13 published records
Business licenses and permits in Anne Arundel County, Maryland
Anne Arundel County, Maryland, seat Annapolis, splits business licensing across several distinct sources of authority. The general 'trader's license' is a state license (Md. Code, Business Regulation Article, Title 17, Subtitle 18), merely administered locally by the Clerk of the Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County rather than created by any county ordinance. Food service facility licensing runs through the county's own Department of Health, Food Protection Services. Alcohol retail licensing runs through the county's Board of License Commissioners under Title 11 (Anne Arundel County's own title) of the Maryland Alcoholic Beverages and Cannabis Article. Building, electrical, gas, grading, mechanical, plumbing, septic and zoning matters run through the county's own Department of Inspections and Permits, including Zoning Certificates of Use for home occupations under Article 18 of the County Code. Commercial kennel and pet-care-business licensing runs through Anne Arundel County Animal Services. The county contains exactly two incorporated municipalities, per the Maryland Manual: Annapolis (the county seat and Maryland's state capital) and Highland Beach. Annapolis runs its own Licenses & Permits Division, which stacks its own business-license and permitting regime on top of every county-level requirement listed here for a business located within Annapolis city limits; Highland Beach runs its own town government, and its business-licensing requirements are not part of this county listing. Every other named place in the county (Glen Burnie, Severna Park, Pasadena, Odenton, Arnold, Lake Shore and others) is an unincorporated community or census-designated place governed directly by the county regime recorded here.
What are you opening in Anne Arundel 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 Anne Arundel County
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Building / Electrical / Gas / Grading / Mechanical / Plumbing Permitsonly if it applies to you | Anne Arundel County Department of Inspections and Permits | A non-refundable $43 application fee applies to each permit, plus a base fee by trade: Building $86-$242 (plus 0.010 times the amount over $25,000 for jobs over $25,000); Electrical $25-$346 and up, by amperage/device count; Gas $69-$735, by pipe diameter; Grading $69-$1,124 and up; Mechanical $51-$129 and up; Plumbing $51-$2,595 and up. A reinspection fee of $150 applies where needed, and the state Home Builder Guaranty Fund fee is $50 per new home. | per permit | 2026-10-02 |
| Sewage Disposal System (Septic) Permitsonly if it applies to you | Anne Arundel County Department of Inspections and Permits | Additional septic tank installation $350; addition to drain field or drywell installation $475; pump pit installation or repair $225; septic piping installation or repair $225; holding tank installation $225; nitrogen-reducing non-conventional system installation $750; advanced pretreatment unit installation $600; septic distribution box repair $225; installation of a combination of components $600; commercial onsite system (over 2,000 gallons/day) installation $2,595, plus $2,595 per additional 2,000 gallons/day of flow; commercial grease trap installation or reconstruction $1,730. | per permit | 2026-10-02 |
| City of Annapolis Business Licensing (Stacks on County Requirements)only if it applies to you | City of Annapolis, Licenses & Permits Division | A fee schedule for the City of Annapolis's own business licenses and permits is not published in the county-level sources cited here; contact the City of Annapolis Licenses & Permits Division for the current amount. | set by the City of Annapolis; not stated in the county-level sources cited here | 2026-10-02 |
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 Anne Arundel County?
Building / Electrical / Gas / Grading / Mechanical / Plumbing Permits
Any business in Anne Arundel County doing construction, build-out, fit-up or remodeling work needs the applicable building, electrical, gas, grading, mechanical or plumbing permit from the Department of Inspections and Permits, 2664 Riva Rd, Annapolis. Each permit carries a non-refundable $43 application fee plus a base fee set by trade on the county's current fee schedule, effective October 1, 2024: Building runs $86 to $242 plus 0.010 times any amount over $25,000; Electrical $25 to $346 and up by amperage and device count; Gas $69 to $735 by pipe diameter; Grading $69 to $1,124 and up; Mechanical $51 to $129 and up; and Plumbing $51 to $2,595 and up. A $150 reinspection fee applies where a reinspection is needed, and a separate state Home Builder Guaranty Fund fee of $50 applies per new home. These fees apply county-wide to any of the ten tracked industries undertaking covered work, not only to the contractor performing it.
