15 permits · verified 2026-09-30
What permits do you need to open a contractor or trade in Salt Lake County?
In short
A contractor or trade in Salt Lake County, UT has 1 permit that applies to every business of this type, plus 14 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. Greater Salt Lake Municipal Services District, Planning & Development Services charges $150 a year (12-month license term) for the general business license — home-based, with on-site visitors or customers. 3 of the 15 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-09-30 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.
Permits particular to a contractor or trade in Salt Lake County
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical Contractor Licenseonly if it applies to you | Utah Division of Professional Licensing | $175 to apply; renewal is $128 | biennial — expires 30 November of even-numbered years | 2026-09-04 |
| Plumbing Contractor Licenseonly if it applies to you | Utah Division of Professional Licensing | $175 to apply; renewal is $128 | biennial — expires 30 November of even-numbered years | 2026-09-04 |
| General Contractor Licenseonly if it applies to you | Utah Division of Professional Licensing | $175 to apply; renewal is $128 | biennial — expires 30 November of even-numbered years | 2026-09-04 |
| HVAC Contractor Licenseonly if it applies to you | Utah Division of Professional Licensing | $175 to apply; renewal is $128 | biennial — expires 30 November of even-numbered years | 2026-09-04 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
Local permits that apply to every type of business in Salt Lake County
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Business License — Home-Based, With On-Site Visitors or Customersonly if it applies to you | Greater Salt Lake Municipal Services District, Planning & Development Services | $150 a year (12-month license term) | 12 months | 2026-09-30 |
| Building Permitonly if it applies to you | Greater Salt Lake Municipal Services District, Planning & Development Services | Varies — formula on the Salt Lake County page | one-time, per permit | 2026-09-30 |
| Plan Check Feeonly if it applies to you | Greater Salt Lake Municipal Services District, Planning & Development Services | Varies — formula on the Salt Lake County page | one-time, per project | 2026-09-30 |
| Site Plan Reviewonly if it applies to you | Greater Salt Lake Municipal Services District, Planning & Development Services | Varies — formula on the Salt Lake County page | one-time, per application | 2026-09-30 |
| General Business License — Commercial Location | Greater Salt Lake Municipal Services District, Planning & Development Services | $150 a year (12-month license term) | 12 months | 2026-09-30 |
| General Business License — Home-Based, No On-Site Visitors or Customersonly if it applies to you | Greater Salt Lake Municipal Services District, Planning & Development Services | No fee | 12 months | 2026-09-30 |
| General Business License — Per-Employee Feeonly if it applies to you | Greater Salt Lake Municipal Services District, Planning & Development Services | $6 per employee, billed alongside the base license fee | coincides with the 12-month business-license term | 2026-09-30 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
UT registrations that apply to every type of business
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to you | Utah Division of Corporations and Commercial Code | $59 one-time filing | perpetual, but a renewal is due every year | 2026-09-04 |
| Certificate of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to you | Utah Division of Corporations and Commercial Code | $59 one-time filing | perpetual, but a renewal is due every year | 2026-09-04 |
| General Business License — Utah State Position (Entity Registration)only if it applies to you | Utah Division of Corporations and Commercial Code | No fee | set by the city or county | 2026-09-04 |
| Annual Renewalonly if it applies to you | Utah Division of Corporations and Commercial Code | $18 a year; a late renewal adds $10 | annual — due in the calendar month tied to the entity's own formation anniversary | 2026-09-04 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
How much does it actually cost to permit a contractor or trade in Salt Lake County?
There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 15 records listed for a contractor or trade in Salt Lake County, UT, 1 apply to every business of this type and 14 are conditional. Adding every fee on the page together would overstate what most operators pay, because it would include permits they never need.
Of the 1 that always apply, 1 carry a flat fee, coming to $150.00. That is a floor, not a total. 3 of the 15 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 2 have no fee published at all.
The other 3 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Salt Lake County permits page and the UT state page.
Which offices issue these permits in Salt Lake County?
Permits for a contractor or trade in Salt Lake County, UT come from 3 separate offices: Greater Salt Lake Municipal Services District, Planning & Development Services, Utah Division of Professional Licensing, Utah Division of Corporations and Commercial Code. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.
