Business license · Michigan

Does Your LLC Need a Business License in Michigan?

The short answer. According to a 2021 Michigan Small Business Development Center guide published by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, Michigan has no general state business license. A business in Michigan may still need a license from its city or county, or from a state board if its trade is regulated.

Michigan Business License at a Glance

General state business license	No general state license
City or county licenses	Local governments may require one (see Local licenses)
Trade and professional licenses	Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA)

Read from the government sources listed at the foot of this page, last checked October 4, 2026. See the sources.

Does Michigan Require a State Business License?

According to a 2021 Michigan Small Business Development Center guide published by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, Michigan has no general state business license.

A business in Michigan may still need a license from its city or county, or from a state board if its trade is regulated.

Michigan's own guide to business licenses and permits is Michigan State License Search.

City and County Business Licenses

Michigan law lets township boards adopt ordinances for the licensing of business establishments, and lets villages license listed activities such as auctioneers, hawkers and peddlers, and public shows. Michigan's Business Roadmap tells new businesses to contact their county and local government offices to find out whether more licensing or permitting is required.

Where Michigan points businesses for local requirements.

Professional and Trade Licenses

Michigan's Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) licenses regulated occupations, health professions and skilled trades, and its Bureau of Professional Licensing regulates over 700,000 individuals under the Occupational Code and the Public Health Code. LARA's Business Roadmap points businesses to the State License Search to find out whether they need a state license. Look up Michigan license requirements.

Our verified guides for specific trades in this state:

See trade and business license requirements by state for every trade we cover.

Other Michigan Registrations to Check

Michigan articles of organization, the filing that creates the LLC itself.
Michigan Sales Tax License, for a business that sells taxable goods or services.
Michigan resale certificate, to buy inventory for resale without paying tax on it.
How to get an EIN, the federal tax ID most LLCs need to open a bank account or hire.

Frequently Asked Questions

: According to a 2021 Michigan Small Business Development Center guide published by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, Michigan has no general state business license. A business in Michigan may still need a license from its city or county, or from a state board if its trade is regulated.
: Michigan law lets township boards adopt ordinances for the licensing of business establishments, and lets villages license listed activities such as auctioneers, hawkers and peddlers, and public shows. Michigan's Business Roadmap tells new businesses to contact their county and local government offices to find out whether more licensing or permitting is required.
: Michigan's Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) licenses regulated occupations, health professions and skilled trades, and its Bureau of Professional Licensing regulates over 700,000 individuals under the Occupational Code and the Public Health Code. LARA's Business Roadmap points businesses to the State License Search to find out whether they need a state license.

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.

Sources

Each entry below is a document recorded in our verified Michigan sources, and each entry says what the document is. Some statutory text is read from an accurate mirror rather than from the state's own host, and those say so.

legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-41-181MCL 41.181, Adoption of ordinances by township board
legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-67-1MCL 67.1, General Law Village Act, general powers of council
michigan.gov/lara/bureau-list/cscl/corps/michigan-business-roadmapLARA Corporations Division, Michigan Business Roadmap
michigan.gov/lara/bureau-list/bplLARA, Bureau of Professional Licensing
michigan.gov/lara/i-need-to/apply-for-or-renew-a-license-or-permitLARA, Apply for / Renew a License or Permit
michigan.gov/lara/bureau-list/cscl/corps/frequently-asked-questionsLARA Corporations Division, Frequently Asked Questions
michiganbusiness.org/contentassets/9e9d0c936ff44225b270b26abec9208f/mi-sbdc-english-fullbook.pdfMichigan SBDC, Guide to Starting and Operating a Small Business in Michigan (2021), Michigan Economic Development Corporation

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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.