Rhode Island · 3 jurisdictions covered
Business licenses and permits in Rhode Island
Rhode Island eliminated its $10 sales tax permit fee in 2022 but still requires the permit renewed every year for free. It licenses auto body and collision shops by statute, but leaves purely mechanical repair shops unaddressed.
What applies everywhere in Rhode Island
14 requirements are set by Rhode Island itself and apply whichever city you open in. Local permits sit on top of them.
| Requirement | Issued by | Fee | Applies | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual Report | Rhode Island Department of State, Business Services Division | $50 a year; missing 31 May adds a further $25 | Only in some cases | 2026-09-04 |
| Articles of Incorporation | Rhode Island Department of State, Business Services Division | $230 minimum one-time filing, for up to 75 million authorised shares | Only in some cases | 2026-09-04 |
| Articles of Organization (LLC) | Rhode Island Department of State, Business Services Division | $150 one-time filing | Only in some cases | 2026-09-04 |
| Automobile Body Repair Shop License | Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation, Division of Commercial Licensing | $300 a year, purchasable up to three years at once; a salvage vehicle repair endorsement is a further $300 a year | Only in some cases | 2026-09-04 |
| Barbering or Hairdressing Shop License | Rhode Island Department of Health, Board of Hairdressing and Barbering | $170 to open; renewal is $170 a year | To every business | 2026-09-04 |
| Certified Food Protection Manager | Rhode Island Department of Health, Center for Food Protection | $50 to apply; renewal is $50 | To every business | 2026-09-04 |
| Child Care License | Rhode Island Department of Human Services, Office of Child Care Licensing | $500 for a child daycare centre; a group family daycare home is $250 and a family daycare home is $100 | To every business | 2026-09-04 |
| Electrician License | Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training, Division of Professional Regulation | $240 to renew a master electrician's license; a journeyman's renewal is $72, and both add a $6 processing fee | Only in some cases | 2026-09-04 |
| Food Establishment License | Rhode Island Department of Health, Center for Food Protection | $160–$240 a year for a restaurant, banded by seating | To every business | 2026-09-04 |
| General Business License — Rhode Island Department of State Guidance | Rhode Island Department of State, Business Services Division | No fee | Only in some cases | 2026-09-04 |
| General Contractor Registration | Rhode Island Contractors' Registration and Licensing Board | $150 a year; an expired registration adds a $50 late fee | Only in some cases | 2026-09-04 |
| Plumbing License | Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training, Division of Professional Regulation | $240 to renew a master plumber's or contract master's license; a journeyperson's renewal is $72, and both add a $6 processing fee | Only in some cases | 2026-09-04 |
| Sales Tax Permit | Rhode Island Division of Taxation | No fee | To every business | 2026-09-04 |
| Veterinary Facility Permit — Rhode Island Health Fee Statute | Rhode Island Department of Health, Board of Veterinary Medicine | No fee | Only in some cases | 2026-09-04 |
Sources
Every statewide figure above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- Rhode Island Department of State — LLC and corporation annual report forms, fee and filing windowRhode Island Department of State · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
- Rhode Island Department of State form 100 — corporation articles of incorporation, $230 minimum feeRhode Island Department of State · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
- Rhode Island Department of State form 400 — LLC articles of organization, $150 feeRhode Island Department of State · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
- Rhode Island General Laws section 5-38-8 — the $300 annual automobile body shop license feeRhode Island General Assembly · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
- Rhode Island General Laws section 5-38-7 — the auto body license term, up to three yearsRhode Island General Assembly · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
- Rhode Island General Laws section 23-1-54 — the food establishment fee tableRhode Island General Assembly · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
- 216-RICR-40-05-4 — barbering and hairdressing shop license term, expiring 1 July annuallyRhode Island Department of Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
- 216-RICR-50-10-2 — certification of managers in food safety, fee and three-year termRhode Island Department of Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
- Rhode Island General Laws section 42-12.5-5 — child daycare license fees and terms by facility typeRhode Island General Assembly · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
- Rhode Island licensing portal — electrician renewal fees, twenty-four month termRhode Island Department of Labor and Training · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
- Rhode Island General Laws section 21-27-10 — the twelve-month food registration periodRhode Island General Assembly · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
- Rhode Island Department of State — Start Your Rhode Island Business (registration steps and entity filing fees)Rhode Island Department of State · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
- Rhode Island Contractors' Registration and Licensing Board — registration fee and annual termRhode Island Contractors' Registration and Licensing Board · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
- Rhode Island General Laws section 5-65-2 — the $500 minor-work exemption from contractor registrationRhode Island General Assembly · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
- Rhode Island licensing portal — plumber renewal fees, twenty-four month termRhode Island Department of Labor and Training · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
- Rhode Island Division of Taxation Notice 2021-05 — the sales tax permit fee eliminated from 1 July 2022Rhode Island Division of Taxation · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
- Rhode Island Division of Taxation ADV 2024-20 — confirming the fee remains eliminated but renewal is still requiredRhode Island Division of Taxation · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
Which Rhode Island city are you opening in?
