Business licenses and permits in Maine

What applies everywhere in Maine

17 requirements are set by Maine 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. Maine Secretary of State — annual report deadline, fees and dissolution riskMaine Department of the Secretary of State · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
2. 31 Maine Revised Statutes section 1680 — the $50 late fee for a delinquent LLC annual reportMaine Legislature · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
3. Maine Secretary of State — corporation articles of incorporation feeMaine Department of the Secretary of State · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
4. Maine Secretary of State form MBCA-6 — articles of incorporation, executed by an incorporator, with the optional expedited filing feesMaine Department of the Secretary of State · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-18
5. Maine Secretary of State — LLC certificate of formation feeMaine Department of the Secretary of State · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
6. 13-C Maine Revised Statutes section 123 — business corporation filing fees, including the $145 articles, $85 annual report and $50 late feeMaine Legislature · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-18
7. 29-A Maine Revised Statutes section 1801 — motor vehicle repair facility consumer duties, with no licensing mechanismMaine Legislature · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
8. Maine CDC Health Inspection Program — the certified food protection manager requirement for eating establishmentsMaine Center for Disease Control and Prevention · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
9. 10-148 CMR chapter 32 — child care facility licensing feesMaine Office of Child and Family Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
10. 10-148 CMR chapter 33 — family child care provider licensing feesMaine Office of Child and Family Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
11. 02-041 CMR chapter 10 — establishment of licence fees, cosmetology and barberingMaine Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
12. Maine CDC form HHE-602 — eating and lodging licence application and fee tableMaine Center for Disease Control and Prevention · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
13. 22 Maine Revised Statutes section 2491 — defining an eating establishment and excluding food establishments licensed elsewhereMaine Legislature · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
14. Maine Electricians' Examining Board — master electrician license fee and termMaine Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
15. 01-001 CMR chapter 330 — food establishment licence fees by employee countMaine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
16. Maine state business portal — stating general business licenses are managed at the town or city levelState of Maine · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
17. Maine Attorney General — home construction consumer guidance, stating general contractors are not licensedMaine Office of the Attorney General · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
18. 10 Maine Revised Statutes section 1487 — the mandatory written home construction contractMaine Legislature · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
19. Maine Plumbers' Examining Board — internal plumbing license fees and termsMaine Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
20. Maine CDC — subsurface wastewater site evaluator licensing, a separate credential from internal plumbingMaine Center for Disease Control and Prevention · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
21. Maine Fuel Board — oil burner and solid fuel technician license feesMaine Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
22. Maine Revenue Services — business guide to sales and use tax, confirming no registration feeMaine Revenue Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
23. 32 Maine Revised Statutes chapter 71-A — the Veterinary Practice Act, licensing only the individual practitionerMaine Legislature · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04

Which Maine city are you opening in?

