City business license guide
Last updated: April 27, 2026
This guide explains the business license and permit steps that may apply when you start, move, or run a business in Spokane, Washington. Spokane uses the Washington Department of Revenue Business Licensing Service for its city license process, but some business types still need separate city, county, state, or federal approvals.
Use this page as a practical map. It is not a substitute for the City of Spokane, Washington Department of Revenue, Spokane Regional Health District, Spokane County, or a qualified professional.
Bottom line
Most businesses located in Spokane city limits, or doing business inside Spokane city limits, should check the City of Spokane business registration requirement before opening. The city says Spokane businesses apply through the Washington Department of Revenue Business Licensing Service, and the state calls the local add-on a Spokane city endorsement or Spokane General Business Registration.
A city business registration is only one layer. You may also need zoning approval, a fire or building permit, a food establishment permit, a professional license, a trade name, employer accounts, or a federal tax ID. The right answer depends on your address, business activity, workers, and whether customers visit your site.
Quick start for a Spokane business
- Check whether your location is inside Spokane city limits. If you are not sure, use the city map or contact the city before you apply.
- Decide your business structure. If you are forming a Washington LLC, corporation, or certain other entity types, file with the Washington Secretary of State before the state business license application.
- Use the Washington Business License Application to get your state business license, UBI number, and Spokane city endorsement when needed.
- Check zoning before you sign a lease, buy equipment, remodel, or invite customers to a home-based business.
- Check separate permits for food, mobile vending, short-term rentals, building work, fire safety, professional work, alcohol, cannabis, gambling, vehicles for hire, and other regulated activities.
- Save copies of your approvals, renewal dates, UBI number, trade name records, lease, floor plan, and agency emails.
For a broader Washington overview, use our Washington business license guide. For the difference between local, county, and state steps, see city vs county vs state licensing.
Spokane business license facts box
| City | Spokane, Washington |
|---|---|
| County | Spokane County |
| Main local requirement | City of Spokane business registration or city endorsement through the Washington Business Licensing Service |
| Main city office | City of Spokane Taxes and Licenses, under the Office of Finance, Treasury and Administration |
| State licensing system | Washington Department of Revenue Business Licensing Service |
| State business ID | Unified Business Identifier, often called a UBI number |
| Important local check | Zoning, business location, home occupation rules, and special activity permits |
| Best first official pages | City business licenses and the Spokane city endorsement page |
What does this mean for me?
If you are opening a Spokane storefront, office, shop, restaurant, salon, rental business, mobile service, or home-based business, do not stop after forming an LLC or getting an EIN. Those steps do not replace the city registration, state tax setup, zoning checks, or special permits.
The Spokane city layer matters when the business is located inside the city, conducts business inside the city, or does business with the city. The City of Spokane get started page says businesses should be licensed with the city if they are located within city limits or conducting business within city limits. The city also says a separate registration is needed when more than one business is located in a single premises.
City, county, state, and federal license layers
Spokane business licensing is layered. One application may cover several items, but it does not cover every permit. Use the table below to keep the layers separate.
| Layer | What to check | Who usually handles it | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| City of Spokane | Business registration, Spokane city endorsement, local taxes, temporary registration, itinerant vendor, mobile food vending, short-term rental, zoning, fire, sign, building, and occupancy issues | City of Spokane Taxes and Licenses, Development Services Center, Fire Department, and other city offices | This is the main local layer for businesses inside city limits or doing business in the city. |
| Spokane County | Food permits through the health district, septic or private well issues, and county building or planning permits if your site is in unincorporated county service areas | Spokane Regional Health District and Spokane County Building & Planning | County or regional rules may apply even when you also need city approval. |
| Washington State | Business License Application, UBI number, tax account, trade name, state endorsements, entity registration, employer accounts, contractor or professional licenses | Washington Department of Revenue, Washington Secretary of State, Labor & Industries, Employment Security Department, and licensing boards | The state sets tax, entity, employer, and many industry license rules. |
| Federal | EIN, federal regulated activity permits, federal tax accounts, import or export rules, and industry rules for certain products | IRS and federal agencies | Federal steps depend on your structure, workers, and activity. |
The Washington Department of Revenue says the Business Licensing Wizard can help identify agencies, endorsements, and other business license tips. Use it early, but still contact the city or agency when the answer depends on your exact activity or address.
