12 permits · verified 2026-09-14
What permits do you need to open a contractor or trade in Burlington?
In short
A contractor or trade in Burlington, VT has 2 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 10 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. Vermont Secretary of State, Corporations Division charges $155 one-time filing for the articles of organization (llc). 5 of the 12 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-09-14 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.
Permits particular to a contractor or trade in Burlington
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contractor Licensing — Vermont State Trade Licenses (Burlington)only if it applies to you | City of Burlington Department of Permitting and Inspections | No fee | not applicable at city level | 2026-09-14 |
| Electrician Licenseonly if it applies to you | Vermont Department of Public Safety, Division of Fire Safety | $115–$150 $150 for a master electrician, $115 for a journeyman or other classification | 3 years; confirm with the Division of Fire Safety | 2026-09-04 |
| Residential Contractor Registrationonly if it applies to you | Vermont Secretary of State, Corporations Division | $75–$250 $75 for an individual, $250 for a business organization | 2 years — the OPR FAQ refers to biennial renewal applications | 2026-09-04 |
| Plumbing Licenseonly if it applies to you | Vermont Department of Public Safety, Division of Fire Safety | $50–$120 $120 for a master, $90 for a journeyman, $50 per specialty field for a limited licensure specialist | 2 years; confirm with the Division of Fire Safety | 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 Burlington
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Business License — Burlington Position (24 V.S.A. § 2291)only if it applies to you | City of Burlington Clerk/Treasurer's Office | No fee | not applicable | 2026-09-14 |
| Zoning Permit (required for change of use, not only construction) | City of Burlington Department of Permitting and Inspections | Varies — formula on the Burlington page | not stated in the published fee schedule | 2026-09-14 |
| Building Permit | City of Burlington Department of Permitting and Inspections | Varies — formula on the Burlington page | a building permit becomes invalid after three years under Code §8-27 | 2026-09-14 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
VT registrations that apply to every type of business
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to you | Vermont Secretary of State, Corporations Division | $155 one-time filing | perpetual, but an annual report is due every year | 2026-09-04 |
| Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to you | Vermont Secretary of State, Corporations Division | $155 one-time filing | perpetual, but an annual report is due every year | 2026-09-04 |
| LLC Annual Reportonly if it applies to you | Vermont Secretary of State, Corporations Division | $45 a year | annual — due within 3 months after the entity's own fiscal year end, roughly March 31 for a calendar-year filer | 2026-09-04 |
| Corporation Annual Reportonly if it applies to you | Vermont Secretary of State, Corporations Division | $60 a year | annual — due within two and a half months after the entity's own fiscal year end, roughly March 15 for a calendar-year filer | 2026-09-04 |
| General Business License — Vermont Secretary of State Fee Scheduleonly if it applies to you | Vermont Secretary of State, Corporations Division | No fee | not applicable | 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 Burlington?
There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 12 records listed for a contractor or trade in Burlington, VT, 2 apply to every business of this type and 10 are conditional. Adding every fee on the page together would overstate what most operators pay, because it would include permits they never need.
5 of the 12 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 3 have no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:
Electrician License: $115–$150 $150 for a master electrician, $115 for a journeyman or other classification
Residential Contractor Registration: $75–$250 $75 for an individual, $250 for a business organization
Plumbing License: $50–$120 $120 for a master, $90 for a journeyman, $50 per specialty field for a limited licensure specialist
The other 2 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Burlington permits page and the VT state page.
Which offices issue these permits in Burlington?
Permits for a contractor or trade in Burlington, VT come from 4 separate offices: City of Burlington Clerk/Treasurer's Office, City of Burlington Department of Permitting and Inspections, Vermont Department of Public Safety, Division of Fire Safety, Vermont Secretary of State, Corporations Division. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.
