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Why do you need a business license? The answer is simple. If your company is going to operate within the law, the city or county in which you will be doing business will require you to obtain a license or permit.

If that business is service-related and performs any portion of its work in other cities outside of its operational center, you may also be required to buy licenses in those cities. For example, if you have a repair service and you make several calls to homes away from the city where your shop is located, you could be obligated to purchase business licenses in the cities you service. For occasional work in another city, you may only be required to obtain a permit for those days on which you perform the work.

Business licenses are serious matters in most cities. They provide a source of revenue for the city or county. Licensing is also a means of controlling the types of businesses that operate within their jurisdictions. It is true that many businesses are currently operating without licenses. A crackdown in one major city showed that almost 50% of its businesses had failed to produce current business licenses Fines were imposed and ultimatums issued that failure to secure licenses would result in shutdowns. A business licenses is inexpensive and lends credibility to your operation. Without one, you, too, run the risk of being discovered and fined and/or barred from doing any business at all.

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