Business licenses and permits in Indiana

What applies everywhere in Indiana

13 requirements are set by Indiana itself and apply whichever city you open in. Local permits sit on top of them.

Sources

Every statewide figure above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.

1. Indiana Code title 23 — entity filing fees, including sections 23-0.5-9-19, 23-0.5-9-1 and 23-0.5-9-34Indiana General Assembly · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08
2. Indiana Secretary of State — regulatory analysis of business entity fees, listing the enhanced-access chargesIndiana Secretary of State · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08
3. Indiana Secretary of State, Auto Dealer Services Division — the complete list of vehicle business licenses, which contains no repair facilityIndiana Secretary of State · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08
4. Indiana Code section 24-5-0.5-3 — the deceptive consumer sales duties that govern repair estimates and replaced partsIndiana General Assembly · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08
5. 820 IAC 7-1 — cosmetology board application, issuance and quadrennial renewal fees (current Indiana Administrative Code)Indiana Professional Licensing Agency · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08
6. Indiana Professional Licensing Agency — cosmetology and barber licensing fee tableIndiana Professional Licensing Agency · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08
7. INBiz — business entity report fees and filing cycleIndiana Secretary of State · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08
8. Indiana Code chapter 16-42-5.2 — certified food protection manager requirement, five-year term and the bar on local food handler credentialsIndiana General Assembly · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08
9. Indiana Department of Health — food protection manager certification and the accredited providers it recognisesIndiana Department of Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08
10. Indiana Code sections 12-17.2-2-2, 12-17.2-4-12 and 12-17.2-5-12 — the complete child care fee list and the license termsIndiana General Assembly · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08
11. Indiana FSSA — comparison matrix of child care programme types and renewal periodsIndiana Family and Social Services Administration · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08
12. Indiana Business Owner's GuideState of Indiana · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08
13. Indiana Professional Licensing Agency — the complete list of professions it regulates, which contains no general contractor, electrical or HVAC entryIndiana Professional Licensing Agency · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08
14. 860 IAC 1-1-2.1 — plumbing license examination, issuance and biennial renewal fees (current Indiana Administrative Code)Indiana Plumbing Commission · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08
15. Indiana Code section 6-2.5-8-1 — registered retail merchant certificate fee and two-year free renewalIndiana General Assembly · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08
16. Indiana Department of Revenue — business tax FAQ confirming the $25 per-location registration feeIndiana Department of Revenue · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08
17. Indiana Department of Health — how to start a retail food business, directing all non-state-property permitting to the local health departmentIndiana Department of Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08
18. Marion County Public Health Department — chapter 8 food establishment license fee ordinance, effective 1 November 2024Marion County Public Health Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
19. Allen County Department of Health — fee schedule ordinance, effective 1 April 2023Allen County Department of Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
20. 888 IAC 1.1 — Board of Veterinary Medicine rules, whose fee rule (rule 3) contains no facility category (current Indiana Administrative Code)Indiana Board of Veterinary Medicine · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08

Which Indiana city are you opening in?

