Business license · New Jersey

Does Your LLC Need a Business License in New Jersey?

The short answer. We have not confirmed whether New Jersey requires a general state business license, so do not assume it does not; check Business.NJ.gov Licensing and Certification Guide. Your local government may also require its own license.

New Jersey Business License at a Glance

General state business license	Not confirmed
City or county licenses	Local governments may require one (see Local licenses)
Trade and professional licenses	State licensing boards (see Trade licenses)

Read from the government sources listed at the foot of this page, last checked September 30, 2026. See the sources.

Does New Jersey Require a State Business License?

We have not confirmed whether New Jersey requires a general state business license, so do not assume it does not; check Business.NJ.gov Licensing and Certification Guide.

New Jersey's own guide to business licenses and permits is Business.NJ.gov Licensing and Certification Guide.

City and County Business Licenses

New Jersey law lets a municipality's governing body adopt ordinances to license and regulate a long list of businesses and all other kinds of business conducted in the municipality. It cannot use that power to license a person who already holds a license or certificate from a state agency, with limited exceptions.

Professional and Trade Licenses

New Jersey licenses many regulated professions through state professional boards, such as the State Board of Accountancy, the Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors, the State Board of Cosmetology and Hairstyling and the State Board of Medical Examiners. Business.NJ.gov's Licensing and Certification Guide lets you search state licenses, permits and certifications with contacts for each authority. Look up New Jersey license requirements.

Our verified guides for specific trades in this state:

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

Worth Knowing in New Jersey

New Jersey's Business Registration Certificate, issued after you register with the Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services on Form NJ-REG, is not a general business license. The Division says it is required only for businesses doing business with the public sector and with the casino service industry.

Other New Jersey Registrations to Check

New Jersey articles of organization, the filing that creates the LLC itself.
New Jersey Certificate of Authority, for a business that sells taxable goods or services.
New Jersey 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

: We have not confirmed whether New Jersey requires a general state business license, so do not assume it does not; check Business.NJ.gov Licensing and Certification Guide.
: New Jersey law lets a municipality's governing body adopt ordinances to license and regulate a long list of businesses and all other kinds of business conducted in the municipality. It cannot use that power to license a person who already holds a license or certificate from a state agency, with limited exceptions.
: New Jersey licenses many regulated professions through state professional boards, such as the State Board of Accountancy, the Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors, the State Board of Cosmetology and Hairstyling and the State Board of Medical Examiners. Business.NJ.gov's Licensing and Certification Guide lets you search state licenses, permits and certifications with contacts for each authority.

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 New Jersey 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.

pub.njleg.gov/statutes/STATUTES-TEXT.zipN.J.S.A. 40:52-1, Power to license and regulate (NJ Legislature statutes text file)
pub.njleg.gov/statutes/STATUTES-TEXT.zipN.J.S.A. 45:1-15, Application of act (professional boards)
business.nj.gov/pages/licensing-and-certification-guideBusiness.NJ.gov, Licensing and Certification Guide
nj.gov/treasury/revenue/busregcert.shtmlNJ Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services, Business Registration Certificate
business.nj.gov/pages/register-for-taxesBusiness.NJ.gov, Register for Taxes

More for New Jersey LLCs

Start and set up

Taxes, money and growth

Stay compliant

Operate in other states

Compare structures

By owner type

By profession

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.