11 published records
Business licenses and permits in Cass County, Missouri
Cass County, Missouri, seat Harrisonville, issues a $25 calendar-year Business/Merchant License through its Collector of Revenue, which the county's FAQ applies to retail businesses both inside and outside city limits, and a county liquor license through its County Clerk. The Cass County Health Department's Environmental Health Division handles food establishment plan review, yearly operating permits and temporary and seasonal event permits, and states that it serves all communities in Cass County including Archie, Belton, Cleveland, Creighton, Drexel, East Lynne, Freeman, Garden City, Harrisonville, Lake Winnebago, Peculiar, Pleasant Hill, Raymore, Strasburg and the Village of Loch Lloyd. The Building Codes, Environmental Health and Zoning Department issues commercial building permits, temporary fireworks stand permits and on-site wastewater permits; the wastewater ordinance applies to the unincorporated areas. The county lists 22 incorporated municipalities: Archie, Austin, Baldwin Park, Belton, Cleveland, Creighton, Drexel, East Lynne, Freeman, Garden City, Greenwood, Gunn City, Harrisonville, Lake Annette, Lake Winnebago, Loch Lloyd, Peculiar, Pleasant Hill, Raymore, Strasburg, Village of Riverview Estates and West Line. The Collector's page also lists clerk contacts for Kansas City and Lee's Summit. Each city runs its own business license and permit requirements, which stack on the county's records; the Collector's page tells a business in any incorporated area to contact the local clerk to determine what licenses are required.
What are you opening in Cass 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 Cass County
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| County Business/Merchant License | Cass County Collector of Revenue | $25 per year, per business location | calendar year, January 1 through December 31 | 2026-10-27 |
| Building Re-inspection and Temporary Certificate of Occupancy Extension Feesonly if it applies to you | Cass County Building Codes, Environmental Health & Zoning Department | $100.00 for each re-inspection required after the first re-inspection; $100.00 when the structure is inaccessible for a requested inspection; $338.00 for each extension of a Temporary Certificate of Occupancy; inspections on department closure days performed voluntarily at $122.00 per hour with a minimum of two hours | per inspection or extension | 2026-10-27 |
| Commercial Building Permit and Plan Reviewonly if it applies to you | Cass County Building Codes, Environmental Health & Zoning Department | $50.00 application fee due when the application is made; additional plan review at $122.00 per hour with a minimum of one-half hour when incomplete plans need more than one hour of review or when major changes are made after plan review. The permit fee itself is not published in the commercial application packet; contact the Building Codes Department at (816) 380-8134. | per project | 2026-10-27 |
| Commercial On-site Wastewater (Septic) Permit (Unincorporated Cass County)only if it applies to you | Cass County Building Codes, Environmental Health & Zoning Department | $300.00 per permit for a new commercial system under 3,000 gallons per day, a commercial repair, or a partial modification or replacement; $150.00 charge to the installer for failing to submit plans before construction; $100.00 reinspection fee; $50.00 for a follow-up inspection or evaluation; additional plan review at $122.00 per hour, minimum one-half hour, per the commercial septic packet | per permit | 2026-10-27 |
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 Cass County?
County Business/Merchant License
The 2026 application form, titled 'APPLICATION BUSINESS/MERCHANT LICENSE CASS COUNTY, MO LICENSE FEE $25.00 LICENSE YEAR JANUARY 1-DECEMBER 31, 2026', states 'If you have more than one business location, you must have a license for each.' The county's Merchant License FAQ says a license is needed when a business is 'located in Cass County either within or outside the city limits of any incorporated area', holds a Missouri Department of Revenue sales tax number, sells product at retail and collects and remits sales tax. The FAQ also says a resident of Cass County who sells goods in a temporary or transient business needs one, and that 'A county issued Merchant's License is in addition to any city or other local business license you may have.' The Merchant License page states that the fee cannot be paid online or by phone and lists exemptions for registered motor vehicle dealers, farmers selling their own produce, and 'a physician, dentist, or veterinarian selling medicines, at either wholesale or retail, used in your practice'.
