13 permits · verified 2026-09-14
What permits do you need to open a retail store in Gillette?
In short
A retail store in Gillette, WY has 4 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 9 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. City of Gillette, Development Services — Building Division charges $30 per sign permit, including LED signs but not video for the sign permit. 3 of the 13 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 retail store in Gillette
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Store — City Licensing Chapter Position (Gillette)only if it applies to you | City of Gillette, City Clerk | No fee | not applicable to general retail; an itinerant vendor license runs the calendar year | 2026-09-14 |
| Food Establishment License — State Department of Agriculture (Gillette)only if it applies to you | City of Gillette, City Clerk | No fee | not applicable locally; the state license expires one year after the date of issuance | 2026-09-14 |
| Sign Permitonly if it applies to you | City of Gillette, Development Services — Building Division | $30 per sign permit, including LED signs but not video | not stated in the published fee schedule | 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.
Local permits that apply to every type of business in Gillette
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Business License — City of Gillette position (enumerated licenses only)only if it applies to you | City of Gillette, City Clerk | No fee | not applicable to a general license; enumerated licenses are valid for the calendar year in which granted under §10-1(3)(b) | 2026-09-14 |
| Commercial Site Plan / Zoning Variance and Planning Applicationsonly if it applies to you | City of Gillette, Development Services — City Planning Division | Varies — formula on the Gillette page | one-time per application | 2026-09-14 |
| Fire Inspection and Permits (joint powers department; fees not published) | Campbell County Fire Department (Gillette/Wright/Campbell County Fire Protection Joint Powers Board) | No fee | a business life safety survey is annual, per the department's own list of inspection types ('Life Safety Survey (annual business)'); construction acceptance inspections are one-time | 2026-09-14 |
| Certificate of Occupancy — Required; No Fee Line in Chapter 5 (Gillette) | City of Gillette, Development Services — Building Division | No fee | one-time, issued before occupancy | 2026-09-14 |
| Building Permit (priced by floor area, not valuation) | City of Gillette, Development Services — Building Division | Varies — formula on the Gillette page | not stated in the published fee schedule | 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.
WY registrations that apply to every type of business
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Business License — Wyoming Positiononly if it applies to you | Wyoming Secretary of State, Business Division | No fee | not applicable | 2026-09-04 |
| Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to you | Wyoming Secretary of State, Business Division | $100 one-time filing | perpetual, but an annual report license tax is due every year | 2026-09-04 |
| Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to you | Wyoming Secretary of State, Business Division | $100 one-time filing | perpetual, but an annual report license tax is due every year | 2026-09-04 |
| Annual Report License Taxonly if it applies to you | Wyoming Secretary of State, Business Division | Varies — formula on the WY page | annual — due in the entity's own anniversary month of formation; may be filed up to 120 days early | 2026-09-04 |
| Sales Tax Vendor License | Wyoming Department of Revenue, Excise Tax Division | $60 one-time — reinstating a forfeited license also costs $60 | no expiration — valid without further payment until the department revokes it | 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 retail store in Gillette?
There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 13 records listed for a retail store in Gillette, WY, 4 apply to every business of this type and 9 are conditional. Adding every fee on the page together would overstate what most operators pay, because it would include permits they never need.
Of the 4 that always apply, 1 carry a flat fee, coming to $60.00. That is a floor, not a total. 3 of the 13 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 6 have no fee published at all.
The other 3 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Gillette permits page and the WY state page.
Which offices issue these permits in Gillette?
Permits for a retail store in Gillette, WY come from 6 separate offices: City of Gillette, City Clerk, City of Gillette, Development Services — City Planning Division, Campbell County Fire Department (Gillette/Wright/Campbell County Fire Protection Joint Powers Board), City of Gillette, Development Services — Building Division, Wyoming Secretary of State, Business Division, Wyoming Department of Revenue, Excise Tax Division. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.