- Greater Salt Lake Municipal Services District, Planning & Development ServicesIssues 7 permits on this page, including General Business License — Home-Based, With On-Site Visitors or Customers, Building Permit, Plan Check Fee860 W. Levoy Dr., Suite 300, Taylorsville, UT 84123 · (385) 910-5600 (Main); (385) 468-6700 (business license and planning questions)msd.utah.gov/439/Starting-a-Business
- Utah Division of Professional LicensingIssues 4 permits on this page: Electrical Contractor License, Plumbing Contractor License, General Contractor License, HVAC Contractor License160 East 300 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84111 · (801) 530-6628commerce.utah.gov/dopl
- Utah Division of Corporations and Commercial CodeIssues 4 permits on this page: Articles of Incorporation, Certificate of Organization (LLC), General Business License — Utah State Position (Entity Registration), Annual Renewal160 East 300 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84111 · (801) 530-4849corporations.utah.gov
What does a contractor or trade need in Salt Lake County that other businesses do not?
4 of the 4 permits particular to a contractor or trade here apply to no other business type we cover in Salt Lake County: Electrical Contractor License, Plumbing Contractor License, General Contractor License and HVAC Contractor License.
Electrical Contractor License
Priced identically to general contracting, $175 to apply and $128 to renew on the same shared 30 November even-year date, in either a general or a residential-only classification. The one requirement specific to this trade is that whoever qualifies the license must already hold an active Utah Master Electrician license — the contractor license cannot be obtained on the strength of the business alone.
Plumbing Contractor License
The same $175-and-$128 structure as electrical contracting, in a general or residential-only classification, and the same design: the license's qualifier must already hold an active Utah Master Plumber license rather than the business qualifying on its own.
General Contractor License
Utah licenses contractors by classification rather than by one general category, and every classification shares the identical $175-to-apply, $128-to-renew price — general engineering, general building, residential and small commercial, electrical, plumbing and HVAC all cost the same. What differs by classification is the path to qualify: a general classification needs two years or four thousand hours of paid construction experience, a twenty-five hour pre-licensure course with an extra five hours of business and law for the general classifications, a passing score on the state's business and law exam, and general liability insurance of at least a million dollars per occurrence and three million aggregate. Every license renews on the same shared date, 30 November of even-numbered years, regardless of when it was first issued.
HVAC Contractor License
The same $175-and-$128 price as Utah's other licensed trades, on the same shared renewal date. Qualifying is more flexible here than for electrical or plumbing: a candidate can pass the state's HVAC trade exam and hold a Certified Natural Gas Technician credential, show four thousand hours of qualified HVAC employment, or qualify through a qualifier who already holds an active Utah journeyman, master or residential plumber license.
The other 7 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Salt Lake County, UT; what each one involves is set out on the Salt Lake County permits page. The 4 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across UT and are covered on the UT state page.
How does a contractor or trade compare with other businesses in Salt Lake County?
The closest match is a auto repair shop, which shares 0 of these permits. A contractor or trade also needs Electrical Contractor License, Plumbing Contractor License, General Contractor License and HVAC Contractor License. A auto repair shop needs Vehicle Emissions I/M Station Permit, Motor Vehicle Body Shop License and Automotive Repair Shop Licensing — Utah MVED Position, which a contractor or trade does not.
| Business | Its own permits | Shared with a contractor or trade | Only a contractor or trade needs | Only it needs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auto repair shops | 3 | 0 | 4 | 3 |
| Childcare centres | 3 | 0 | 4 | 3 |
| Coffee shops | 6 | 0 | 4 | 6 |
| Fitness studios | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 |
| Food trucks | 8 | 0 | 4 | 8 |
| Restaurants | 8 | 0 | 4 | 8 |
| Retail stores | 6 | 0 | 4 | 6 |
| Salons and barbers | 7 | 0 | 4 | 7 |
| Veterinary clinics | 3 | 0 | 4 | 3 |
Sources
Every figure for the permits explained on this page was read from one of these government pages on the date shown. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Salt Lake County permits page and the UT state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.
- Utah Division of Professional Licensing — fiscal year 2026 fee schedule, covering cosmetology, contracting and veterinary licensingUtah Division of Professional Licensing · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
- Utah Division of Professional Licensing — contractor classification listUtah Division of Professional Licensing · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
Related
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.