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Business licenses and permits in Washoe County, Nevada

Washoe County, Nevada, seat Reno; population 507,280 (U.S. Census Bureau 2024 estimate). The county has two incorporated cities, Reno and Sparks, and a large unincorporated area that includes Incline Village/Crystal Bay, Sun Valley, Spanish Springs, Cold Springs, Lemmon Valley, Verdi, Washoe Valley, Wadsworth and Gerlach. Washoe County Code 25.015(1) requires a county business license to engage in business 'in the county, outside of the limits of incorporated cities and towns', so the county general business license, the county liquor license (WCC Chapter 30) and the county building permit (WCC Chapter 100) apply in the unincorporated area only; under NRS 244.350(4) liquor dealers inside a city are regulated only by that city. Reno and Sparks each run their own business licensing, liquor licensing, building permits and zoning, which stack on the countywide records here. Northern Nevada Public Health (NNPH) issues food establishment, temporary food event, pool and spa, invasive body decoration and child-care inspection permits across all of Washoe County, including Reno and Sparks, under its FY2026-27 fee schedule effective July 1, 2026. The Washoe County Sheriff's Office issues the liquor work permits that WCC 30.223 requires for employees who sell or serve liquor at a county-licensed business. The Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District enforces the fire code and collects fire inspection and permit fees for the district and for unincorporated Washoe County outside another fire authority's boundaries, under the schedule adopted December 16, 2025 (Resolution R25-0000145); Incline Village/Crystal Bay lies in the separate North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District, and Reno and Sparks have their own fire departments.

What are you opening in Washoe County?

Permits that apply to every type of business in Washoe County

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Washoe County Building Permit (unincorporated area)only if it applies to youWashoe County Community Services Department, Building DivisionBuilding permit fee by total valuation (WCC Chapter 100, Appendix A, Table 1): $0.01-$500 $45.00; $500.01-$2,000 $45.00 plus $3.36 per additional $100; $2,000.01-$25,000 $95.40 plus $15.14 per additional $1,000; $25,000.01-$50,000 $443.62 plus $10.90 per additional $1,000; $50,000.01-$100,000 $716.12 plus $7.63 per additional $1,000; $100,000.01-$500,000 $1,097.62 plus $5.93 per additional $1,000; $500,000.01-$1,000,000 $3,469.62 plus $5.07 per additional $1,000; $1,000,000.01-$10,000,000 $6,004.62 plus $3.36 per additional $1,000; over $10,000,000 $36,244.62 plus $2.36 per additional $1,000. Plan review (Table 9): 65% of the building fee for commercial and all other permits other than single-family dwellings. Renewal: $45.00 plus 10% of the original building permit fee and sub fees. In the Incline Village area, valuation is increased by 15 percent.per project2026-10-09
Building Division Business License Inspection (unincorporated area)only if it applies to youWashoe County Community Services Department, Building Division$50 per inspectionper business license application, where an inspection is required2026-10-09
Fire Business License Inspection and Operational Permits — Truckee Meadows Fire Protection Districtonly if it applies to youTruckee Meadows Fire Protection DistrictBusiness license inspection, initial: $80 per required inspection. Annual operational permit: $80 each. Temporary operational permit: $100. Re-inspections: first and second no fee, third and later $80 each. Same-day inspection: $160. Hazardous materials permit fees: $80 to $880, by the ranges set in the schedule. Construction: fire plan review and inspection at 12% of the calculated Washoe County building permit fee, plus a 4% Fire Tech fee (Permit and Service Fee Schedule adopted December 16, 2025, Resolution R25-0000145).per inspection; operational permits annual; temporary permits per event2026-10-09
Washoe County General Business License (unincorporated area; includes home-based and mobile businesses)Washoe County Community Services Department, Business License DivisionNew business, first fiscal year: $77.75, including the $2.75 Regional Technology Fee (WCC 25.025(6)). Annual renewal by prior-year gross receipts in unincorporated Washoe County (Master Business License Fee Schedule, effective April 20, 2018; each amount includes the $2.75 technology fee): up to $25,000 $57.75; $25,001-$50,000 $67.75; $50,001-$100,000 $117.75; $100,001-$300,000 $142.75; $300,001-$500,000 $237.75; $500,001-$1,000,000 $347.75; $1,000,001-$2,500,000 $602.75; $2,500,001-$5,000,000 $632.75; $5,000,001 and over $657.75. Change of location $20. Late renewal adds 25% at 31-60 days and 50% at 61-90 days; operating before licensure adds 100%.annual; expires on the last day of the anniversary month (WCC 25.029)2026-10-09

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 Washoe County?

Washoe County Building Permit (unincorporated area)

Building, remodelling or fitting out a commercial space in unincorporated Washoe County needs a county building permit; Reno and Sparks issue building permits inside their own limits. The fee is set by Table 1 of WCC Chapter 100, Appendix A (Ord. 1580, effective August 22, 2016), priced on total project valuation: $45.00 up to $500, rising through nine tiers, for example $1,097.62 for the first $100,000 plus $5.93 for each additional $1,000 up to $500,000, and $36,244.62 for the first $10,000,000 plus $2.36 per additional $1,000 above that. The county Building Fees page prints the same $1,097.62 tier. Under Table 9, plan review adds 65% of the building fee for commercial and all other permits apart from single-family dwellings. Renewing a building permit costs $45.00 plus 10% of the original building permit fee and any sub fees. The county Building Fees page adds 15 percent to the valuation in the Incline Village area. The fire district's plan review and inspection fee for construction is listed with the fire record. Ask the Building Division at 775-328-2020.