• Bangor, MEBangor's City Clerk runs a genuine but non-universal business licensing structure under Code of Ordinances Chapter 85 (Business Licenses): the licenses it administers are the activities listed in the Business Licensing section of the City's Schedule of Fees (Victualer, Catering, Lunch Wagon, Amusement Device, Taxicab, Mobile Home Park, Pawnbroker/Secondhand Dealer, and similar categories), not every business in the city. Bangor's own Chapter 124 (Food Establishments), § 124-3, names the City's Code Enforcement Division as the Maine Food Code's local 'regulatory authority,' but the State's own current Health Inspection Program records list municipal inspectors only for Portland, Lewiston and South Portland and assign Bangor to a state district health inspector, so a Bangor eating establishment is inspected and licensed by the State at the ordinary state license fee rather than the flat $100.00 fee that applies only to licenses issued on a municipal inspection (10-144 CMR Ch. 201, § 3). Bangor's own local food license is called a Victualer's License (Chapter 295, fee set at Chapter 85 § 85-4): the City's current Schedule of Fees (CO 16-123, revised 06/30/2026) prices it at $248.00 (no tables), $427.00 (up to 2,000 sq ft), or $684.00 (over 2,000 sq ft), plus a separate $34.00 Caterer's License. A food truck instead needs a distinct Lunch Wagon license (30-A M.R.S. § 3931), priced at $85.00 (up to 3 days), $205.00 (up to 3 months), or $297.00 (up to 1 year). The same comprehensive citywide Schedule of Fees prices a Building Permit by formula (gross square footage × an ICC-matched construction-type factor × 0.0075 for new construction; $52.00-$76.00 plus $7.00/$1,000 for renovation), a Certificate of Occupancy banded from $31.00 to $723.00 by construction value, a flat $62.00 Sign Permit, a Zoning Verification Letter ($75.00-$205.00), a Site Development Plan review banded from $70.00 to $690.00, a conditional use charge of $552.00 for processing plus $735.00 for public-hearing advertising, and a $360.00 Board of Appeals petition fee plus an $82.00 advertising fee. Maine's own 30-A M.R.S. § 4364-D statewide preemption, not a Bangor-specific ordinance, keeps a licensed family child care provider a permitted use in any residential zone. The Schedule of Fees' Business Licensing list names no category for ordinary retail, auto repair, veterinary practices, fitness studios, hair/nail salons, or general contractors.14 published records
• Lewiston, MELewiston's City Clerk's Department runs a non-universal business licensing structure: the Clerk licenses over 40 enumerated categories under Code of Ordinances Chapter 22 (Food Service Establishments Classes A-H, Mobile Units, Massage Establishments/Therapists, Peddlers, Secondhand Dealers/Pawnbrokers/Junk Collectors, Mobile Home Parks, Homeless Shelters, Lodging Houses, Syringe Services Programs, Marijuana Businesses, and similar activities), not every business in the city. Unlike Portland, Maine, Lewiston is NOT its own food-permitting authority: the City's own Restaurant Inspection Reports page states food service establishments the City inspects remain 'licensed by the Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS),' with the City's Code Enforcement Officer/Sanitarian performing inspections under a cooperative arrangement rather than being designated the Food Code's regulatory authority the way Portland's health inspector is — so the State's own banded $205.00-$300.00 Eating Establishment License fee (state layer) continues to apply, on top of Lewiston's own separate local Food Service Establishment fee (City Business License Applications fee schedule, updated 4/21/2026), which bands by liquor-license class and square footage rather than by food-prep type: Class A (full liquor) $350.00-$575.00 by square footage, Class B (malt/vinous) $200.00, Class C (malt only) $200.00, Class D (no liquor) $150.00, Class E (bring-your-own) $355.00, with temporary Classes F/G/H at $50.00-$100.00. A real, mandatory Mobile Unit (food truck) license exists under Chapter 22, Division 2, confirmed by the City's own current Food Trucks in Lewiston page (licenses run through April 30 annually), priced at a confirmed $100.00: the fee schedule's own 'Roving diner' line is the pre-2020 name for this same category (Ordinance No. 20-04, effective 3/26/2020, renamed it 'Mobile Unit' throughout Chapter 22 without the fee schedule's own line item ever being relabeled to match). The Planning and Code Enforcement Department's own current Building Permit Fee Schedule (updated 4/16/2013, prices effective 7/1/2013, the version published on the City's site) prices commercial new construction at $25.00 base plus $0.35 per square foot per floor, a flat $40.00 Change of Use fee, a Certificate of Occupancy bundled into the building permit fee (no separate charge, but a $260.00 penalty for occupying without one), and a sign permit at $25.00 base plus $0.50 per square foot. Development Review (site plan review) under Zoning Appendix A, Article XIII is mandatory for qualifying projects, with fees set by the City Council's own Zoning and Land Use Code Application Fee Schedule (2010): $200.00 flat for a minor/staff-reviewed site plan, $500.00 plus advertising costs for a major/Planning-Board-reviewed site plan. A Board of Appeals petition (covering administrative appeals, variances, and