North Carolina Business License

The Fastest Way to Get Your North Carolina Business License


North Carolina state business licenses are not easy to understand, let alone obtain. Business Licenses, LLC is designed to cut through the clutter and help business owners understand their North Carolina state business license requirements.

April 23, 2020 Update: Needless to say, the Coronavirus has dramatically affected economic conditions in North Carolina and every other state too. Nevertheless, business owners are still filing for licenses and permits, authorities are still requiring them, and Business Licenses, LLC is still assisting customers with Business License Compliance Packages for North Carolina. Business Licenses, LLC’s partners are indeed sponsoring free BLCPs for many qualifying business owners.

December 10, 2020 Update: A lot has changed in North Carolina since the days when nearly every jurisdiction in The Tar Heel State required a general business license for operating a business. Specifically, what changed was House Bill 1050 during fiscal year 2015.

The bill eliminated the authority of municipalities to levy a business license tax and, consequently, existing business licenses in NC no longer needed to be renewed.

It would be quite a stretch, however, to argue that this has made life easier for business owners in the state. Working around the new law, some municipalities started to require business registrations (as opposed to business licenses) and many municipalities created specialty licenses to regulate beer/wine, home occupancies, push cart vending, massage parlors, pawn brokers, and many more.

No doubt HB 1050 was intended to make it simpler to open a business in North Carolina, but the reality is way more complex. The key takeaway, however, is simple. It's worth getting help from professionals to make sure that you're not missing any of the specialty business licenses you may need in North Carolina.

Explore Local Business License Requirements in North Carolina

Explore your local licensing authority requirements by clicking on your county in the list below. You can further drill down to your city to better understand all of your business license and permit requirements. Don't forget that if you're providing services in more than one jurisdiction in North Carolina, you will need to review your business license requirements in every city/county in which you're doing business.

How Many Business Licenses in North Carolina Do You Need?

The number of business licenses in North Carolina that you will need will depend upon a number of unique factors. Within which city/county will you operate your business? What business activities will you be conducting? How heavily regulated is your industry? Etc. To put it in perspective, we ran the following queries through our own business license research tool. Here are some authentic results:

A trucking business in Charlotte, NC may require up to 12 business licenses and/or permits, including a state-specific North Carolina IFTA license. One document that's often associated with this license is the Motor Carrier License and Decal Application.

A nail salon in Nags Head, NC may require up to 10 business licenses and/or permits, including a state-specific North Carolina cosmetology shop license. Our database of forms and documents indicate that, at the very least, there are two documents relevant to this license -- an Application for Cosmetological Establishment License and an Application for Mobile Salon License.

A pharmaceutical business in Raleigh, NC may require up to 9 business licenses and/or permits, including a state-specific North Carolina pharmacy license. To obtain this license, business owners often need to submit an Application for Registration and Permit to Conduct an In-State Pharmacy, an Application for Prescription Drug Registration (Out-of-State), an Application for Registration for Controlled Substances, and a License Application for In-State Wholesale Prescription Drug Distributors.

Get Requirements for Your North Carolina Business License

No matter how large or small your business is, Business Licenses, LLC can provide you with all you need to get a business license in North Carolina (NC). We also can provide you with the North Carolina business license requirements that are specific to your industry. We support every industry from nursery licenses to vending machine permits, seed dealer licenses to film permits, animal dealer licenses to mining permits, and tattoo parlor licenses to sign permits.

Professional Help for Getting Business Licenses in North Carolina

Beyond discovering and comprehending requirements for how to get a business license in North Carolina (NC), many organizations spend valuable time on the application process itself. Business Licenses, LLC provides professional assistance for collecting all of your North Carolina business license requirements, filling in the paperwork, and submitting them to the proper authorities in North Carolina. A Business Licenses, LLC expert will talk with you and complete the North Carolina business license applications on your behalf, regardless of complexity. We will then submit your North Carolina business license applications online (wherever possible) or send you forms that are ready for you to sign, date, and drop in the mail.



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