Business licenses and permits in Vermont

What applies everywhere in Vermont

15 requirements are set by Vermont itself and apply whichever city you open in. Local permits sit on top of them.

Sources

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

1. Vermont Secretary of State — entity filing fee schedule, with no general business licence categoryVermont Secretary of State · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
2. State of Vermont Permit and License Information — auto body shop and automotive repair facility, no dedicated trade licenseVermont Department of Environmental Conservation · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
3. Code of Vermont Rules 04-030-030 — barbering and cosmetology shop licensing and two-year termVermont Office of Professional Regulation, mirrored by Cornell Law School's Legal Information Institute · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
4. Vermont Health Regulations for Food Service Establishments — the three alternative paths to demonstrating food safety knowledgeVermont Department of Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
5. State of Vermont Permit and License Information, Sheet 57 — child care licensing, confirming no feeVermont Department of Environmental Conservation · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
6. Vermont Secretary of State — annual report filing window, measured from each entity's fiscal year endVermont Secretary of State · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
7. Vermont Secretary of State — reinstatement fees following loss of good standing for a late annual reportVermont Secretary of State · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
8. Vermont Department of Health — retail food establishment application, fee table by category, February 2024Vermont Department of Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
9. Vermont Department of Health — Town Health Officer Manual (2024 sections): the ten statutory topic areas for a Town Health Officer (appointments; roles and responsibilities; public health hazards; enforcement tools; animal bites and rabies; infectious diseases; outdoor air quality; drinking water; lead paint; asbestos), naming no food-establishment or restaurant-licensing roleVermont Department of Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-18
10. Vermont Division of Fire Safety — plumbing license application fee tableVermont Department of Public Safety · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
11. Vermont Secretary of State — residential contractor registration fees and the $10,000 thresholdVermont Secretary of State · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
12. Vermont Department of Taxes — sales tax registration, confirming no charge for the licenseVermont Department of Taxes · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
13. Vermont Office of Professional Regulation — veterinary medicine licensing forms, with no facility permit categoryVermont Office of Professional Regulation · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
14. Administrative Rules for Veterinarians, as linked from the Board of Veterinary Medicine's Statutes, Rules & Resources page — Part 4 (Licensing Requirements) covers only individual-practitioner qualifications, and Rule 3-8 (Inspection) is the only premises-related provision: 'All veterinary hospitals and other non-residential premises used by licensees... shall be open to announced or unannounced visits by Office inspectors,' with no separate facility license, application or fee created anywhere in the rulesVermont Office of Professional Regulation, Board of Veterinary Medicine · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08

Which Vermont city are you opening in?