conditional use permits on one form) carries a confirmed flat $150.00 fee. Fire Prevention permits (alarm systems, burning, incinerators) are required under Chapter 38: the Fire Department's FAQ states a burning permit is issued on-site at no charge, and Chapter 38 and the business license fee schedule publish no fee for the alarm-system or incinerator permit categories. The City Clerk's Business Licenses page lists no license category for ordinary retail, auto repair, veterinary practices, fitness studios, hair/nail salons (as distinct from the locally-licensed Massage Establishment/Therapist category, $110.00 application/$195.00 license), general contractors, or child care (Chapter 22's 'Group Care Facility' category is a residential group-home/boarding category, not a daycare) beyond this general layer. A family child care home falls outside the City's own Home Occupation Use Permit — its own current application form excludes 'family daycare' by name from that permit's eligibility — consistent with Maine's statewide 30-A M.R.S. § 4364-D preemption making such a provider a permitted use in any residential zone with no additional municipal permit required.12 published records
• Portland, MEPortland's Permitting and Inspections Department runs a genuine but non-universal business licensing structure: a common $45.00 application / $35.00 renewal fee applies only to a fixed, enumerated list of activities (Food Service Establishments, mobile food/pushcarts, Massage, Taxicabs, Marijuana, Secondhand/Junk/Flea Market, Farmers' Markets, Entertainment/Amusements, and similar categories under Code of Ordinances Chapter 15), not to every business in the city. Portland is its own local food-permitting authority — Chapter 11 designates the City's own health inspector as the Maine Food Code's regulatory authority, a designation Maine law (22 M.R.S.A. § 2499) permits only for a Department-delegated municipality, which in turn replaces the state's own $205.00-$300.00 banded Eating Establishment License fee with a flat $100.00 state administrative fee — while Portland's own Chapter 15, § 15-12 prices the real local Food Service Establishment fee by preparation type ($181.00 no prep, $230.00 non-alcoholic beverage prep only, $415.00 beer/wine take-out, $459.00 full food prep, with a separate, higher liquor-license track up to $2,326.00). A food truck instead pays a distinct Chapter 19 'street vendor' license at $546.00/year ($322.00/year for a pushcart). Permitting and Inspections' own current Building Permits and Inspections Fee Schedule (revised 7/2026) prices a general building permit at $25.00 for the first $1,000.00 of cost plus $15.00 per additional $1,000.00, a separate flat $100.00 Certificate of Occupancy inspection fee, a sign permit at $30.00 plus $2.00/sq ft, and a commercial fire-suppression/alarm permit at $30.00 plus $10.00 per $1,000.00 of work. The Planning & Urban Development Department separately prices Site Plan, Subdivision, and Conditional Use applications ($100.00-$7,000.00+), though no fee could be found published anywhere for a Zoning Board of Appeals variance or appeal. The Fire Department's own recently revised (6-1-2026) Master Box Alarm ordinance prices a $625.00 new connection and $350.00/year maintenance fee for specific occupancy classes that explicitly include day-care facilities. No additional local license exists for ordinary retail, auto repair, veterinary practices, fitness studios, hair/nail salons (as distinct from the locally-licensed Massage Establishment/Therapist categories), or general contractors beyond this general layer.12 published records

Is there a single Maine business license?

Who issues permits in Maine?

• Maine Department of the Secretary of State, Bureau of Corporations, Elections and CommissionsEntity formation · Annual reports4 permits
• Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Health Inspection ProgramEating establishment licenses · Certified food protection manager rules2 permits
• Maine Office of the Attorney General, Consumer Protection DivisionHome construction contract requirements2 permits
• Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, Division of Quality Assurance and RegulationsFood establishment licenses for manufacturing, processing and retail1 permit
• Maine Department of Public Safety, Bureau of State Police, Traffic DivisionOfficial inspection station and inspection mechanic licensing1 permit
• Maine Office of Child and Family Services, Children's Licensing and Investigation ServicesChild care facility and family provider licensing1 permit
• Maine Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation, Barbering and Cosmetology Licensing ProgramSalon and barbershop establishment licensing1 permit
• Maine Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation, Board of Veterinary MedicineVeterinarian licensing1 permit
• Maine Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation, Electricians' Examining BoardElectrician licensing1 permit
• Maine Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation, Maine Fuel BoardOil burner and solid fuel technician licensing1 permit
• Maine Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation, Plumbers' Examining BoardInternal plumbing licensing1 permit
• Maine Revenue ServicesSales and use tax registration1 permit

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