Last updated
A business license lookup starts with the question of who issues the license you need. In some states the state itself does. In many, the city, the county, the tax department or a licensing board does. This page shows where each state's rules stand, as far as we could read them on official pages. It is not a database of license holders, and it is not legal advice.
What kinds of license are there?
- Statewide business license. One license for doing business in the state. The state pages we read describe this in Alaska, Delaware, Maryland, Nevada, Washington and Washington DC.
- Tax registration. A state tax account you need before you sell taxable goods or hire staff. Several states use this as their main registration. See state tax ID lookup.
- Local license. Issued by a city or county. In Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, South Carolina and Missouri the pages we read point to local offices.
- Trade or professional license. Issued by a state board for a regulated occupation.
Where do you check a license?
Use the office that issued it. For a state license, the state's business portal. For a local one, the city or county clerk or license office. For a trade license, the state board's own lookup, where one exists. We link a lookup tool only when we read it.
Forming a company comes first. The LLC filing creates the entity, and then you register for the licenses and taxes that apply. Get an EIN before you open accounts.
What does each state say?
The table gives the first line of each state page. Open the state page for the sources, fees and the check date.
| State | What the state pages say |
|---|---|
| Alabama | In Alabama you buy the state and county business privilege license from the county probate judge or license commissioner, not from the Secretary of State. |
| Alaska | Alaska is one of the few states with a real statewide business license. |
| Arizona | Arizona runs its business licensing through the Department of Revenue and your city. |
| Arkansas | The Arkansas Secretary of State forms your LLC but does not hand out a general business license. |
| California | The California Secretary of State forms your LLC but does not issue licenses or permits. |
| Colorado | Registering a Colorado LLC with the Secretary of State is not the same as getting a license. |
| Connecticut | Connecticut has no single general business license in the pages we read. |
| Delaware | Yes, Delaware has a state business license. |
| Florida | The Florida pages we read describe no one statewide business license. |
| Georgia | In Georgia the business license is local. |
| Hawaii | Hawaii's nearest thing to a general business license is the General Excise Tax license from the Department of Taxation. |
| Idaho | We found no single statewide business license on the Idaho pages we read. |
| Illinois | We found no single Illinois business license on the pages we read. |
| Indiana | Indiana runs business setup through INBiz. |
| Iowa | The Iowa pages we read show permits, not one general business license. |
| Kansas | On the pages we read, Kansas does not hand out one general business license. |
| Kentucky | The pages we read show no single statewide Kentucky business license. |
| Louisiana | The Louisiana Secretary of State does not hand out a general business license. |
| Maryland | Maryland does run business licenses. |
| Massachusetts | The state's startup pages do not describe a general Massachusetts business license. |
| Michigan | The Michigan Corporations Division files your LLC and does not license it. |
| Mississippi | The pages we read show no general Mississippi business license. |
| Missouri | The Missouri Secretary of State says plainly that it does not issue business licenses. |
| Montana | We found no single general business license on the Montana pages we read. |
| Nevada | Yes. |
| New Jersey | The state's registration guide for New Jersey describes name, EIN, formation and tax registration. |
| New Mexico | The registration New Mexico describes for businesses is a tax one. |
| New York | New York points you to Business Express to find which licenses and permits fit your business. |
| North Carolina | North Carolina says it has no one-stop shop to register across state agencies for all types of licenses. |
| Ohio | Filing Articles of Organization makes your Ohio LLC, but it is not a license. |
| Oklahoma | The Oklahoma Secretary of State files LLCs, trade names and trademarks. |
| Oregon | Oregon does not issue a general business license. |
| Pennsylvania | The Pennsylvania Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations forms your LLC but does not license it. |
| South Carolina | In South Carolina the Secretary of State does not issue business licenses. |
| Tennessee | In Tennessee the license is local. |
| Texas | Texas does not require a general business license. |
| Utah | We found no single state business license for Utah on the pages we read. |
| Virginia | We found no single state business license for Virginia on the pages we read. |
| Washington | Washington does run a state business license. |
| Washington, DC | Washington DC issues a Basic Business License through the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection. |
| West Virginia | West Virginia requires a business registration certificate from the State Tax Department before you start doing business. |
| Wisconsin | The Wisconsin pages we read show no general state business license. |
| Wyoming | The Wyoming Secretary of State registers your company. |
Which states are covered in their state guide?
Some states have fewer searches for this topic, so their license notes sit inside the state guide: Nebraska, South Dakota, Maine, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Rhode Island, Vermont.
What this page does not cover
City and county license rules, professional boards, health and zoning permits, and license fees we could not read. Each state page says what it left out. Check the live state site before you rely on any date or fee.