9 published records
Business licenses and permits in Spokane, Washington
Spokane'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.
What are you opening in Spokane?
- 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 Spokane
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Registration | City of Spokane, Taxes and Licenses | $131 base to originate (or renew at the standard rate), plus a per-employee fee: $10 each for employees 1–5, $15 each for 6–10, $20 each for 11+. A reduced $65.50 renewal rate applies if gross income is $18,000/year or less. Nonprofits, social purpose corporations and B-corps pay $65.50. A temporary registration is $65.50 for the first 90 days, $55.50 to renew for another 90. An additional branch location is $131 each. | annual | 2026-09-05 |
| Certificate of Occupancy | City of Spokane Development Services Center | Change of Occupancy with no work required: $93.20. Temporary Certificate issuance: $518.00 (capped at 100% of the building permit fee); extending one: $259.00 (same cap). A standard Certificate of Occupancy for newly-completed permitted work is issued at final inspection with no separate line-item fee beyond the building permit already paid. | issued once per qualifying occupancy; a temporary certificate is time-limited | 2026-09-05 |
| Commercial Building Permit | City of Spokane Development Services Center | Valuation-based, effective January 1, 2026: $73 up to $2,000; $73 + $13/$1,000 over $2,000 to $25,000; $372 + $10/$1,000 over $25,000 to $50,000; $622 + $7/$1,000 over $50,000 to $100,000; $972 + $5/$1,000 over $100,000 to $500,000; $2,972 + $4/$1,000 over $500,000 to $1,000,000; $4,972 + $3/$1,000 above $1,000,000. Plan review is 65% of the building permit fee for commercial work (125% for Fast Track). A $65 processing fee, a 2.5% technology fee, a small state-set Building Code Fee, and a $119 Development Services Review Fee also apply. | one-time, per project | 2026-09-05 |
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 Spokane?
Business Registration
Processed as a city endorsement through Washington's statewide Business Licensing Service, but this is a genuine city fee, not the separate state Business License Service fee already covered at the state layer. Unlike Seattle and Tacoma, Spokane does not levy a gross-receipts business-and-occupation tax — its fee is flat-plus-headcount. Several SEO sites mislabel this a 'B&O tax'; that terminology is not used here.
Certificate of Occupancy
The city's own Temporary Certificate of Occupancy application form still states a flat $250 fee — that form appears stale relative to this codified, effective-dated 2026 schedule, which is used here as the current figure. Requires sign-off from the Fire Prevention Bureau, Water, Wastewater, SRHD (where applicable), Solid Waste, and Urban Forestry.
Commercial Building Permit
Permits can only be issued to a sufficiently licensed contractor (or, in some cases, the property owner) under RCW 18.27.090(12).
Sources
Every figure in the table above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- Washington Department of Revenue — City of Spokane business license endorsement feesWashington State Department of Revenue · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-05
- Spokane Municipal Code section 08.01.180, Computation of Business Registration FeeCity of Spokane · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-05
- City of Spokane — Development Fee Schedule, effective January 1, 2026City of Spokane · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-05
Who issues business permits in Spokane?
Permitting in Spokane 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.
Spokane issuing agencies
- City of Spokane Development Services CenterCertificate of Occupancy · Commercial building permits · Sign permits · Child care facility inspections5 permits
- Spokane Regional Health DistrictFood establishment permits · Food Worker Card2 permits
- City of Spokane, Taxes and LicensesBusiness registration1 permit
- Spokane Fire Department, Fire Marshal's OfficeFire safety inspections · Fire equipment permits1 permit
Other Washington 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.