollar amount, and the fee is not published in the Code. Contact Sarasota County Planning and Development Services, 870 Apex Road, Sarasota (941-861-5000), for the current Business Use Permit fee. | issued for a location, ownership and business use; s. 124-51 requires a new permit for any change of location, ownership or business use | 2026-10-15 |
| Commercial Building Permit (County Code Ch. 22, Florida Building Code) | Sarasota County Planning and Development Services, Building Division | Set by Resolution of the Board of County Commissioners under s. 104.6.4 of the Florida Building Code as amended by County Code Chapter 22. The Building page states that, beginning July 1, 2026 under HB 803, building inspection fees are no longer based on the value of work performed, and directs permit fee questions to building@scgov.net. The current schedule is not published on the Building page. | one-time per project | 2026-10-15 |
| Fire and Life Safety Inspection of Commercial Occupancies (Office of the Fire Marshal) | Sarasota County Fire Department, Office of the Fire Marshal | Inspection fees may be established by resolution of the Board of County Commissioners under County Code s. 58-7. A county news release of August 14, 2026 describes proposed FY2027 changes to Fire and Life Safety Inspection Fees; no adopted schedule is published on the county website. Contact the Fire Marshal's Office at 941-861-2290 for the current inspection fee. | periodic inspection of the occupancy; no fixed term is stated on the Fire Department page | 2026-10-15 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
What do these permits involve in Sarasota County?
County Business Tax — Repeal Statement (Tax Collector and Ord. No. 2024-048)
The Sarasota County Tax Collector's page, titled County Business Tax Repealed, states: “The Sarasota County Board of County Commissioners voted to repeal the County Business Tax July 9, 2024; therefore, the County Business Tax will no longer be collected.” The County Code agrees: the editor's note to Chapter 114, Article IV records that Ord. No. 2024-048, s. 2, adopted July 9, 2024, amended the article in its entirety, and the former business tax sections are now marked reserved. The same Tax Collector page notes that the tax on attorneys falls under a special act and funds the Law Library, so that tax continues. For a business inside a city or town, the page states that “Businesses located within city limits may be required to pay the business tax in the local municipality: Longboat Key, North Port, Sarasota, or Venice.” A business in one of those four municipalities applies to that city or town for its business tax receipt.
Business Use Permit (Unified Development Code s. 124-51)
Unified Development Code s. 124-51 states that no building, tenant space or structure shall be used for the purpose of operating a business, whether for profit or not-for-profit, until the Administrator has issued a Business Use Permit, and that the business owner and property owner, or agent, apply on the current Business Use Permit application form. Under the same section the Administrator may issue the permit only when the UDC and the County Code are met, including Chapter 22 (Building Code), Chapter 58 (Fire Prevention and Protection), Chapter 70 (Impact Fees and Capacity Fees) and Chapter 126 (Utilities), so the permit is the point where building, fire and utility sign-offs come together before a business opens. The permit is not transferable: the section states that any change of location, ownership or business use requires a new Business Use Permit. Applications go through the county's Accela online permitting portal. This applies to fixed premises in the area governed by the county's Unified Development Code; a business inside a city follows that city's zoning approvals instead.
Commercial Building Permit (County Code Ch. 22, Florida Building Code)
Construction, alteration and tenant build-out work on a commercial premises needs a building permit from the Sarasota County Planning and Development Services Building Division, which the Building page places at the PDS One Stop, 870 Apex Road, Sarasota, after all PDS services moved there from 1001 Sarasota Center Blvd. County Code Chapter 22 amends Florida Building Code s. 104.6.4 to read that fees for all permits shall be set by Resolution of the Board of County Commissioners. The Building page states that from July 1, 2026, under HB 803, building inspection fees will no longer be based on the value of work performed, and asks applicants to contact building@scgov.net for any permit fee questions. This record states no dollar figure for that reason. A business inside Sarasota, North Port, Venice or Longboat Key applies to that city or town's building department.