• Elkhart County, INElkhart County, Indiana, seat Goshen; population 207,436 (U.S. Census Bureau 2024 estimate). The Elkhart County Health Department's Environmental Health division licenses food service establishments, mobile and temporary food operations and swimming pools under County Code chapters 112 and 114, and permits septic systems; County Code 112.04(A) provides that "No person shall operate a food service in the county without a valid food service license issued by the Health Officer". The Building Department within the Planning and Development Department issues building, sign and trade permits and certificates of occupancy under the county Building Code (County Code chapter 151), whose fees are set in section 151.11, and licenses Class A electrical contractors under chapter 113. Zoning runs through the Elkhart County Development Ordinance (County Code chapter 158), which under section 158.01(F) applies to all land in the county except the planning jurisdictions of the Cities of Goshen, Elkhart and Nappanee, and names the town councils of Bristol, Middlebury, Millersburg and Wakarusa and the Board of County Commissioners as its legislative bodies. The county's incorporated municipalities are the cities of Elkhart, Goshen and Nappanee and the towns of Bristol, Middlebury, Millersburg and Wakarusa. Each adopts its own ordinances and may require its own licenses and permits, which stack on the county and state records.14 published records
• Hamilton County, INHamilton County, Indiana, seat Noblesville; population 379,704 (U.S. Census Bureau 2024 estimate). The Hamilton County Health Department permits food service and food store establishments, mobile and temporary food operations, public and semi-public pools and spas, body art establishments and artists, and on-site sewage systems and private wells, with fees set in County Code 16-20-1-27; its food code applies to establishments in Hamilton County, inside the cities and towns as well. Planning works differently: the county's Zoning Jurisdictions page describes nine planning jurisdictional areas, those of the Hamilton County Plan Commission, the Cities of Carmel, Fishers, Noblesville and Westfield, and the Towns of Arcadia, Atlanta, Cicero and Sheridan. The Plan Commission issues building, commercial, sign, electrical and home-occupation permits and certificates of occupancy only in its own jurisdictional area, shown on the county map in White River, Wayne and Noblesville Townships, under the Hamilton County Unified Development Ordinance. Each city and town administers planning and permits in its own area and may add its own licenses, which stack on the county and state records; the Health Department's mobile food application, for example, tells operators to contact the city or town where they will operate about an additional mobile permit. The County Surveyor certifies business locations for alcoholic beverage permit applicants, and the Highway Department permits commercial driveways onto county roads.12 published records
• Evansville, INUnder section 5.05.010 of the Evansville Municipal Code a license is needed only where Title 5 requires one: Title 5 licenses enumerated activities — festivals, pawnbrokers, peddlers and solicitors, street vendors, secondhand goods, precious metal dealers, taxicabs, tattoo and body-piercing facilities, sidewalk cafes, building wrecking, contractors and the specific trades in chapter 5.50 (Other Businesses), such as massage therapy and carriage businesses — and its chapter list contains no general business license. Vanderburgh County Health Department runs food-service permitting jointly for the city and county.11 published records
• Lake County, INLake County, Indiana, seat Crown Point; population 502,955 (U.S. Census Bureau 2024 estimate). The Lake County Health Department issues food service, temporary food, public pool and septic permits under the county health fee ordinance as amended by Ord. 1336A-3 (signed October 14, 2025); its 2026 temporary-permit notice describes its coverage as locations throughout Lake County except those regulated by the East Chicago and Gary health departments, and the Indiana Department of Health's food protection directory lists the East Chicago Health Department and Gary City Health Department separately from the county department. The Lake County Plan Commission's Planning & Building Department issues building permits under Building Code No. 18, runs zoning under Unified Development Ordinance No. 2560 and licenses contractors under Ord. 1628; its page states "Jurisdiction authority extends to unincorporated Lake County. No jurisdiction in incorporated areas." The county Weights & Measures Department licenses business locations under Ord. 1264D, and the Sheriff registers itinerant merchants in the unincorporated areas. The county website's Towns & Cities list names Crown Point, Cedar Lake, Dyer, East Chicago, Gary, Griffith, Hammond, Highland, Hobart, Lake Station, Lowell, Merrillville, Munster, New Chicago, Schererville, St. John, Whiting and Winfield; each city and town runs its own license, building and zoning rules, which stack on the county and state records.10 published records
• St. Joseph County, INSt. Joseph County, Indiana, seat South Bend; population 273,744 (U.S. Census Bureau 2024 estimate). The St. Joseph County Department of Health licenses retail food establishments, mobile and temporary food operations, public and semi-public pools and spas, and commercial septic systems and wells under the County Code, with fees set in the code's Appendix: Schedule of Fines and Fees; the food chapter applies throughout the county, inside the cities and towns as well. Building, electrical, plumbing and HVAC permits are issued by the joint St. Joseph County/City of South Bend Building Department, which also runs the county's building contractor registration and electrical and HVAC contractor licenses; its 2026 fee schedule describes its jurisdiction as the City of South Bend and the unincorporated county (including Wyatt, Granger, Terre Coupe and Crumstown), plus building trades in Indian Village, Lakeville, North Liberty, Osceola and Roseland, which issue their own improvement location permits and enforce their own zoning, and lists Mishawaka, New Carlisle and Walkerton as having their own departments. Zoning in the unincorporated county runs through improvement location permits under County Code chapter 154. Under the U.S. Census Bureau's 2020 place file the county has nine incorporated places: the cities of South Bend and Mishawaka and the towns of Indian Village, Lakeville, New Carlisle, North Liberty, Osceola, Roseland and Walkerton; Granger and Notre Dame are unincorporated. Each city and town runs its own license, building and zoning rules, which stack on the county and state records.10 published records
• Allen County, INAllen County, Indiana, seat Fort Wayne; population 399,295 (U.S. Census Bureau 2024 estimate). The Allen County Department of Health permits retail food establishments, mobile and temporary food operations, public and semi-public pools and spas, and on-site sewage systems under Allen County Code Title 10, with fees set in Article 14; its food and pool ordinances apply anywhere in Allen County, Indiana, including inside the cities and towns. The Allen County Building Department licenses contractors and issues building, electrical, HVAC and plumbing permits and certificates of occupancy; under Title 6, Article 1 its Building Commissioner enforces the building codes in unincorporated Allen County and in the incorporated cities and towns that have adopted the Allen County building code, and its fees are set by Title 6, Article 10, in effect since January 1, 2026. The joint Allen County & Fort Wayne Department of Planning Services runs Site Plan Review and zoning, and its Zoning Ordinances page states that it maintains the zoning ordinances of unincorporated Allen County, the City of Fort Wayne, the City of Woodburn and the Towns of Grabill, Huntertown and Monroeville. Each city and town in the county runs its own license, permit and zoning rules, which stack on the county and Indiana state records.9 published records
• Fort Wayne, INConfirmed directly in the city's own guide: Fort Wayne has no general business license. Food-service permitting runs through the Allen County Department of Health; building/contractor permitting through the joint Allen County Building Department. The county's own food-fee ordinance document is an unsigned template with blank ordinance-number/date fields, disclosed rather than treated as fully final.8 published records
• Indianapolis, INA consolidated city-county government ('UniGov'), like Nashville. Food-service permitting runs through the Health & Hospital Corporation of Marion County, a separate municipal corporation, not the consolidated government itself. Several indy.gov facts here are sourced to the city's own document files (application packets, forms and FAQs) rather than its web pages. City-County Council Proposal No. 239, 2025 would raise several DBNS fees; its published text carries blank, undated signature lines for passage and approval.8 published records

Is there a single Indiana business license?

Who issues permits in Indiana?

• Indiana Secretary of State, Business Services DivisionEntity registration · Business entity reports · Reinstatement5 permits
• Indiana Department of Health, Food Protection DivisionRetail food code · Support for local health departments · Certified food protection manager requirements2 permits
• Indiana Professional Licensing Agency, State Board of Cosmetology and Barber ExaminersBeauty culture salon licensing · Barber shop licensing2 permits
• Indiana Board of Veterinary MedicineVeterinarian licensing · Veterinary technician registration1 permit
• Indiana Department of RevenueRegistered retail merchant certificates · Sales tax1 permit
• Indiana Family and Social Services Administration, Office of Early Childhood and Out-of-School LearningChild care centre licensing · Child care home licensing1 permit
• Indiana Plumbing Commission, Professional Licensing AgencyPlumbing contractor licensing · Journeyman and apprentice plumber licensing1 permit

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