Business licenses and permits in Washington

What applies everywhere in Washington

14 requirements are set by Washington 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. WAC 434-112-085 — Secretary of State corporations and charities fee scheduleWashington Secretary of State · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
2. WAC 434-112-060 — annual report due dateWashington Secretary of State · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
3. RCW chapter 46.71 — the Auto Repair Act, fourteen sections none of which creates a licenseWashington State Legislature · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
4. WAC 434-112-075 — the $20 online processing fee and its exemptionsWashington Secretary of State · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
5. WAC 110-300-0401 — early learning programme license feesWashington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
6. Washington Labor and Industries — contractor registration fee, bond and insurance requirementsWashington State Department of Labor and Industries · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
7. WAC 296-200A-035 — two-year contractor registration periodWashington State Department of Labor and Industries · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
8. WAC 296-46B-909 — electrical contractor license feesWashington State Department of Labor and Industries · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
9. WAC 246-215-01115 — the local board of health is the regulatory authority for a food establishmentWashington State Department of Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
10. WAC 246-215-08300 — permit required to operate a food establishmentWashington State Department of Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
11. RCW 70.05.060 — local boards of health set permit fee schedules, capped at actual costWashington State Legislature · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
12. Public Health — Seattle and King County, food and facilities programme fees 2026Public Health — Seattle and King County · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
13. Spokane Regional Health District — food safety fees for 2026Spokane Regional Health District · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
14. WAC 246-217-025 — food worker card feeWashington State Department of Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
15. WAC 246-217-035 — validity of the food worker cardWashington State Department of Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
16. WAC 296-400A-045 — plumbing contractor license feesWashington State Department of Labor and Industries · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
17. RCW 18.106.400 — the standalone plumbing contractor license and its exemption from contractor registrationWashington State Legislature · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
18. Washington Department of Revenue — reseller permit questions answeredWashington State Department of Revenue · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
19. Washington Department of Revenue — business and occupation tax classificationsWashington State Department of Revenue · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
20. WAC 308-20-210 — cosmetology location license feesWashington State Department of Licensing · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
21. WAC 308-20-560 — annual renewal of salon, shop, mobile unit and personal services licensesWashington State Department of Licensing · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
22. WAC 246-933-990 — the complete veterinary fee schedule, every line an individual credentialWashington State Department of Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
23. Washington Department of Revenue — business license application processing feesWashington State Department of Revenue · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
24. RCW 19.02.075 — statutory ceiling on business license handling feesWashington State Legislature · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03

Which Washington city are you opening in?

