Obtaining State Business Licenses & Permits

To run your business legally, there are certain federal and state licenses and permits you will need to obtain. These resources will help you understand the requirements for your small business.

State Licenses & Permits

Starting a business? Confused about whether you need a business license or permit?

Virtually every business needs some form of license or permit to operate legally. However, licensing and permit requirements vary depending on the type of business you are operating, where it’s located, and what government rules apply.

To help you identify the specific licenses or permits your business may need, use SBA.gov’s Permit Me tool. Simply enter your zip code and business type to view a list of the licenses or permits you’ll need, together with information and links to the application process.

Alternatively, simply select a state from the list below to learn about specific license and permit requirements in the area where your business is located.

State Business License Offices

Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Guam Hawaii Idaho Illinois Iowa Kansas

Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota

Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Puerto Rico Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas U.S. Virgin Islands Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming

 Source: sba.gov

 John Dussman is Midwest Manager for VillageProfile.com, working with chambers in Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan and Missouri. More than 1500 Chamber of Commerce all over the United States have trusted Village Profile to produce their Membership Directories, Community Profiles, Visitor Maps and Publications, Economic Development magazines and Chamber of Commerce Maps. Contact John at (800)-600-0134 x239.