2.
Re: what licenses are needed for consulting in Las Vegas May 28, 2008 12:45 PM
You need a State Business License from the Department of Taxation ($100 a year). If you operate from your home and only a limited percentage of your total income is derived from the business (i.e., it's a part time business), you may not be required to obtain this license.
You also need a Business License from the City of Las Vegas. The annual fee for that is irritatingly arbitrary -- no published fee structure, someone just "determines" what your fee will be each year (can run up to $1,200 in my experience) and I've not found a successful way to protest it.
If you operate a business out of your home in Vegas, you also need a Home Occupation Permit from the Planning and Development Department. This is $50 a year.
If you'll be doing work in an unincorporated part of Clark County, you need a business license from them, too. Like the city license, the fee for this is arbitrary.
When applying for any of these licenses, someone may decide that you need a zoning review or hearing, a fire safety inspection, a health inspection, etc. Again, as a business owner who has offices in several cities, the whole licensing process there seems very subjective by comparison. The Nevada Secretary of State created a very favorable atmosphere for business, but because that atmosphere attracted so many scam operations, it now seems that government entities at other levels are trying to stick it to
every small enterprise. I hope you have a smoother (and less expensive) licensing experience than many new start-ups seem to have.
Welcome to the community and best of luck.
