Business license · Pennsylvania

Does Your LLC Need a Business License in Pennsylvania?

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

Pennsylvania 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	Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs

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

Does Pennsylvania Require a State Business License?

Pennsylvania does not require a general state business license.

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

Pennsylvania's own guide to business licenses and permits is Pennsylvania Business One-Stop Shop.

City and County Business Licenses

Pennsylvania's Borough Code lets boroughs prohibit, license and regulate businesses unless the law prohibits it. The state's Business One-Stop Shop directs questions about local registrations, permits and zoning to the township, borough or city where the business will operate.

Where Pennsylvania points businesses for local requirements.

Professional and Trade Licenses

Pennsylvania licenses regulated professions through 29 licensing boards and commissions supported by the Department of State's Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs. Some other activities are licensed elsewhere, such as home improvement contracting, which registers with the Attorney General's Office. Look up Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania law also lets local taxing authorities levy a tax on the privilege of doing business in their jurisdiction.

Other Pennsylvania Registrations to Check

Pennsylvania articles of organization, the filing that creates the LLC itself.
Pennsylvania Sales Tax License, for a business that sells taxable goods or services.
Pennsylvania 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

: Pennsylvania does not require a general state business license. A business in Pennsylvania may still need a license from its city or county, or from a state board if its trade is regulated.
: Pennsylvania's Borough Code lets boroughs prohibit, license and regulate businesses unless the law prohibits it. The state's Business One-Stop Shop directs questions about local registrations, permits and zoning to the township, borough or city where the business will operate.
: Pennsylvania licenses regulated professions through 29 licensing boards and commissions supported by the Department of State's Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs. Some other activities are licensed elsewhere, such as home improvement contracting, which registers with the Attorney General's Office.

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 Pennsylvania 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.

business.pa.gov/register/special-registrations/Pennsylvania Business One-Stop Shop, Special Registrations
business.pa.gov/register/local-registrations-permits-zoning/Pennsylvania Business One-Stop Shop, Local Registrations, Permits, Zoning
business.pa.gov/register/registering-with-pennsylvania/basic-business-registration-overview/Pennsylvania Business One-Stop Shop, Basic Business Registration Overview
palegis.us/statutes/consolidated/view-statute?txtType=PDF&ttl=08&div=0&chapter=12&section=2&subsctn=08 Pa.C.S. 1202 (Borough Code, specific powers)
palegis.us/statutes/unconsolidated/law-information/view-statute?txtType=PDF&SessYr=1965&ActNum=0511.&SessInd=0Local Tax Enabling Act (Act 511 of 1965), section 301.1
pa.gov/agencies/dos/department-and-offices/bpoaPennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs
pa.gov/agencies/dos/programs/businessPennsylvania Department of State, Business

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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.