- City of Gillette, City ClerkIssues 3 permits on this page: General Business License — City of Gillette position (enumerated licenses only), Retail Store — City Licensing Chapter Position (Gillette), Food Establishment License — State Department of Agriculture (Gillette)City Hall, 201 E. 5th Street, 1st Floor, Gillette, WY 82716 · (307) 686-5210www.gillettewy.gov/Departments/Public-Affairs/City-Clerk
- City of Gillette, Development Services — City Planning DivisionIssues 1 permit on this page: Commercial Site Plan / Zoning Variance and Planning ApplicationsCity Hall, 201 E. 5th Street, 2nd Floor, Gillette, WY 82716 · (307) 686-5281www.gillettewy.gov/Departments/Development-Services/City-Planning-Division
- Campbell County Fire Department (Gillette/Wright/Campbell County Fire Protection Joint Powers Board)Issues 1 permit on this page: Fire Inspection and Permits (joint powers department; fees not published)106 Rohan Avenue, Gillette, WY 82716 · (307) 682-5319www.ccfire.us
- City of Gillette, Development Services — Building DivisionIssues 3 permits on this page: Certificate of Occupancy — Required; No Fee Line in Chapter 5 (Gillette), Building Permit (priced by floor area, not valuation), Sign PermitCity Hall, 201 E. 5th Street, 2nd Floor, Gillette, WY 82716 · (307) 686-5260www.gillettewy.gov/Departments/Development-Services/Building-Division
- Wyoming Secretary of State, Business DivisionIssues 4 permits on this page: General Business License — Wyoming Position, Articles of Organization (LLC), Articles of Incorporation, Annual Report License TaxHerschler Building East, Suite 101, 122 W 25th Street, Cheyenne, WY 82002 · (307) 777-7311sos.wyo.gov/Business/default.aspx
- Wyoming Department of Revenue, Excise Tax DivisionIssues 1 permit on this page: Sales Tax Vendor License122 West 25th Street, Suite E301, Cheyenne, WY 82002excise-tax-div.wyo.gov
What does a retail store need in Gillette that other businesses do not?
1 of the 3 permits particular to a retail store here applies to no other business type we cover in Gillette: Retail Store — City Licensing Chapter Position (Gillette).
Retail Store — City Licensing Chapter Position (Gillette)
Chapter 10 of the City Code licenses itinerant vendors and solicitors, pawnbrokers, sexually oriented businesses and mobile food vendors, and that ordinance lists no license for a fixed retail shop, so this record carries no fee for general retail. A trader without a permanent premises falls under the itinerant vendor license at $50.00 instead, and a pawnbroker under its own $100.00 license. Every retailer needs the Wyoming sales and use tax license, and its structure is worth recording because it differs from most states: W.S. 39-15-106 sets a one-time $60.00 fee, requires 'a separate license… for each place of business,' and provides that 'Licenses issued under this section are valid without further payment of fees until revoked by the department' — so there is no annual renewal, only a $60.00 reinstatement fee if a license is forfeited. A retailer's remaining Gillette obligations are the building permit priced by floor area, the $30.00 sign permit, planning approval where required and Campbell County Fire Department inspection.
Shared with other businesses in Gillette
- Food Establishment License — State Department of Agriculture (Gillette) — City of Gillette, City Clerk, No fee, not applicable locally; the state license expires one year after the date of issuance. Also required for restaurants and coffee shops; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.
- Sign Permit — City of Gillette, Development Services — Building Division, $30 per sign permit, including LED signs but not video, not stated in the published fee schedule. Also required for restaurants, coffee shops, fitness studios, auto repair shops, veterinary clinics and salons and barbers; what it involves is set out on the restaurants page.
The other 5 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Gillette, WY; what each one involves is set out on the Gillette permits page. The 5 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across WY and are covered on the WY state page.
How does a retail store compare with other businesses in Gillette?
The closest match is a coffee shop, which shares 2 of these permits. A retail store also needs Retail Store — City Licensing Chapter Position (Gillette). A coffee shop needs Food Establishment Permit and Food Handler / Manager Certification — Wyoming Food Safety Rule, which a retail store does not.
| Business | Its own permits | Shared with a retail store | Only a retail store needs | Only it needs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coffee shops | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Restaurants | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Fitness studios | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Auto repair shops | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Veterinary clinics | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Salons and barbers | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Childcare centres | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| Contractors and trades | 4 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| Food trucks | 3 | 0 | 3 | 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 shared with other businesses are listed with their explanations on the coffee shops page and restaurants page. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Gillette permits page and the WY state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.
- Gillette City Code Chapter 10 (Licenses and Permits), revised June 2025 by Ordinance No. 4062 — the complete list of licensed activities, including §10-2 itinerant vendors and door-to-door solicitors at $50.00, §10-3 pawnbrokers at $100.00, §10-4 sexually oriented businesses at $250.00, §10-5 mobile food vendors at $75.00, §10-6 circus and amusement ride permits at $100.00 per day and §10-7 special event permits at $25.00, together with §10-1's calendar-year term and $750.00 penaltyCity of Gillette · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-14
Related
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.