Building Re-inspection and Temporary Certificate of Occupancy Extension Fees
The department's inspection procedure document, last updated November 2025, states that 'a $100.00 re-inspection fee will be assessed for each, and every re-inspection required after the first' when deficiencies remain uncorrected, and that 'If the structure is inaccessible for any requested inspection a $100.00 fee will be assessed.' It states that if a Temporary Certificate of Occupancy must be extended, 'a fee of $338.00 will be assessed before such an extension is granted', and only after a re-inspection documents progress on corrections. Inspections on the department's 2026 training days and holidays are performed only voluntarily, at $122.00 per hour with a two-hour minimum.
Commercial Building Permit and Plan Review
The department's commercial and industrial permit application packet, last updated July 27, 2026, lists an 'Application fee in the amount of $50.00' due upon application. It states that plans requiring more than one hour of review may be charged $122.00 per hour with a minimum one-half hour charge, and that major changes after plan review carry the same rate. The packet states that 'All plans will be reviewed under the 2006 International Codes and 2005 NEC as adopted by Cass County', and requires two original plan sets, a sealed site plan showing off-street parking required by the Cass County Zoning Ordinance, and a letter from the 911 coordinator for a new address. Applications are accepted only in person, and work may not start until the permit is issued.
Commercial On-site Wastewater (Septic) Permit (Unincorporated Cass County)
Section 2 of the Cass County Wastewater Treatment Systems Ordinance, revised February 4, 2026 under Ordinance No. 26-03, states: 'For any property in the unincorporated areas of Cass County a permit is required before construction, modification or repair of the on-site sewage disposal system.' Section 3 sets $300.00 for a new commercial system under 3,000 gallons per day, $300.00 for a partial modification or replacement, $300.00 for commercial repairs under 3,000 gpd and a $100.00 reinspection fee. Section 2 sets $50.00 for a follow-up inspection or evaluation. The department's commercial septic packet dated July 27, 2026 lists the $300.00 application fee due at application and $122.00 per hour for extra plan review.
Sources
Every figure in the table above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- Application Business/Merchant License, Cass County, MO (License Year January 1-December 31, 2026)Cass County Collector of Revenue · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-27
- Frequently Asked Questions — Merchant LicenseCass County, Missouri · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-27
- Merchant License | Cass County, MOCass County Collector of Revenue · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-27
- Inspection Request Procedure and Close Dates 2026Cass County Building Codes, Environmental Health & Zoning Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-27
- Commercial Application 07-27-2026Cass County Building Codes, Environmental Health & Zoning Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-27
- Building Codes, Zoning & Environmental Health | Cass County, MOCass County Building Codes, Environmental Health & Zoning Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-27
- Onsite Wastewater Regulations Ordinance No. 26-03 Approved 2-4-2026Cass County, Missouri · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-27
- Commercial Septic Permit 07-27-2026Cass County Building Codes, Environmental Health & Zoning Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-27
Who issues business permits in Cass County?
Permitting in Cass County is split across 4 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.
Cass County issuing agencies
- Cass County Health Department, Environmental Health DivisionFood establishment applications, plan review and HACCP plan review · Yearly food establishment operating permits, including food trucks and pushcarts · Temporary and seasonal food event permits5 permits
- Cass County Building Codes, Environmental Health & Zoning DepartmentCommercial and industrial building permits and plan review · Inspections, re-inspection fees and temporary certificate of occupancy extensions · On-site wastewater (septic) permits for the unincorporated areas · Operational permits for temporary fireworks stands and tents4 permits
- Cass County ClerkCounty liquor license under Chapter 615 of the county code1 permit
- Cass County Collector of RevenueCounty Business/Merchant License, $25 per calendar year per business location1 permit
Other Missouri 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.