• King County, WAKing County has three distinct county-level regulators, covering different geography, and a business's obligations depend on which one reaches it. Public Health – Seattle & King County (PHSKC), run under the King County Board of Health, is county-wide: its food-establishment, pet-business, water-recreation and on-site-sewage permits apply in Seattle, every suburban city and the unincorporated area alike, and its plumbing/gas-piping permit applies in Seattle, Clyde Hill and the unincorporated area only. King County Department of Local Services, Permitting Division ('King County Permits'), governs unincorporated King County only — building, zoning, sign and fire permits, plus a short list of Title 6 business licenses (amusement devices, massage and bathhouses, junk and secondhand dealers, pawnbrokers, cannabis retail, HVAC installers and tank-removal contractor certification); every incorporated city runs its own version of these instead. King County Wastewater Treatment Division's Industrial Waste Program (KCIW) is regional, reaching whichever of the county's 34 local sewer agencies' service areas discharge to the county treatment system, in cities and unincorporated areas alike. King County's own Start and grow your business page states that 'King County does not have a business license requirement, but all businesses in the state must get a Washington State business license' — that state license, recorded at the state layer, is the universal registration. Every Local Services fee listed here is priced under a 2026 fee schedule that expires January 1, 2027 unless the County Council adopts a new fee ordinance first (one was due to the Council by October 1, 2026); confirm current Local Services fees with King County Permits, (206) 296-6600, after that date. Electrical permits and contractor registration are state functions (Washington Department of Labor & Industries), not county ones, and are carried at the state layer along with the food worker card, salon license, child care license and other state-issued credentials PHSKC and King County Permits both route applicants to.38 published records
• Thurston County, WAThurston County, Washington (county seat Olympia) regulates businesses through three county offices covering different geography. Public Health and Social Services' Environmental Health Division enforces the Thurston County Sanitary Code county-wide, in every city and the unincorporated area alike: food establishment, temporary food, water recreation facility (pool and spa) and drinking-water permits, priced on the Environmental Health 2026 Fee Schedule (Appendix A of Article I, effective January 1, 2026). Community Planning and Economic Development (CPED), through its Building Development Center, issues building permits and land-use approvals; the county's permit-fees page states that Thurston County 'is authorized by the Washington State legislature to issue permits in unincorporated areas of Thurston County and collect fees,' so inside a city the city's own building and land-use permits apply instead. The Thurston County Auditor's Licensing Services issues a short list of Title 6 county business licenses; the Auditor's Business Licenses page states that 'a business located in the unincorporated areas of Thurston County (outside city limits) may require a County Business License' and lists each licensed business type by name. The same page states that 'State law requires a Master Business License from the State Department of Revenue for anyone doing business in the State of Washington'; that state license sits at the state layer. Washington's Office of Financial Management lists seven incorporated cities and towns in Thurston County: Bucoda, Lacey, Olympia, Rainier, Tenino, Tumwater and Yelm. Each sets its own business license requirement (issued as a Washington Department of Revenue city endorsement) and runs its own building and land-use permitting, which stacks on the county-wide health permits recorded here. Alcohol is licensed by the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board; the county's role is the notice-and-objection role RCW 66.24.010 gives it for locations outside city limits. The population figure of 302,912 is the U.S. Census Bureau's 2024 estimate.14 published records
• Clark County, WAClark County, Washington, seat Vancouver, regulates businesses through two county bodies. Clark County Public Health issues food establishment, mobile food, temporary event, caterer, pool and spa, and on-site septic permits under its 2026 fee schedule, effective January 1, 2026. Community Development's Permit Center and Fire Marshal charge building, planning and fire review fees set in Clark County Code Title 6. The county's 'Starting a business' page states: "Anyone conducting any business in Washington must register for a Master Business License and obtain a UBI (Unified Business Identifier) number for tax purposes. A permit might be required for home businesses in unincorporated Clark County and some cities require business licenses." That page links to the state's Business Licensing service and to the business license pages of Battle Ground, Camas, Ridgefield and Vancouver. The county's Permit Center Locations page lists separate offices and contacts for Vancouver, Battle Ground, Camas, La Center, Ridgefield, Washougal and Yacolt, apart from the county Permit Center. A business inside one of those cities also follows that city's own license and permit requirements, which stack on the county records here and are not described on this page. The population figure of 527,269 is the U.S. Census Bureau's 2024 estimate.13 published records
• Snohomish County, WASnohomish County, with its seat at Everett, has two county-level licensing layers that cover different ground. The Snohomish County Health Department (formerly the Snohomish Health District) runs the food, mobile food, temporary food, pool and on-site sewage programmes county-wide, inside every city and in the unincorporated area alike, under fees the Snohomish County Board of Health sets in chapter 1.40 of its Board of Health Code. Those fees change on November 1, 2026 under Board of Health Ordinance No. BOH26-03 (adopted April 14, 2026), which sets one schedule for November 1, 2026 through October 31, 2027 and a higher one after October 31, 2027; the health records here carry the BOH26-03 amounts. The second layer is Snohomish County Licensing in the Auditor's Office, plus Snohomish County Animal Services: the county's Business Licensing page states that 'Most businesses do not need a Snohomish County business license' and that one is needed only by a regulated 'Title 6' business (adult businesses, bathhouses, pawnbrokers, secondhand dealers and similar) that operates in unincorporated Snohomish County, adding that 'If your business operates within city limits, you must contact the appropriate city hall for business licensing.' Each incorporated city and town, including Everett, runs its own business licensing and permitting, which stacks on the county-wide health permits. State business registration with the Washington Department of Revenue is recorded at the state layer, and liquor is licensed by the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board. The population figure of 864,113 is the U.S. Census Bureau's 2024 estimate.13 published records
