11 published records
Business licenses and permits in Evansville, Indiana
Under 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.
What are you opening in Evansville?
- 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 Evansville
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial Building Permit | Evansville-Vanderburgh Building Commission | By IBC occupancy classification, minimum $50: Assembly ('A') $0.08/gross sq ft; Business ('B') $0.06/gross sq ft; Educational/Institutional ('E'/'I') $0.08/gross sq ft; High Hazard ('H') $0.08/gross cubic ft; Mercantile ('M') $0.06/gross cubic ft. No separate 'alteration' rate exists — a tenant buildout is billed at the same per-sq-ft rate as new construction for its occupancy class, plus any trade permits needed (e.g., a commercial electrical remodel is $50). | one-time, per project | 2026-09-06 |
| General Business License — Evansville Municipal Code Title 5 Positiononly if it applies to you | Evansville-Vanderburgh Area Plan Commission | No fee | not applicable | 2026-09-06 |
| Certificate of Occupancy | Evansville-Vanderburgh Building Commission | No fee | issued once per qualifying occupancy | 2026-09-06 |
| Improvement Location Permit (zoning) | Evansville-Vanderburgh Area Plan Commission | New structure, addition, or change of use: $200 plus $0.05 per building sq ft. Change of business, remodeling, temporary use, or home occupation: $100 flat each. | one-time, per project | 2026-09-06 |
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 Evansville?
Commercial Building Permit
This is the city's own fee chapter, established by Ordinance G-2017-29 — Vanderburgh County's separate, textually similar chapter 15.08 governs only unincorporated county projects, not addresses inside Evansville city limits.
General Business License — Evansville Municipal Code Title 5 Position
Under 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 section 5.05.010 requires a license only for a business 'for which a license is required by any provision of this title.' Under section 5.05.010 a business not on the enumerated list pays no license fee to the City, and Title 5 sets no blanket business license requirement.
Certificate of Occupancy
The section 15.05.470 building and construction fee schedule itemizes no separate fee for a certificate of occupancy, so the cost is effectively bundled into the building permit fee. Quoted directly: 'Upon completion of any building, structure, or alteration, and if no violation of this chapter exists, the Building Commissioner shall issue to the owner a certificate of occupancy.'
Improvement Location Permit (zoning)
This zoning approval is separate from, and stacks with, the Building Commission's own construction permit fee. These figures matched exactly between the APC's live-linked current schedule and a separately-found copy watermarked 'DRAFT' on a Granicus-hosted page — the agreement is reassuring, but no ordinance/resolution number formally adopting the schedule could be located; confirm with the APC at (812) 435-5226 before treating as final.
Sources
Every figure in the table above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- Evansville Municipal Code section 15.05.460 and 15.05.470, Certificate of Occupancy and Building Permit FeesCity of Evansville · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-06
- Evansville Municipal Code section 5.05.010, Licensing General ProvisionsCity of Evansville · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-06
- Evansville-Vanderburgh Area Plan Commission — Services Fee Schedule, effective January 1, 2026Evansville-Vanderburgh Area Plan Commission · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-06
Who issues business permits in Evansville?
Permitting in Evansville is split across 3 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.
Evansville issuing agencies
- Evansville-Vanderburgh Building CommissionCertificate of Occupancy · Commercial building permits · Contractor licensing · Sign installation permits5 permits
- Evansville-Vanderburgh Area Plan CommissionImprovement Location Permit (zoning) · Sign permits · Special use approval4 permits
- Vanderburgh County Health DepartmentFood establishment permits · Mobile food unit permits2 permits
Other Indiana 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.