Business licenses and permits in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania has none statewide; licenses depend on the activity and the location, so there is no statewide license to get just to be in business. What you need depends on what you do and where you do it. Start with your township, borough or city, then the agency that regulates your kind of work.

What’s different in Pennsylvania

• No general business license. The state’s own pages put it this way: none statewide; licenses depend on the activity and the location.
• Local government has the first say. Direct questions on local registrations, permits and zoning to the township, borough or city where you operate.
• Philadelphia has its own license. The Commercial Activity License (CAL) is free, and it needs a City tax account.

Do this

1. Call your local government. Ask the township, borough or city where you operate about registrations, permits and zoning, before you sign a lease. The state’s local registrations page says the same.
2. Get any professional license your work needs. Check a license’s status in PALS (Pennsylvania Licensing System). Licensing runs through the Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs.
3. Selling food? The Department of Agriculture requires a license for each retail food facility before operating. Submit your materials at least 60 days ahead. Seven county health departments license their own: Allegheny, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Erie, Montgomery and Philadelphia. If you are in one, contact it directly.
4. Doing home improvement work? You must register with the Office of the Attorney General unless you are specifically exempt. The state’s common permits page explains it. The dollar or project threshold that triggers registration was not stated on the pages we read.* Check the official source, or check with a legal professional.
5. Selling alcohol? Apply to the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB). A new license may be limited by a quota: generally one license per 3,000 inhabitants in any county. Also, local voters can vote a municipality dry, in whole or in part. Processing time for a new license was not stated on the pages we read.* Check the official source.
6. Doing business in Philadelphia? Get a Commercial Activity License (CAL). It is free and issued by the Philadelphia Department of Licenses and Inspections (L&I). You need a City tax account, which the Department of Revenue issues. That includes businesses located outside the city that do business in it. The tax account comes first: Get your tax IDs.
7. Selling taxable goods or services? Register with the Department of Revenue before your first sale: Get your tax IDs.
8. Ask for help if the list gets long. The SBA’s Pennsylvania offices cover the state: Philadelphia (King of Prussia) for 40 eastern counties and Pittsburgh for 27 western counties. The state’s one-stop help line number, hours and who it serves were not stated on the pages we read.* Check the official source at business.pa.gov.

What you get back

One license or permit from each agency that regulates your work, each on its own renewal schedule, plus any local permits. There is no general license to renew. Write down who told you what applies, and the renewal date on each license you receive.