Sewage Disposal System (Septic) Permits
A business in Anne Arundel County that is not connected to public sewer needs the applicable septic permit from the Department of Inspections and Permits before installing or modifying an on-site sewage disposal system. Fees on the county's current schedule, effective October 1, 2024, include $350 for an additional septic tank installation, $475 for a drain field or drywell addition, $225 each for a pump pit, septic piping or holding tank installation or repair, $750 for a nitrogen-reducing non-conventional system, $600 for an advanced pretreatment unit, $225 for a distribution box repair, $600 for a combination of components, and $1,730 for a commercial grease trap installation or reconstruction — relevant to any restaurant or coffee shop with a grease-generating kitchen. A commercial system handling more than 2,000 gallons a day costs $2,595, plus $2,595 for each additional 2,000 gallons a day of flow. These fees apply to any of the ten tracked industries whose location is not on public sewer.
City of Annapolis Business Licensing (Stacks on County Requirements)
Annapolis, the county seat and Maryland's state capital, is one of only two incorporated municipalities in Anne Arundel County (the other is Highland Beach), per the Maryland Manual. A business of any of the ten tracked industries located within Annapolis city limits must separately comply with the City of Annapolis's own Licenses & Permits Division requirements, layered on top of every county-level license, permit and registration recorded for Anne Arundel County rather than replacing any of them. The city's own Permits & Licensing page references City Code provisions for specific trades but does not publish a general fee schedule. A business located in unincorporated Anne Arundel County, or in any of the county's unincorporated communities such as Glen Burnie, Severna Park, Pasadena, Odenton, Arnold or Lake Shore, is not subject to this additional city-level layer.
Sources
Every figure in the table above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- Anne Arundel County Department of Inspections and Permits fee schedule, effective October 1, 2024Anne Arundel County Department of Inspections and Permits · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-02
- City of Annapolis Permits & Licensing pageCity of Annapolis · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-02
- Maryland Manual On-Line — Anne Arundel County municipalities (Annapolis and Highland Beach)Maryland State Archives · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-02
Who issues business permits in Anne Arundel County?
Permitting in Anne Arundel 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.
Anne Arundel County issuing agencies
- Anne Arundel County Department of Inspections and PermitsIssues building, electrical, gas, grading, mechanical and plumbing permits, including septic/sewage-disposal-system permits · Issues and renews trade licenses for electricians, plumbers/gas fitters and mechanics (HVAC) under Article 11 of the County Code · Issues Zoning Certificates of Use, including for home occupations, under Article 18 (Zoning), Title 10 of the County Code4 permits
- Anne Arundel County Board of License Commissioners (Liquor Board)Issues retail beer, wine and liquor licenses under Title 11 (Anne Arundel County's own title) of the Md. Code, Alcoholic Beverages and Cannabis Article3 permits
- Anne Arundel County Department of Health, Food Protection ServicesLicenses permanent, mobile and temporary food service facilities county-wide · Licenses mobile food units operating in Anne Arundel County under another county's reciprocity arrangement3 permits
- Anne Arundel County Animal ServicesIssues Commercial Kennel / pet-care-business / pet-shop / grooming-parlor licenses under County Code §12-4-7051 permit
- City of Annapolis, Licenses & Permits DivisionIssues the City of Annapolis's own business licenses and permits, which stack on top of every Anne Arundel County requirement for a business located within Annapolis city limits1 permit
- Clerk of the Circuit Court for Anne Arundel CountyIssues the trader's license, a state license under Md. Code, Business Regulation Article, Title 17, Subtitle 18, administered locally through the Circuit Court Clerk's office rather than created by an Anne Arundel County ordinance1 permit
Other Maryland 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.