Spokane city business registration
The City of Spokane partners with the Washington Department of Revenue Business Licensing Service. The city’s business license page says you may apply online or in person, and it identifies City Taxes and Licenses as the office that processes applications, registrations, returns, renewals, billing, collection, accounting, and auditing for city license and tax items.
On the state side, the Spokane city endorsement page lists Spokane city license fees, employee fee rules, reduced fee rules, contact details, approval timing, and business activities that may need extra city contact before you operate.
Do not assume the state business license alone is enough. The Spokane city endorsement is the local part of the state application. The same My DOR filing may also handle a trade name, employee registration, and some state endorsements, depending on your answers.
Important: The Department of Revenue page says you are not authorized to conduct business in Spokane until all local code requirements are met. That means a business may need to wait for fire, building, health, zoning, or specialty approval even after receiving a UBI number.
Costs you can plan for
Fees change, and your final cost depends on your business type, revenue, workers, locations, trade names, and special permits. Use the official fee pages before paying. The amounts below are planning items from official pages reviewed for this update.
| Item | Official amount or rule found | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Washington Business License Application processing fee | $50 to open or reopen a business; $5 annual renewal processing fee; $10 for many other purposes | See the DOR processing fee page. |
| Trade name registration | $5 | The Spokane endorsement page lists this as an added fee when registering a business name as a trade name. |
| Spokane General Business Registration | Common city fee shown as $131 plus employee fee when annual gross income is above the threshold | Reduced fees may apply for lower gross income, nonprofits, social purpose corporations, certified B corporations, and nonresident businesses. |
| Employee fee for Spokane registration | Employee fee tiers are listed by the city endorsement page | The city counts many owners, officers, managers, agents, and workers, but sole proprietors and spouses are not counted as employees for this fee rule. |
| Temporary Spokane business registration | $65.50 for the first 90 days; renewal rules may apply | Use the city temporary registration process when your activity is short-term and fits the city rule. |
| Food establishment permits | Varies by type, such as basic, complex, caterer, mobile, concession, or temporary | Spokane Regional Health District posts the food safety fee schedule and assesses fees after review. |
Washington state steps for Spokane businesses
Business License Application and UBI
The Washington Department of Revenue application page says you receive a Unified Business Identifier, or UBI number, when you receive your business license. You use the UBI when filing taxes or changing business information.
If your structure will be a Washington corporation, partnership, liability company, or limited liability partnership, the DOR page says you must file with the Washington Secretary of State before filing the Business License Application. The Secretary of State’s start or register a business page is the state entity filing place for those business structures.
Taxes and sales
After the application is processed, DOR sends tax account and filing frequency information. Washington businesses may have business and occupation tax, sales tax, use tax, or other state tax duties. Product sellers should not confuse a city registration with a tax account or reseller permit.
Employees
If you plan to hire workers, the DOR hiring employees page says to file the Business License Application no sooner than 90 days before hiring. The filing can register the business for workers’ compensation and unemployment insurance, and new hires must be reported within 20 days.
Zoning, home businesses, building, fire, and signs
Before you rent, buy, remodel, or move in, check that your business use fits the property. The city says each property in Spokane has a zone, and the zone controls allowed uses and development standards. Use the City of Spokane zoning and UDC page and the city map to check the site.
Home businesses need extra care. Spokane Municipal Code describes a home occupation as a business or professional activity that is incidental and accessory to the main residential use and does not alter or detract from the residential character of the home. That means a quiet home office is different from a business with regular customers, deliveries, employees, storage, noise, odor, or signs. Our home occupation permit guide explains the common issues to ask about.
Building and fire rules may matter if you change a space, add equipment, store materials, post signs, host customers, or use a commercial kitchen. The city’s Accela Citizen Access portal is used for many permits and licenses. The Spokane city endorsement page also tells certain applicants to contact the Fire Department for a safety evaluation when their application shows fire-related activity.
