14 published records
Business licenses and permits in Loudoun County, Virginia
Loudoun County, seat Leesburg, contains seven incorporated towns — Leesburg, Purcellville, Hamilton, Hillsboro, Lovettsville, Middleburg and Round Hill — each of which runs its own town-level business license (BPOL), building and zoning regime that stacks on top of the county's. Code of Va. §58.1-3711 removes the county's BPOL tax from inside any town that imposes an equivalent town tax, so the county-level BPOL records here apply only to unincorporated Loudoun; a business inside one of the seven towns instead owes that town's own license, and individual town fee schedules are out of scope for this county-level file. Loudoun's Commissioner of the Revenue administers the BPOL tax and the Mixed Beverage License Tax; the Loudoun County Health Department's Environmental Health Services runs food, mobile-food and health-clearance permits; the Department of Building and Development issues building permits county-wide and zoning permits outside the seven towns; and the Fire Marshal's Office administers fire-operational permits under the Virginia Statewide Fire Prevention Code, adopted locally by reference. Large unincorporated and census-designated areas such as Sterling, Ashburn and South Riding are governed directly by the county, not by any town.
What are you opening in Loudoun 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 Loudoun County
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BPOL Tax — Base/Flat Tax | Loudoun County Commissioner of the Revenue, Business Tax Division | $30 a year, flat, where gross receipts are $200,000 or less | Annual; filing and payment due March 1 | 2026-10-02 |
| Health Clearance Review (of a Building/Zoning Permit)only if it applies to you | Loudoun County Health Department, Environmental Health Services | $25 per building/zoning permit application reviewed, as posted on the Department's current fee schedule | One-time, per building/zoning permit review | 2026-10-02 |
| Building & Trade Permits / Commercial Plan Reviewonly if it applies to you | Loudoun County Department of Building and Development | Under the Building and Development Application Fee Schedule effective July 1, 2022 (Board of Supervisors approved July 14, 2021; Ch. 1410, adopting the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code): minimum permit fee $65; commercial plan review by building square footage — $425 (0-50,999 sq ft), $580 (51,000-250,999 sq ft), $820 (251,000-350,000 sq ft), $1,220 (over 350,000 sq ft); Commercial Occupancy permit $70; commercial alterations with no addition, 1.0% of the actual cost of work; commercial trade permits (electrical, plumbing, mechanical, gas), each $70-$170, plus a $65 commercial trade review and $30 per re-inspection; fire protection permits — Fire Sprinkler System $240, Fire Alarm System $250, Kitchen Hood Fire System $250, Dry Chemical Fire System $420; demolition $70; a posted Stop Work Order $95. New construction and commercial additions are charged per the Building Valuation Data Report formula, updated every July 1. | Per permit | 2026-10-02 |
| Incorporated-Towns BPOL Stacking (Not a County Fee Inside Town Limits)only if it applies to you | Loudoun County Commissioner of the Revenue, Business Tax Division | No fee | not applicable — this is a jurisdictional scope rule, not a recurring filing | 2026-10-02 |
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 Loudoun County?
BPOL Tax — Base/Flat Tax
Every business operating in unincorporated Loudoun County — across all ten tracked industries — owes this BPOL flat tax of $30 a year once its gross receipts are $200,000 or less, as stated on the Commissioner of the Revenue's own loudoun.gov/1552/Business-License-Tax page. A business's first year is also a flat $30 regardless of the month it opens, except an out-of-county contractor, who is instead taxed on its estimated first-year gross receipts. A home-based business with gross receipts of $10,000 or less is exempt from this flat tax, though it must still register with the Commissioner of the Revenue and file the separate business tangible personal property tax every year. Filing and payment are due March 1 annually. This BPOL tax applies only inside unincorporated Loudoun County: Code of Va. §58.1-3711 removes a county's BPOL tax from inside any town that imposes its own town license tax on the same privilege, so a business located in one of Loudoun's seven incorporated towns instead owes that town's own license (see the incorporated-towns stacking record).
Health Clearance Review (of a Building/Zoning Permit)
Any business in Loudoun County filing a new building or zoning permit application — across all ten tracked industries — pays a $25 Health Clearance Review fee to the Loudoun County Health Department, as posted on the Department's current Environmental Health Services Fee Schedule (loudoun.gov/6338/Fee-Schedule). This is a one-time charge per building or zoning permit application the Department reviews, distinct from any of the Department's food-specific permit fees recorded separately for Loudoun County, and applies whenever a building or zoning permit review requires Health Department sign-off, for example where a septic system, well, or other environmental-health-regulated feature is involved in the project.
