General registration
What is a general business license?
In short
A general license to trade in a jurisdiction, usually issued by a city or county clerk and often tied to a gross receipts filing rather than a flat fee.
What else is this permit called?
The same document is issued under different names depending on the jurisdiction. A general business license may appear locally as: standard business license, business tax registration, business privilege license. If your city uses a name not listed here, it is worth checking the issuing agency rather than assuming it is a different requirement.
Who needs one?
A general business license is triggered by what a business does rather than by its legal form. The conditions that trigger it are: operates in jurisdiction.
We publish 1085 records of this type from 308 jurisdictions in 51 states. In 98 of them it applies to each business the record covers; in the other 210 it applies only in the circumstances the record sets out.
How much does a general business license cost?
Across the 478 records that publish a dollar figure or band, fees run from $2 to $550,000. The middle half fall between $50 and $225, and the median is $100. A further 199 set the fee by a formula or schedule rather than a single figure. Agencies publish these on different bases — per year, one time, per sign or banded by size — so the spread shows how far published fees range, not one like-for-like price. Each jurisdiction's page states the basis for its own fee.
The lowest and highest published general business license fees
Single dollar figures only, one per jurisdiction — its lowest where it publishes several. 148 jurisdictions publish one.
| Jurisdiction | Fee | Basis as published |
|---|---|---|
| Brevard County, FL | $3.70 | per transfer, as published on the Brevard County Tax Collector's Business Tax Receipt information page |
| Madison County, AL | $5 | per year, flat, under classification code 0178 ('Veterinary surgery') |
| St. Louis County, MO | $5 | per license, as stated on the county's Alcoholic Beverages instructions |
| Salt Lake County, UT | $6 | per employee, billed alongside the base license fee |
| Pennsylvania | $7 | per year for a for-profit entity |
| Wichita Falls, TX | $310 | per year |
| San Bernardino County, CA | $356 | flat — the County Fee Ordinance does not distinguish an initial application fee from a renewal fee |
| Miami, FL | $404 | per registration |
| Missoula, MT | $499 | one-time, at new General Business License application; $79 at each annual renewal |
| Nassau County, NY | $130,000 | new-application fee for a 2-year license |
How long does a general business license last?
The term stated most often is “not applicable”, in 307 records. Terms differ by jurisdiction, and each record on a jurisdiction's page states its own.
Which businesses need it most often?
The number of jurisdictions whose general business license record names each type of business.
Where we hold general business license records
Jurisdictions with a published record of this type, by state.
- Texas36
- California19
- Alabama12
- Florida12
- Illinois9
- New Mexico9
- Tennessee9
- Utah9
- Washington8
- Arizona6
- Colorado6
- Maryland6
- Missouri6
- Nevada6
- Virginia6
- Georgia5
- Hawaii5
- Michigan5
- Minnesota5
- North Carolina5
- New York5
- Ohio5
- South Carolina5
- Alaska4
- Arkansas4
- Connecticut4
- Delaware4
- Iowa4
- Idaho4
- Indiana4
- Kansas4
- Kentucky4
- Louisiana4
- Massachusetts4
- Maine4
- Mississippi4
- Montana4
- North Dakota4
- Nebraska4
- New Hampshire4
- Oklahoma4
- Oregon4
- Pennsylvania4
- Rhode Island4
- South Dakota4
- Vermont4
- Wisconsin4
- West Virginia4
- Wyoming4
- New Jersey3
- District of Columbia2
Where to find local general business license requirements
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.