Building Division Business License Inspection (unincorporated area)

When a county business license application in unincorporated Washoe County needs a Building Division inspection of the premises before sign-off, the Building Division charges $50.00 per inspection. The figure is set in Table 2 of WCC Chapter 100, Appendix A (Ord. 1580, effective August 22, 2016), which lists 'Business license inspection .....$50.00', and the county's official Building Fees page lists the same business license inspection as item 9. WCC 25.023(7) routes general business license applications to other county agencies for approval, and WCC 25.018(1)(g) allows a license to be denied where a required agency approval is missing. This inspection is separate from the Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District's fire business-license inspection, listed as its own record. It applies only to county business licenses; Reno and Sparks run their own license inspections. Ask the Building Division at 775-328-2020.

Fire Business License Inspection and Operational Permits — Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District

Resolution R25-0000145, adopted December 16, 2025 by the Washoe County Commission and the Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District Board, adopts the fire permit and service fee schedule for all area within the district and for unincorporated Washoe County outside the boundaries of another fire authority, and appoints TMFPD to enforce it on the county's behalf; the resolution states that it carries forward the fees previously adopted in Ordinance No. 1650. It does not cover Reno or Sparks, which have their own fire departments, or Incline Village/Crystal Bay, which the county's Fire Districts GIS layer shows in the separate North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District. Under the adopted schedule, an initial business license fire inspection is $80 per required inspection, an annual operational permit is $80 each, and a temporary operational permit is $100; the first two re-inspections carry no fee, and the third and later cost $80 each, while a same-day inspection costs $160. Hazardous materials permit fees run from $80 to $880 under the ranges set in the schedule. For construction, fire plan review and inspection costs 12% of the calculated county building permit fee plus a 4% Fire Tech fee. TMFPD has posted a proposed replacement schedule on its Fire Code page; the adopted December 16, 2025 schedule remains the one in force until a replacement is adopted. Contact TMFPD Fire Prevention through tmfpd.us.

Washoe County General Business License (unincorporated area; includes home-based and mobile businesses)

WCC 25.015(1) requires a Washoe County business license to engage in any business in the county outside the limits of incorporated cities and towns, so this license applies in unincorporated Washoe County only; Reno and Sparks issue their own business licenses, as the county's July 2025 Business License Common Questions state. A new business pays $77.75 for its first fiscal year, including the $2.75 Regional Technology Fee (WCC 25.025(6), Ord. 1616; the same figure appears on the county application form, rev. 10/24). After that, WCC 25.025(5) applies the master business license fee schedule adopted by Board resolution, effective April 20, 2018, which prices the renewal on prior-year gross receipts in the unincorporated area from $57.75 (up to $25,000) to $657.75 ($5,000,001 and over). A mobile business pays this same general license fee: WCC 25.025(5) applies the master schedule to every business except those in 25.0255, 25.026 and 25.500-25.505, and WCC 25.022(1) states that mobile businesses are licensed at the office location, while other businesses need a license for each location. A change of location costs $20 (25.022(2)). Under 25.0265, a renewal paid 31-60 days late adds 25%, one paid 61-90 days late adds 50%, and a renewal is not approved after 90 days; operating before licensure adds a 100% penalty (25.025(1)-(2)). WCC 25.015(2)(a) exempts child care in private homes to six or fewer children. NRS 244.335(3) allows only one county license for a contractor licensed by the State Contractors' Board regardless of the number of classifications, and NRS 244.335(6) requires a seller of tangible goods to show its Department of Taxation permit before the license issues. Ask the Business License Division at 775-328-3733.

Sources

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

  1. Washoe County Code Chapter 100, Appendix A (Table 1 Building Permit Fees, Table 2, Table 9 Plan Review Fees; Ord. 1580, effective August 22, 2016)Washoe County / Municode · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
  2. How Much Will My Permit Cost? (Building Fees page)Washoe County Community Services Department, Building Division · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
  3. Washoe County & Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District Permit and Service Fee Schedule, adopted December 16, 2025, with Resolution R25-0000145Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District / Washoe County · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
  4. Washoe County GIS Fire Districts layer (item information)Washoe County GIS · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
  5. Fire Code pageTruckee Meadows Fire Protection District · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
  6. Master Business License Fee Schedule (adopted by Board resolution April 10, 2018; effective April 20, 2018)Washoe County Community Services Department, Business License · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
  7. Washoe County Code Chapter 25, §25.025 General business license penalties; terms; fees; renewal; financial data (with §§25.022, 25.0265, 25.029)Washoe County / Municode · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
  8. Washoe County Code §25.015 License required to engage in business; exemptionsWashoe County / Municode · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
  9. Business License Application with regulations (rev. 10/24)Washoe County Community Services Department, Business License · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
  10. Business License Common Questions (July 2025)Washoe County Community Services Department, Business License · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
  11. NRS Chapter 244, Counties: Government (§§244.335, 244.350)Nevada Legislature · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09

Who issues business permits in Washoe County?

Permitting in Washoe County is split across 5 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.

Washoe County issuing agencies

Other Nevada 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.