Practical tip: Ask zoning and fire questions before you pay for a lease, remodel, sign, hood, patio, cart, or equipment. A business license does not make a wrong location legal.
Special Spokane business types that may need more
The Spokane city endorsement page tells business owners to contact City Taxes and Licenses directly for added licensing, fees, or taxes when a business involves collection of admission, commercial tree work, entertainment, concerts or carnivals, for-hire vehicles or operators, gambling, mobile food vendors, or utility business activity.
Food businesses should check Spokane Regional Health District before opening, remodeling, buying an existing food operation, catering, selling at an event, or operating a mobile unit. The new or remodeled food establishment page says new food establishment permit applications must be submitted at least 14 days before the projected opening date, and late submission can trigger a penalty fee. It also says plan review and a pre-opening inspection are part of the process.
Food workers who handle unwrapped food or beverages must hold a current Washington State Food Worker Card. The food worker card page explains timing, cost, and renewal rules.
Mobile food vendors should not rely only on a city business registration. Spokane Municipal Code section 17C.390.030 sets location and condition rules for mobile food vending, including rules for public right of way, private property, and city parks. Use our food truck license guide for the common permit stack, but confirm Spokane’s current rules with the city and health district.
Spokane County checks
If your business is inside Spokane city limits, the city is usually the local business registration office. But county and regional agencies can still matter.
Spokane Regional Health District handles food establishment permits, food worker cards, temporary food establishment permits, septic topics, pools, water recreation facilities, and some other health-related permits. The health district’s cards, permits, and inspections page is a good starting point for food, septic, pool, and public health permit questions.
Spokane County Building & Planning matters when the property is in the county’s service area rather than the City of Spokane. The county says its online permit applications apply to unincorporated Spokane County, the Town of Rockford, and the Town of Spangle, and it tells applicants to verify that the location is within the county service area before applying through the county permit portal.
Federal steps
Many small Spokane businesses need an EIN, especially if they form an LLC, corporation, partnership, tax-exempt organization, or hire employees. The IRS EIN page says legal entities should generally form through the state before applying for an EIN.
Some activities also need federal permits. The U.S. Small Business Administration’s licenses and permits page explains that federally regulated activities may need a federal license or permit. Do not assume a Spokane city registration covers those rules.
Real-world examples
Home-based bookkeeper
A home bookkeeper may need the state application, Spokane city endorsement, trade name, and home occupation check. Customer visits or employees can change the zoning answer.
Mobile food cart
A food cart may need city registration, mobile food vending approval, health district review, food worker cards, fire checks, and location permission before selling.
Retail shop with employees
A shop may need entity filing, a UBI number, Spokane endorsement, state tax account, employer accounts, zoning, signs, tenant work permits, and fire review.
Short-term rental host
A host should check business registration, city rental rules, zoning, state tax duties, and platform rules before listing the property.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Thinking an LLC replaces a city business registration.
- Starting work in Spokane before the city endorsement and local code checks are complete.
- Using a Spokane mailing address without checking whether the work is inside city limits.
- Signing a lease before zoning, fire, building, and health rules are checked.
- Forgetting that each location, branch, or separate business in one premises may create a new registration issue.
- Calling every permit a business license. A trade name, food permit, fire inspection, tax account, and professional license are different items.
- Missing renewal notices or relying on the notice instead of the license expiration date.
- Assuming online sellers and home businesses have no local rules.
- Opening a food business without SRHD plan review, permit timing, and pre-opening inspection.
A compact compliance checklist
- Write down your exact business activity in plain words.
- Write down your physical address, mailing address, and where customers will be served.
- Check whether the address is inside Spokane city limits.
- Choose your business structure and file with the Secretary of State first if required.
- Use the Business Licensing Wizard and Business License Application.
- Add the Spokane city endorsement when the city requirement applies.
- Register any trade name you will use.
- Check zoning, home occupation, building, fire, and sign rules.
- Check health district rules if food, beverages, pools, septic, wells, or public health permits are involved.
- Check professional or industry licenses.
- Register for employer accounts before hiring when required.
- Save renewal dates and copies of official approvals.