- Cranston, RIThe City's own online license portal lists roughly thirty activity-specific licenses processed by the City Clerk/Records & Licenses office and names no general municipal business license; unlike Providence, Cranston has no standing Board of Licenses, and these licenses (set out in Code of Ordinances Title 5) are decided by the City Council's own 'committee on safety services and licenses' rather than an independent board. A local 'Victualling house' food-service license (banded $100.00-$250.00/year by seating capacity, Code §5.04.100) sits on top of Rhode Island's own statewide Food Establishment License; Rhode Island's Department of Health remains the food-safety authority. A dedicated $75.00/unit annual Mobile Food Establishment permit (Code Chapter 5.44, capped at $250.00/year per owner) and a $100.00/year Vehicle Repair Business license (Code Chapter 5.72, corroborated in two places in the same code) are both in the code, along with a $25.00 Massage Therapy Establishment license and a $100.00 (establishment)/$60.00 (personnel) Body Works license — local credentials for personal-care businesses offering those specific services; the City's license portal page lists no separate hairdressing/salon license, which is covered by Rhode Island's own state Barbering or Hairdressing Shop License. The City's own Building Inspection fee schedule (effective per RI State Law as of July 1, 2026) sets a city-specific building-permit valuation formula ($20.00/$1,000 to $10,000; $200.00 + $18.00/$1,000 to $50,000; $920.00 + $16.00/$1,000 above that; $75.00 minimum) plus a separate State Mandated Levy, a $150.00 Certificate of Occupancy fee for any non-residential use, a $30.00 Zoning Certificate fee, and a $75.00 Day Care Inspection fee — the local childcare-specific layer on top of Rhode Island's own state Child Care License. The sign permit ordinance section states two different figures, $75.00 and $100.00, in two parts of the same section. The Zoning Board of Review prices a variance or special use permit from $150.00 (single-family) up to $1,050.00 (large commercial), distinct from Providence's own advertising-plus-processing formula. The Fire Prevention Bureau charges a $75.00/year life-hazard-use permit for qualifying trades plus a separate valuation-based construction plan-review fee, but expressly charges no fee for a fire inspection required solely for a license renewal. The City's license portal page lists no license for general contractors (who rely on Rhode Island's state RICRB registration), veterinary practices or ordinary retail stores, which follow the general commercial building/zoning/fire process.16 published records
- Providence, RIThe Board of Licenses' own 'About the Board' page describes licenses issued 'in over 30 different categories' and names no general municipal business license; the Board (not the City Clerk or the Collector of Taxes) administers those activity-specific categories, and the page names Hackney (taxi), Food dispensing, Peddlers, Motor vehicle repair, Nightlife operations, and Liquor licenses among them. A local 'Food dispensing' license, layered on top of the Rhode Island Department of Health's own statewide Food Establishment License (recorded at the state layer), is shown as a $100.00-$110.00 range because the State of Rhode Island Division of Municipal Finance's 2024 fee compilation prints two adjacent figures for Providence under two related columns ('Victualing' $100.00 and 'Tavern, Cookshop, etc.' $110.00). A $200.00/year 'Auto Repair Shop' license (the Board's own 'Motor vehicle repair' category) and a $250.00/year seasonal Sidewalk Dining permit are also recorded from the same state compilation. A food truck instead holds a distinct, City-specific $75.00 Mobile Food Establishment (MFE) Permit, layered on top of a State MFE Registration (RI Department of Business Regulation) and a Mobile Food Service License (RIDOH), as stated on the City's own MFE permitting document. The Department of Inspection and Standards (DIS) administers a Building Permit priced on a valuation-based formula that Rhode Island's own Building Code Commission sets and prices specifically for Providence (510-RICR-00-00-21 §21.12.28: $23.00/$1,000 up to $10,000, $230.00 + $21.00/$1,000 to $50,000, $1,070.00 + $19.00/$1,000 above that, $125.00 minimum) — a state-set, locally-collected fee, as the City's own Permits FAQ also states. The City's Request Certificate of Occupancy page and Permits FAQ state no separate Certificate of Occupancy fee. A $25.00 Zoning Certificate fee and a Zoning Board of Review fee schedule ($115.00 advertising plus a $175.00-$870.00 processing fee, capped at $2,600.00 combined) are both stated in the City's own current Zoning Ordinance and Zoning Board of Review application instructions; the Zoning Ordinance's sign article (Article 16) sets no separate sign-permit fee beyond the same $25.00 Zoning Certificate mechanism. The Providence Fire Department's own Fire Prevention Bureau page states a flat $100.00 fee for 'all fire inspection,' required for business licensing, change of occupancy, and property sales, among other triggers. The City publishes no additional local layer for contractors beyond Rhode Island's own state RICRB registration, for childcare beyond the general commercial process and the state's own Child Care License, or for salons beyond the state's own Barbering/Hairdressing Shop License.13 published records
