Business license · Oregon

Does Your LLC Need a Business License in Oregon?

The short answer. Oregon does not require a general state business license. A business in Oregon may still need a license from its city or county, or from a state board if its trade is regulated.

Oregon 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	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 Oregon Require a State Business License?

Oregon does not require a general state business license.

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

Oregon's own guide to business licenses and permits is Oregon Business Xpress License Directory.

City and County Business Licenses

Oregon's Secretary of State says cities and counties may also require a business license or permit. Check with your city and county to find out what license, permit or zoning requirements apply.

Where Oregon points businesses for local requirements.

Professional and Trade Licenses

Oregon licenses regulated occupations and business activities through state agencies and boards, such as the Construction Contractors Board and the Landscape Contractors Board. The state's License Directory lists more than 1,500 licenses, permits, registrations and certifications. Look up Oregon 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 Oregon

Oregon's Secretary of State says an LLC's business registration with it serves the purpose of a general business license.

Other Oregon Registrations to Check

Oregon articles of organization, the filing that creates the LLC itself.
Sales tax in Oregon, for what a seller registers for in a state without a statewide sales tax.
Oregon 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

: Oregon does not require a general state business license. A business in Oregon may still need a license from its city or county, or from a state board if its trade is regulated.
: Oregon's Secretary of State says cities and counties may also require a business license or permit. Check with your city and county to find out what license, permit or zoning requirements apply.
: Oregon licenses regulated occupations and business activities through state agencies and boards, such as the Construction Contractors Board and the Landscape Contractors Board. The state's License Directory lists more than 1,500 licenses, permits, registrations and certifications.

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 Oregon 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.

sos.oregon.gov/business/information-center/Pages/starting-business.aspxOregon Secretary of State, Starting a Business
sos.oregon.gov/business/Documents/business-guides/start-business-guide.pdfOregon Secretary of State, Start a Business Guide (Step 6, Check Licenses)
apps.oregon.gov/sos/licensedirectoryOregon Business Xpress License Lookup (License Directory)

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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.