Fire and Life Safety Inspection of Commercial Occupancies (Office of the Fire Marshal)
The Sarasota County Fire Department page states that the Sarasota County Fire Marshal oversees the fire prevention, code enforcement and inspection activities of the department and enforces the Florida Fire Prevention Code as adopted by the State Fire Marshal, and that its inspectors conduct life and fire safety inspections of commercial and multi-family occupancies. The same page states that the Fire Department provides both fire suppression and emergency medical services to unincorporated Sarasota County and the City of Sarasota; this record covers that fire-service area. County Code s. 58-7 states that fees to cover the costs of inspections may be established by resolution of the Board of County Commissioners, and the Fire Department page carries a link to pay a Life Safety Inspection bill. A county news release of August 14, 2026 describes proposed FY2027 changes to the Fire and Life Safety Inspection Fees, which it says have not increased since 2007. No adopted schedule is published on the county website, so this record states no figure.
Sources
Every figure in the table above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- County Business Tax RepealedSarasota County Tax Collector · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-15
- Sarasota County Code Ch. 114, Art. IV (as amended by Ord. No. 2024-048, adopted July 9, 2024; Supp. 98)Sarasota County, Florida (Municode Library) · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-15
- Unified Development Code ss. 124-51 (Business Use Permit) and 124-52 (Temporary Use Permit) (Supp. 98)Sarasota County, Florida (Municode Library) · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-15
- Sarasota County Licensing FAQ (Form LIC20, Rev. 04/14/2026)Sarasota County Government · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-15
- Building (Planning and Development Services) pageSarasota County Government · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-15
- Sarasota County Code Ch. 22, Art. V, Building Code (including s. 104.6.4 and ss. 22-122 to 22-124) (Supp. 98)Sarasota County, Florida (Municode Library) · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-15
- Sarasota County Code Ch. 58, Fire Prevention and Protection (Ord. No. 2023-063, October 10, 2023) (Supp. 98)Sarasota County, Florida (Municode Library) · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-15
- Sarasota County Fire Department page (Fire Prevention; service area)Sarasota County Government · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-15
- County news release of August 14, 2026 on proposed FY2027 Fire and Life Safety Inspection FeesSarasota County Government · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-15
Who issues business permits in Sarasota County?
Permitting in Sarasota County is split across 6 agencies we hold records for, with tax registration handled at state level. No single office issues everything, which is why an opening usually means filing in several places rather than one.
Sarasota County issuing agencies
- Sarasota County Child Care Licensing (Florida Department of Health in Sarasota County)Designated by County Code s. 62-143 as the local licensing agency for child care facilities in Sarasota County under Laws of Fla. Ch. 74-113 · Licenses family child care homes under County Code Chapter 62, Article VI2 permits
- Sarasota County Planning and Development Services, ZoningBusiness Use Permits under Unified Development Code s. 124-51 · Temporary Use Permits under Unified Development Code ss. 124-52 and 124-74, reviewed in coordination with the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office2 permits
- Sarasota County Fire Department, Office of the Fire MarshalFire prevention, code enforcement and inspection activities of the Sarasota County Fire Department, enforcing the Florida Fire Prevention Code, per the Fire Department page · Life and fire safety inspections of commercial and multi-family occupancies within the department's fire-service area, which the Fire Department page states is unincorporated Sarasota County and the City of Sarasota1 permit
- Sarasota County Planning and Development Services, Building DivisionBuilding permits and inspections under County Code Chapter 22 and the Florida Building Code1 permit
- Sarasota County Planning and Development Services, Contractor LicensingSarasota County Certificates of Competency and Contractors Operating Certificates under County Code Chapter 22, Article V · Contractor license numbers beginning with an R or S, which the county Licensing FAQ (Form LIC20, Rev. 04/14/2026) states are regulated by the county1 permit
- Sarasota County Tax CollectorCollected the County Business Tax until the Board of County Commissioners repealed it on July 9, 2024, per the Tax Collector's page · Continues to collect the tax on attorneys under a special act, per the same page1 permit
Other Florida jurisdictions we cover
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.