- Warwick, RIThe City's Board of Public Safety page states that the three-member, mayor-appointed Board 'acts as the licensing authority for the City of Warwick,' with the Police Department's Licensing Division serving as the administrative intake point by appointment; the City Clerk's Office page covers vital records, land recordings and dog licenses and refers trade-name certificates to the Rhode Island Secretary of State. Chapter 18, Sec. 18-2 ('Miscellaneous license fees') of the Code of Ordinances (Supplement No. 32) prices the Board-of-Public-Safety-administered activity licenses: a First class victualer pays no fee where a liquor license is held (expiring 12/1) while a Second class victualer pays $100.00 to midnight, $150.00 to 2:00 a.m. or $250.00 for 24 hours (expiring 2/1); every mobile-food and peddler category — food peddler/hot dog, truck caterer, general peddler, fruit peddler, ice cream peddler, frozen lemonade — is $200.00, with the food line adding that a state hawker's and health license is required on top; and massage parlors are $100.00 for a year from issue. Rhode Island's own Division of Municipal Finance compilation, read positionally, independently reports Victualing $100.00, Massage Therapy $100.00 and Misc. Peddler/Hawkers & Peddlers $200.00 for Warwick, agreeing with the ordinance. The City's own published PDFs price a Building Permit on a valuation formula ($10.00/$8.00/$6.00 per $1,000 across three brackets, $75.00 minimum), matching Rhode Island's own Building Code Commission regulation (510-RICR-00-00-21 §21.12, item 35), plus a further 'CE/ADA fee' add-on Warwick's own document prints literally as $0.002 per $1,000 of valuation; a Zoning Certificate ($50.00 residential/$100.00 commercial); a Zoning Board of Review variance/special-use-permit filing fee ($102.00 residential/$302.00 commercial, plus $0.78 per abutter, under a fee schedule adopted November 2005); and a Building Board of Appeals fee ($50.00 residential/$250.00 commercial). A standalone Certificate of Occupancy fee, sign permit fee or commercial fire-inspection fee is not published in the City's Permit Fees schedule or on its Building Department and Fire Prevention pages; the Fire Prevention page addresses a residential smoke/CO detector inspection tied to home sales. The City's Permit Fees schedule publishes no childcare-specific inspection line (unlike Cranston's $75.00 Day Care Inspection), and the Police Department's Licensing Division page lists no auto-repair-specific or contractor license; contractors register with Rhode Island's state Contractors' Registration and Licensing Board (RICRB), which is headquartered in Warwick.13 published records
Is there a single Rhode Island business license?
No. Rhode Island has no single license that covers every business. What you need depends on your industry, your city and your county, and most of the obligations that matter are issued locally rather than at state level.
The state-level registrations that do apply to nearly everyone are tax accounts rather than licenses — which is why they are easy to miss.
Who issues permits in Rhode Island?
- Rhode Island Department of State, Business Services DivisionEntity formation · Annual reports4 permits
- Rhode Island Department of Health, Center for Food ProtectionFood establishment licensing · Certified food protection manager rules2 permits
- Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training, Division of Professional RegulationElectrician and plumber licensing2 permits
- Rhode Island Contractors' Registration and Licensing BoardGeneral contractor registration1 permit
- Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation, Division of Commercial LicensingAutomobile body repair shop licensing1 permit
- Rhode Island Department of Health, Board of Hairdressing and BarberingSalon and barbershop licensing1 permit
- Rhode Island Department of Health, Board of Veterinary MedicineVeterinarian licensing1 permit
- Rhode Island Department of Human Services, Office of Child Care LicensingChild care facility licensing1 permit
- Rhode Island Division of TaxationSales tax permits · Annual minimum tax1 permit
By industry
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.