Phone and email scripts
Before contacting an office, have your address, business activity, ownership type, customer visit plan, employee plan, and opening date ready.
City Taxes and Licenses script
Hello, I am starting a [business type] at [address or general area] in Spokane. I want to confirm whether I need a Spokane General Business Registration or city endorsement, whether any reduced fee or exemption might apply, and whether my activity needs a separate city license, permit, fee, or tax before I operate.
Zoning or building script
Hello, I am considering [business activity] at [address]. Customers will [visit/not visit], and I may [remodel/add signs/store materials/use equipment]. Can you tell me whether this use is allowed in the zone and whether I should apply for a building, sign, fire, certificate of occupancy, or other development permit?
Food business script
Hello, I plan to operate a [restaurant, caterer, cottage food, food truck, coffee cart, event booth, or other food business] in Spokane County. What food establishment permit, plan review, food worker card, pre-opening inspection, commissary, or temporary food permit steps should I complete before opening?
Washington BLS script
Hello, I am filing a Business License Application for a Spokane business. I need help confirming the correct city endorsement, trade name, state endorsements, employer registration, fee items, and renewal date for my business type.
Do not ask an agency to give legal or tax advice. Ask which official license, permit, form, office, or next step applies to the facts you provide.
What to do if this does not work
If the online system does not give a clear answer, do not guess. Try these steps.
- Save a screenshot or note of the question that confused you.
- Call or email City Taxes and Licenses with your business activity and address.
- If the issue is zoning, signs, building changes, home use, or customer visits, contact the Development Services Center.
- If food, beverages, temporary food, catering, or a mobile unit is involved, contact Spokane Regional Health District.
- If your problem is with My DOR, UBI, trade name, state endorsements, employer registration, or renewal, contact Washington Business Licensing Service.
- If the answer affects a lease, construction cost, payroll, taxes, insurance, or legal risk, speak with a qualified professional before spending money.
Official resources
About BusinessLicenseGuide.com
BusinessLicenseGuide.com writes plain-English guides for ordinary small-business owners. We explain city, county, state, and federal license layers, point readers to official sources, and avoid promising approval or compliance. We are not a government agency, law firm, CPA firm, filing service, or permit expeditor.
FAQ
Does Spokane require a business license?
Spokane says businesses should be licensed with the city if they are located within city limits or conducting business within city limits. The city works with the Washington Department of Revenue Business Licensing Service for the application process.
What is the Spokane city business license called?
Official pages use terms such as city business registration, city license, Spokane city endorsement, and Spokane General Business Registration. Use the official DOR Spokane city endorsement page and the City of Spokane Taxes and Licenses office to confirm the right item for your business.
Do I need a Washington UBI number for a Spokane business?
Most businesses that file the Washington Business License Application receive a Unified Business Identifier, or UBI number. You use the UBI for state tax, licensing, and business account changes.
Does an LLC replace a Spokane business license?
No. An LLC is a business structure. A Spokane city endorsement, state business license, tax account, zoning approval, health permit, or professional license may still be needed depending on your business.
Can I run a business from home in Spokane?
You may be able to run some businesses from home, but you should check Spokane home occupation and zoning rules first. Customer visits, signs, storage, employees, deliveries, noise, and equipment can change the answer.
Who handles food business permits in Spokane?
Spokane Regional Health District handles many food establishment permits and food worker card issues in Spokane County. Food businesses should check plan review, permit, card, and inspection rules before opening.
How often do Washington business licenses renew?
Washington says business licenses with state or city endorsements are renewed annually. The expiration date is printed on the business license, and renewal is due before that date.
Disclaimer
This article is informational only. It is not legal, tax, financial, insurance, employment, safety, zoning, licensing, or professional advice. Rules, fees, forms, links, offices, and policies can change. Confirm important details with the official agency or a qualified professional. This article does not guarantee approval, eligibility, compliance, savings, income, speed, or results.
Updates
Last updated: April 27, 2026
Next review: August 27, 2026
This update checked Spokane city business registration, Washington Business Licensing Service, city endorsement fees, zoning and home occupation sources, Spokane Regional Health District food permit sources, Spokane County permit jurisdiction notes, and federal EIN/license resources.