Building & Trade Permits / Commercial Plan Review
The Loudoun County Department of Building and Development charges these fees under the Building and Development Application Fee Schedule effective July 1, 2022, which the Board of Supervisors approved July 14, 2021 under Codified Ordinances Ch. 1410 (adopting the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code). The 2022 schedule is the county's current one — the prior schedule dated to 2008/2014, and the county's own current fee-schedule hub page (loudoun.gov/5126/Fee-Schedules) lists no successor to it. Key figures pulled directly from the schedule (loudoun.gov/DocumentCenter/View/170206): a $65 minimum permit fee; commercial plan review by building square footage at $425, $580, $820 or $1,220 depending on size tier; a $70 Commercial Occupancy permit; commercial alterations with no addition at 1.0% of the actual cost of work; commercial trade permits (electrical, plumbing, mechanical, gas) at $70-$170 each, plus a $65 commercial trade review and $30 per re-inspection; fire protection permits ranging $240-$420 by system type; a $70 demolition permit; and a $95 fee for a posted Stop Work Order. New construction and commercial additions are instead charged per the Building Valuation Data Report formula, which the county updates every July 1. This schedule applies to any of the nine building-permit-relevant tracked industries undertaking new construction, alteration, or a certificate-of-occupancy application in the county.
Incorporated-Towns BPOL Stacking (Not a County Fee Inside Town Limits)
Code of Va. §58.1-3711 states that 'any county license tax imposed pursuant to this chapter shall not apply within the limits of any town located in such county, where such town now, or hereafter, imposes a town license tax on the same privilege' — so Loudoun's county BPOL tax charges no fee to a business located within the limits of any of its seven incorporated towns (Leesburg, Purcellville, Hamilton, Hillsboro, Lovettsville, Middleburg, Round Hill), each of which runs its own town-level BPOL tax instead. Loudoun's own guidance states this plainly: 'Businesses in incorporated towns should contact the town for a business license and register with the county for personal property tax purposes' (loudoun.gov/1552/Business-License-Tax). This applies across all ten tracked industries, since the stacking rule is about location within a town rather than about any specific business activity. Individual town BPOL rates and procedures are out of scope for this county-level file; a business in one of the seven towns should contact that town's own licensing office directly.
Sources
Every figure in the table above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- Business License Tax — BPOL flat tax, home-based exemption, March 1 due date, incorporated-towns guidance, contractor roster requirementLoudoun County Commissioner of the Revenue · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-02
- Code of Virginia §58.1-3711 — a county BPOL tax does not apply within a town that imposes its own town license tax on the same privilegeCode of Virginia, Division of Legislative Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-02
- Environmental Health Services Fee Schedule — Food Establishment, Temporary Food Establishment, Plan Review and Health Clearance Review feesLoudoun County Health Department, Environmental Health Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-02
- Building and Development Application Fee Schedule, effective July 1, 2022 (Board of Supervisors approved July 14, 2021)Loudoun County Department of Building and Development · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-02
- Fee Schedules — current hub page confirming the 2022 Building & Development schedule remains the county's current oneLoudoun County · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-02
- Incorporated Towns — Leesburg, Purcellville, Hamilton, Hillsboro, Lovettsville, Middleburg, Round HillLoudoun County · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-02
Who issues business permits in Loudoun County?
Permitting in Loudoun 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.
Loudoun County issuing agencies
- Loudoun County Commissioner of the Revenue, Business Tax DivisionBusiness, Professional and Occupational License (BPOL) Tax, for businesses located in unincorporated Loudoun County · Business tangible personal property tax · Administers the Mixed Beverage License Tax (Codified Ordinances Ch. 856) on Virginia ABC mixed-beverage licensees located in the county outside any town with its own equivalent tax · Verifies (does not issue) Virginia DPOR contractor license numbers and workers' compensation proof at BPOL registration7 permits
- Loudoun County Health Department, Environmental Health ServicesFood establishment, temporary food establishment, mobile food unit and food/tourist-establishment plan-review permits for restaurants and coffee shops · Health Clearance Review of building/zoning permit applications · On-site sewage (septic) and well permits (not recorded here as a standalone business requirement)5 permits
- Loudoun County Department of Building and DevelopmentBuilding permits county-wide, and zoning permits outside the seven incorporated towns · Commercial plan review, trade permits and certificates of occupancy under the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code (Codified Ordinances Ch. 1410)1 permit
- Loudoun County Fire Marshal's OfficeFire-operational permits for designated occupancy classifications under the Virginia Statewide Fire Prevention Code, adopted by Codified Ordinances Ch. 16021 permit
Other Virginia 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.