• Burlington, VTBurlington cannot license business generally, and the reason is statutory: 24 V.S.A. § 2291 grants Vermont municipalities only two business-licensing powers — over itinerant vendors and peddlers, and over circuses, shows and paid entertainments. The Clerk accordingly licenses just four things: cannabis, liquor, peddler and taxi. Under 18 V.S.A. ch. 85, which contains no municipal delegation mechanism, a Burlington restaurant is licensed by the Vermont Department of Health, whose statutory fees run from $105.00 for up to 25 seats to $1,000.00 for 600 or more, with a mobile unit at $260.00. What every Burlington business does face is zoning: CDO §3.1.1 requires a zoning permit for a change of use as well as construction, and §3.2.11 requires a zoning certificate of occupancy before the space may be used. Under the FY2027 fee schedule effective July 1, 2026 a basic zoning permit or change of use is $15.00 filing plus $107.00, a sign permit is $15.00 plus $118.00 for the first sign and $80.00 for each additional, a conditional use or variance is $195.00 on top of any certificate-of-appropriateness fee, and the zoning certificate of occupancy is $30.00 plus ten percent of total application fees, with a temporary certificate at $150.00. Building, electrical and plumbing permits all run at $8.50 per $1,000 of estimated cost, with minimums of $20.00 or $30.00 depending on which City document is read, $50.00 and $30.00 respectively. A food truck needs a peddler license: $100.00 per year general, plus a $300.00 vehicle endorsement, with a $100.00 refundable cleanliness deposit for food peddlers, and the Central Peddling District and University Place are currently closed to new applicants. Live music at a licensed premises needs a $100.00 entertainment permit. Fire charges nothing for an initial inspection or the first re-inspection, then $75.00. The Clerk/Treasurer's Business Licenses page lists no local license for childcare, fitness, contracting, auto repair, veterinary practice or salons.16 published records
• Rutland, VTRutland City licenses restaurants under its charter, which supplies authority beyond the two licensing powers 24 V.S.A. § 2291 gives ordinary Vermont municipalities. Title 11 licenses a closed list — restaurants and victualing establishments, entertainment clubs, bowling alleys, shooting galleries, indoor skating rinks, circuses and carnivals, coin machines, hotels and inns, peddlers and transient merchants, vehicles for hire, pool and billiard rooms and theaters — administered by a three-member license board consisting of the president of the board of aldermen, the chief of police and the city clerk. Every license expires on May 1 following issue. Under § 1512 the fee list is 'posted in the office of the city clerk'; the only online publication of the amounts is the City's GovPilot e-forms application, which labels its own figures an estimate. On that basis a restaurant license is $65.00 new and $40.00 to renew. Zoning permits are $50.00 application plus $5.00 posting plus $15.00 per page recording, with a further $0.20 per square foot for a change of use and an extra $155.00 where Development Review Board approval is needed. The 2023 Fee Schedule, still the one the City links in 2026, prices a building permit application at $50.00 with $0.20 per square foot for primary structures, a sign permit at $50.00 plus $25.00 per sign, a demolition permit at $50.00, a Development Review Board application at $150.00 plus $5.00 notice, and after-the-fact permitting at double. Certificates of occupancy are transaction instruments rather than commercial fit-out sign-offs: $25.00 on a residential change of tenancy and $100.00 on a sale or conveyance. Fire is a state function — the Division of Fire Safety's list of municipal inspection agreements does not include Rutland City, so the Division of Fire Safety charges $8.00 per $1,000 of project valuation with a $50 minimum. The peddler license, which is the food truck license, is legally required; its fee is not published in the Code, on the Clerk's pages or in the City's e-forms fee table.16 published records
• South Burlington, VTUnder 24 V.S.A. § 2291, the licensing powers granted to Vermont municipalities are limited to itinerant vendors and peddlers and to circuses and paid entertainments, and the City's 'City Permits, Licenses, and Registrations' page names no general business license. The City's twenty-one chapter Municode list names no Licenses or Businesses chapter. The defining local oddity is that the Fire Marshal, not Planning and Zoning, issues building permits — the City's own FAQ states that 'The City's Fire Marshal has oversight over Building permits,' so a commercial fit-out needs a zoning permit from one office and a building permit from another. Zoning fees under the schedule adopted July 10, 2023 include a new non-residential zoning permit at $0.35 per square foot plus a $13.00 recording fee, non-residential additions and alterations at $5.00 per $1,000 of project cost with a $30.00 minimum plus $13.00, a permanent sign at $55.00, a certificate of occupancy at $140.00 plus $13.00, and conditional use, variance and administrative site plan applications at $165.00, $165.00 and $140.00 respectively, each plus $13.00. Fire permit fees under City Council Resolution 2025-13 are charged per $1,000 of project valuation: construction plan review at $8.50 with a $75.00 minimum and a $300,000 maximum, kitchen hood suppression at $40.00, sprinkler plan review at $18.00, fire alarm at $31.00, standalone standpipe at $33.00, specialty suppression at $11.00 and fire pump at $7.00, each with the same $75.00 minimum. A Capital Construction Assessment adds 0.5 percent of total estimated project cost on construction permits, capped at $20,000, and five percent of the permit fee on change of use, tent, electrical, alarm, pump, hood, specialty and water-based permits. Food is licensed by the Vermont Department of Health, not the City. A seasonal mobile food unit needs a zoning permit valid at most seven months from April 1 to October 31 and a state Commercial Caterer license. The Code and the 2023 fee schedule state different peddler fees, and both are shown.15 published records

Is there a single Vermont business license?

Who issues permits in Vermont?

• Vermont Secretary of State, Corporations DivisionEntity formation · Annual reports · Residential contractor registration6 permits
• Vermont Department of Health, Food and Lodging ProgramFood establishment licensing2 permits
• Vermont Department of Public Safety, Division of Fire SafetyElectrician and plumber licensing2 permits
• Vermont Office of Professional RegulationBarber and cosmetology licensing · Veterinary licensing2 permits
• Vermont Department for Children and Families, Child Development DivisionChild care facility licensing1 permit
• Vermont Department of Environmental ConservationEnvironmental permits for auto repair and body shops1 permit
• Vermont Department of TaxesSales tax permits1 permit

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