Licenses and permits in Rhode Island

The Rhode Island Department of State⁹ filing is not a license to do the work. What you need depends on the activity and the city or town. Each city and town sets its own local business rules¹. Start with the town where you will operate, then the agency that regulates the work.

What’s different in Rhode Island

• A trade name is already limited to one municipality. Town registration, where the town requires it, is a second step. Register your business covers the trade name.
• Twelve towns require every business to register locally. The Rhode Island Department of State⁹ lists them.
• Contractors register with the state board, and there is no reciprocity. The city or town can still require its own permit.
• A restaurant’s alcohol license comes from the city or town. The state department licenses manufacturers and wholesalers, not the typical restaurant license.

Do this

1. Ask the city or town where you will work. The municipal registration page lists who must register with the town: Central Falls, Charlestown, East Providence, Johnston, North Providence, North Smithfield, Richmond, Smithfield, Warren, Westerly, West Greenwich, and West Warwick require every business to register with the city or town before it begins. That town registration is in addition to a trade name filed with the Department of State, and in addition to licenses such as liquor, entertainment, or a peddler¹. A town that is not on the list can still require a home-occupancy permit, zoning approval, or a license for the activity. The page says local rules change. Check with the clerk.
2. Confirm the town office’s address before you mail anything. On that list, the Westerly row shows Warren’s street address and phone.* Use the address and phone on the town’s own site. The registration is still required.
3. Use the Business Assistant for the work itself. The costs and fees page says the Business Assistant gathers licensing information for your type of business. It estimates regulatory costs. It does not issue the license.
4. Get a contractor registration if you build or repair structures. The rules say the law requires every contractor, remodeler, and most subcontractors in the business of building or repairing residential or commercial structures to register. The board is the Contractors' Registration and Licensing Board³. The first-time application page lists the registration fee as $150. It asks for proof of a 5-hour pre-registration course, unless you work only on commercial structures. There is no reciprocity for a general contractor registration. You also need general liability insurance of at least $500,000⁴, with the board named as the certificate holder. If you have employees, that page also asks for a workers’ compensation certificate. Renewals have their own course and a $50⁵ late fee, on the renewal page.
5. Selling food from a home kitchen? Register with the Rhode Island Department of Health. The fee is $65. You also send proof of food-handler training, a notarized statement about the kitchen, and labels. Sales are directly to the consumer, by pickup or delivery inside Rhode Island, by the registrant or a designee. A farmers market or a festival needs a retail food peddler license, renewed yearly, and one license covers every temporary event and farmers market⁶. The cottage-food page does not set the rules for a restaurant that cooks and serves meals on site.* Ask the Department of Health and the town before you open one.
6. Selling alcohol? A restaurant, bar, or liquor store license comes from the city or town. The town also handles zoning. The Department of Business Regulation FAQ lists the licenses the state issues: manufacturers, wholesalers, and a few retail types, such as a caterer or railroad, air, and marine transportation⁷. The FAQ does not print one fee that covers every license.* Open the license you are applying for and check that fee. The business must be organized in Rhode Island or authorized to do business here. The FAQ says to consider local ordinances and tax rules, and that a private attorney can help with those.
7. A licensed profession is separate from the company filing. A professional service corporation shows proof of insurance to the Rhode Island Department of State⁹. That proof is not the professional license. Start with the Business Assistant, then the board that regulates your work. A nonprofit that solicits more than $25,000 has a charitable registration of $90⁸ a year. That is not a substitute for a town license.
8. Selling taxable goods? Register with the Rhode Island Division of Taxation¹⁰. Get your tax IDs explains the permit.

What you get back

A town registration where the ordinance requires one, a contractor registration or another state license if the work needs it, a cottage-food registration or a health permit, and an alcohol license if you sell alcohol. Each one has its own renewal. Write the date down.