Business License Requirements: All 50 States
By Edmond Hui · Verified October 4, 2026
The short answer. 5 states require a general state business license (Alaska, Delaware, Nevada, Tennessee and West Virginia). Hawaii and New Mexico require a state tax license or registration of most businesses with income in the state instead. Alabama and Maryland license only the business activities listed in state law. Washington requires its state business license only of businesses that meet a stated test. For 22 states, a state agency or state-backed business guide says there is no general state business license, or that business licenses are issued locally. A state agency in Ohio says only that not every business there needs a generic business license. We have not confirmed the answer for 17 states. In every state, a city or county license, or a license for a regulated trade, may still apply.
What We Found Across the States
- 5 states require a general state business license: Alaska, Delaware, Nevada, Tennessee and West Virginia.
- 2 states require most businesses with income in the state to hold a state tax license or registration: Hawaii and New Mexico.
- 1 state requires a state business license only of some businesses: Washington.
- 2 states license only the business activities listed in state law: Alabama and Maryland.
- For 22 states, a state agency or state-backed business guide says there is no general state business license, or that business licenses are issued locally.
- A state agency in Ohio says only that not every business there needs a generic business license.
- For 17 states we have not confirmed the statewide answer; those pages say so rather than guess.
- In 46 states, a state source says cities, counties or other local governments may license businesses or particular business activities; for 3 states we have not confirmed it.
All 50 States: State License, Fee, Renewal and Local Licenses
Every answer is read from the state's own statutes, agency pages or forms. A cell reading “Not confirmed” is a gap in what we have verified so far, never a reported “no.” The fee is the state business license itself; trade licenses, local licenses and tax registrations are separate.
| State | General state license | State license fee | Renewal | City or county licenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Only for listed activities (see State license) | Varies (see Cost) | Every year (see Cost) | Local governments may require one (see Local licenses) |
| Alaska | Required (see State license) | Varies (see Cost) | Depends (see Cost) | Not confirmed (ask your local government) |
| Arizona | No general state license | N/A | N/A | Local governments may require one (see Local licenses) |
| Arkansas | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Local governments may require one (see Local licenses) |
| California | No general state license | N/A | N/A | Local governments may require one (see Local licenses) |
| Colorado | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Local governments may require one (see Local licenses) |
| Connecticut | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed (ask your local government) |
| Delaware | Required | Varies (see Cost) | Depends (see Cost) | Local governments may require one (see Local licenses) |
| Florida | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Local governments may require one (see Local licenses) |
| Georgia | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Local governments may require one (see Local licenses) |
| Hawaii | Required | $20 | No renewal | Local governments license some activities (see Local licenses) |
| Idaho | No general state license | N/A | N/A | Local governments may require one (see Local licenses) |
| Illinois | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Local governments may require one (see Local licenses) |
| Indiana | No general state license | N/A | N/A | Local governments license some activities (see Local licenses) |
| Iowa | No general state license | N/A | N/A | Not confirmed (ask your local government) |
| Kansas | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Local governments may require one (see Local licenses) |
| Kentucky | No general state license | N/A | N/A | Local governments may require one (see Local licenses) |
| Louisiana | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Local governments may require one (see Local licenses) |
| Maine | No general state license | N/A | N/A | Local governments may require one (see Local licenses) |
| Maryland | Only for listed activities (see State license) | Varies (see Cost) | Every year (see Cost) | Local governments may require one (see Local licenses) |
| Massachusetts | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Local governments license some activities (see Local licenses) |
| Michigan | No general state license | N/A | N/A | Local governments may require one (see Local licenses) |
| Minnesota | No general state license | N/A | N/A | Local governments may require one (see Local licenses) |
| Mississippi | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Local governments license some activities (see Local licenses) |
| Missouri | No general state license | N/A | N/A | Local governments may require one (see Local licenses) |
| Montana | No general state license | N/A | N/A | Local governments may require one (see Local licenses) |
| Nebraska | No general state license | N/A | N/A | Local governments may require one (see Local licenses) |
| Nevada | Required (see State license) | $200 | Every year (see Cost) | Local governments may require one (see Local licenses) |
| New Hampshire | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Local governments license some activities (see Local licenses) |
| New Jersey | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Local governments may require one (see Local licenses) |
| New Mexico | Required (see State license) | No fee | Not confirmed | Local governments may require one (see Local licenses) |
| New York | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Local governments may require one (see Local licenses) |
| North Carolina | No general state license | N/A | N/A | Local governments may require one (see Local licenses) |
| North Dakota | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Local governments license some activities (see Local licenses) |
| Ohio | Not required of all businesses | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Local governments license some activities (see Local licenses) |
| Oklahoma | No general state license | N/A | N/A | Local governments may require one (see Local licenses) |
| Oregon | No general state license | N/A | N/A | Local governments may require one (see Local licenses) |
| Pennsylvania | No general state license | N/A | N/A | Local governments may require one (see Local licenses) |
| Rhode Island | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Local governments may require one (see Local licenses) |
| South Carolina | No general state license | N/A | N/A | Local governments may require one (see Local licenses) |
| South Dakota | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Local governments license some activities (see Local licenses) |
| Tennessee | Required (see State license) | Varies (see Cost) | Depends (see Cost) | Issued locally, the same license (see State license) |
| Texas | No general state license | N/A | N/A | Local governments license some activities (see Local licenses) |
| Utah | No general state license | N/A | N/A | Local governments may require one (see Local licenses) |
| Vermont | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Local governments license some activities (see Local licenses) |
| Virginia | No general state license | N/A | N/A | Local governments may require one (see Local licenses) |
| Washington | Only for some businesses (see State license) | Varies (see Cost) | Depends (see Cost) | Local governments may require one (see Local licenses) |
| West Virginia | Required (see State license) | Varies (see Cost) | No renewal | Local governments may require one (see Local licenses) |
| Wisconsin | No general state license | N/A | N/A | Local governments may require one (see Local licenses) |
| Wyoming | No general state license | N/A | N/A | Local governments may require one (see Local licenses) |
Licenses That Apply Whatever the State Says
A state with no general business license can still license your trade. See trade and business license requirements by state for contractors, plumbers, landscapers and cleaning businesses, and the sales tax permit guide if you sell taxable goods or services.
Frequently Asked Questions
This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. It reports what each state's law and agencies say about a general state business license, with the sources this page cites. It cannot tell you which licenses your own business needs: that turns on what the business does, where it operates, and what its city or county requires, and fees and exemptions change between our reviews. Confirm your own position with the state agency named on this page, the city or county where the business is located, and any state board that licenses your trade before you open.
Edmond Hui · Founder, MyStateLLC
Edmond Hui is a software engineer and serial entrepreneur based in New York who has founded multiple online businesses across e-commerce, media, and information publishing. Before transitioning into tech, he spent years as a commercial real estate professional closing deals totaling over 100,000 square feet, giving him firsthand experience with business formation and entity structuring. He built MyStateLLC to provide the free, state-specific LLC guidance he wished existed when forming his own companies.