There are many different things to consider when thinking about the licensing you may need. We live in a highly regulated world, and like it or not this is an imperative step to ensure your success. Trust me, it’s always better to be licensed and legal then to find yourself dealing with a government entity over licensing issues, possibly costing you thousands of dollars and down time while you work on getting the licenses you’re supposed to have.
- Determine if you need an occupational or professional license. By checking on this first you will be able to determine if you need to get additional training, a college degree or testing in-order to be licensed in your specialty. You can check on this at the State of Utah’s site for the Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing. This page lists the occupations and professions that require a specialty license, if you don’t see what you are doing on this page, you should be good to go, however, if you are at all unsure, you should contact the O.P.L. to explain what you are doing and get their professional opinion.
- Register your business with the Division of Corporations and Commercial Code. Lucky for you, the state of Utah makes this super easy with their online portal, Utah’s OneStop Business Registration. The best part about it, is that it’s free, outside of the filing fees you’ll have to pay to register, which as of this post will cost you $70. This portal allows you to register with the Utah Department of Commerce, Utah State Tax Commission (sales and use tax and employee withholding tax), and Utah Department of Workforce Services (unemployment tax) although the only item required now is registering with the Utah Department of Commerce, (sales and employment tax accounts can be added later if necessary).
Once on the site, you will be prompted to create a Utah.gov account. Once logged in, you will choose the option to register a business and a step-by-step interview will pull up that walks you through the process. Some of the questions can be tricky, so I’ve prepared a step-by-step instruction manual to help you through the process. While this isn’t legal advice, it’s my knowledge of registering a business with the portal through many successful business registrations for my clients as well as myself.
While I feel this site is super user friendly and easy enough for anyone to use, there are other options if you just don’t want to tackle it on your own. Outside of hiring an attorney, (which will usually set you back a minimum of about $1000) you can use sites such as LegalZoom, which while not free to use like Utah’s OneStop Business Registration, won’t set you back quite as far as an attorney. However, if you have a tricky business structure, are getting involved with numerous partners or other legal questions, I would highly recommend consulting with an attorney.
- Register your business with city and county business licensing offices if applicable. You will also need to obtain a license to do business in the city or county (if in an unincorporated area) where you will be doing business. If you’re uncertain whether you need a license in these municipalities you can contact them and ask, they are generally always very helpful!
While I try to be as comprehensible as possible, this list may not include all licensing scenarios/possibilities. As always, if in doubt, consult with an attorney or other consultant to find out if any specialized licensing is required for you.
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