• Pierce County, WAPierce County, Washington, with its seat at Tacoma, has two county-level licensing actors that reach the ten industries covered here. The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department (TPCHD) issues food-establishment, mobile-food, temporary-food, water-recreation (pool and spa), on-site-sewage and well permits under the 2026 Fee Schedule adopted by the Tacoma-Pierce County Board of Health on December 3, 2025 and effective January 1, 2026; Washington law makes a local board of health's jurisdiction coextensive with the boundaries of the county (RCW 70.05.030(1)(h) and RCW 70.05.035(1)(h)), so these permits apply in Tacoma, every other city and town in the county, and the unincorporated area alike. The Pierce County Auditor's Office licenses a short list of specific activities, among them pet shops and boarding and commercial kennels and catteries, at the fees on its Business Licensing page. Liquor licenses are issued by the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board; under RCW 66.24.010(8) the Board must notify the county legislative authority of a new or renewal application for premises outside the boundaries of incorporated cities and towns, and the county may file written objections within twenty days. Tacoma and the county's other incorporated cities and towns each run their own business licensing, building, fire and zoning regimes, which stack on top of the TPCHD permits; Tacoma administers its own business license directly rather than through the state's Business Licensing Service. Pierce County Planning and Public Works issues building, fire-code and land-use permits for the county; its fees changed on February 1, 2026, and Planning and Public Works gives the current amounts. The population figure of 941,170 is the U.S. Census Bureau's 2024 estimate.11 published records
• Tacoma, WAThe Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, a joint city-county health department, is the sole food-permitting authority here, like Public Health – Seattle & King County is for Seattle. Tacoma's own annual business license and B&O tax are separate charges from the Washington state Business License Service, already covered at the state layer.10 published records
• Spokane, WASpokane's business registration fee is flat-plus-per-employee, not a gross-receipts B&O tax like Seattle or Tacoma. The Spokane Regional Health District, not the city, runs food-service permitting county-wide. Every my.spokanecity.org/static.spokanecity.org/srhd.org figure here was retrieved through a read-proxy after Incapsula-style protection blocked direct fetch.9 published records
• Seattle, WAPublic Health – Seattle & King County, a joint city-county health department, is the sole food-permitting authority here. Seattle's own Business License Tax Certificate is a separate charge from the state Business License, and its B&O tax-owing threshold rises from $100,000 to $2,000,000 effective January 1, 2026.8 published records
• Spokane County, WASpokane County, in eastern Washington with its seat at Spokane, has two county-level licensing layers that cover different ground. The Spokane Regional Health District (SRHD) is the health district for the whole county: its food establishment, mobile food, temporary food, pool and spa, and on-site sewage permits apply in the City of Spokane, every other city and town, and the unincorporated area alike, priced under SRHD Board of Health Resolution #25-05, the 2026 fee schedule adopted October 30, 2025. A proposed 2027 SRHD schedule was before the Board of Health as of October 2026 and is not reflected here. Separately, Spokane County Code Title 7 licenses pawnbrokers and secondhand dealers, with record-keeping duties for dealers in the unincorporated areas. The county's Cities & Towns page lists Airway Heights, Cheney, Deer Park, Fairfield, Latah, Liberty Lake, Medical Lake, Millwood, Rockford, Spangle, Spokane Valley and Waverly; together with the City of Spokane these are the county's incorporated places. Spokane, Spokane Valley, Liberty Lake, Airway Heights, Cheney, Deer Park, Medical Lake, Millwood and Rockford each require a city business license endorsement issued through the Washington Department of Revenue's Business Licensing Service, and each city runs its own licensing, building and land-use rules, which stack on top of the county-wide SRHD permits. The Washington State business license is recorded at the state layer. The population figure of 555,947 is the U.S. Census Bureau's 2024 estimate.7 published records

Is there a single Washington business license?

Who issues permits in Washington?

• Washington Secretary of State, Corporations and Charities DivisionEntity formation · Annual reports3 permits
• Washington State Department of Labor and IndustriesContractor registration · Electrical contractor licensing · Plumbing contractor licensing3 permits
• Washington State Department of Health, Food Safety ProgramRetail food code · Food worker card programme · Oversight of local health jurisdictions2 permits
• Washington State Department of Revenue, Business Licensing ServiceStatewide business license · City and state endorsements · Trade name registration · Reseller permits2 permits
• Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and FamiliesChild care centre licensing · Family home child care licensing1 permit
• Washington State Department of Health, Veterinary Board of GovernorsVeterinarian licensing · Veterinary technician licensing1 permit
• Washington State Department of Licensing, Cosmetology ProgramSalon and shop location licensing · Cosmetology and barbering licensing1 permit
• Washington State Office of the Attorney General, Consumer Protection DivisionAuto Repair Act enforcement1 permit

By industry

• All 10 industries we cover