- City of Burlington Clerk/Treasurer's OfficeIssues 1 permit on this page: General Business License — Burlington Position (24 V.S.A. § 2291)149 Church Street, Burlington, VT 05401 · (802) 865-7000www.burlingtonvt.gov/1064/Business-Licenses
- City of Burlington Department of Permitting and InspectionsIssues 3 permits on this page: Contractor Licensing — Vermont State Trade Licenses (Burlington), Zoning Permit (required for change of use, not only construction), Building Permit645 Pine Street, Burlington, VT 05401 · (802) 863-0442www.burlingtonvt.gov/558/Permit-Fees
- Vermont Department of Public Safety, Division of Fire SafetyIssues 2 permits on this page: Electrician License, Plumbing License45 State Drive, Waterbury, VT 05671 · (802) 479-7564firesafety.vermont.gov/licensing
- Vermont Secretary of State, Corporations DivisionIssues 6 permits on this page, including Articles of Organization (LLC), Articles of Incorporation, LLC Annual Report128 State Street, Montpelier, VT 05633 · (802) 828-2386sos.vermont.gov/business-services
What does a contractor or trade need in Burlington 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 Burlington: Contractor Licensing — Vermont State Trade Licenses (Burlington), Electrician License, Residential Contractor Registration and Plumbing License.
Contractor Licensing — Vermont State Trade Licenses (Burlington)
No fee applies for a city contractor license: the Clerk/Treasurer's Business Licenses page lists no contractor license, and the Code defers explicitly to the State for the two trades it regulates: §12-57 requires 'a masters license therefore, as provided in the Vermont Electrical Safety Rules currently adopted by the State of Vermont,' and §25-3 requires that a person 'shall have first obtained and holds a valid master plumber license from the State of Vermont Plumbers' Licensing Board.' What the City requires instead is per-project trade permits — building at $8.50 per $1,000 with a $20.00 or $30.00 minimum, electrical at the same rate with a $50.00 minimum, and plumbing at the same rate with a $30.00 minimum. The penalties for skipping them are where the real exposure sits: a $30.00 or one percent enforcement processing fee on building work, $75.00 or one percent on electrical, and $100.00 for each re-inspection prompted by a code violation.
Electrician License
These fee figures rest on multiple independent secondary sources rather than a directly read primary document, since the licensing division's own application PDF could not be rendered as text during this research — worth a direct re-check with the Division of Fire Safety before treating the exact dollar amounts as final.
Residential Contractor Registration
Required only above a real dollar floor: residential construction work estimated at $10,000 or more, including both labor and materials. Per the Office of Professional Regulation's Residential Contractor FAQs, citing 26 V.S.A. § 5501(b), the fee is $75 for an individual and $250 for a business organization, and a certificate of insurance must be uploaded with the initial and each biennial renewal application.
Plumbing License
Vermont licenses no separate HVAC or mechanical trade — plumbing and electrical work are the two state-licensed trades outside general contracting. A limited licensure specialist may hold one or more specialty fields, each priced separately at $50.
The other 3 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Burlington, VT; what each one involves is set out on the Burlington permits page. The 5 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across VT and are covered on the VT state page.
How does a contractor or trade compare with other businesses in Burlington?
The closest match is a auto repair shop, which shares 0 of these permits. A contractor or trade also needs Contractor Licensing — Vermont State Trade Licenses (Burlington), Electrician License, Residential Contractor Registration and Plumbing License. A auto repair shop needs Sign Permit, Auto Repair Shop — City Zoning and Permits Only (Burlington) and Auto Repair Shop Permits — Vermont DEC Small Business Fact Sheet, 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 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 |
| Coffee shops | 5 | 0 | 4 | 5 |
| Fitness studios | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 |
| Food trucks | 3 | 0 | 4 | 3 |
| Restaurants | 5 | 0 | 4 | 5 |
| Retail stores | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 |
| Salons and barbers | 3 | 0 | 4 | 3 |
| 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 Burlington permits page and the VT state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.
- Code of Ordinances, City of Burlington, current through Ord. 7-15-26 — Chapter 8 §8-28 (building permit fee and minimum), Chapter 12 §12-26 (electrical), Chapter 19 §§19-2 and 19-18 (licenses and entertainment permits), Chapter 13 §13-22 (fire re-inspection fees), Chapter 23 §23-6 (peddler license fees) and Chapter 25 §25-12 (plumbing)City of Burlington, codified by General Code · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-14
- Vermont Secretary of State — entity filing fee schedule, with no general business licence categoryVermont Secretary of State · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
- Vermont Secretary of State — residential contractor registration fees and the $10,000 thresholdVermont Secretary of State · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
- Vermont Division of Fire Safety — plumbing license application fee tableVermont Department of Public Safety · 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.