Business License in Tennessee: Who Issues It, Cost & Steps
Business License rules in Tennessee are written by cities and counties, not by the state legislature — which is exactly why generic advice is useless here. Below: how to identify your issuing office, then the general US process.
Tennessee licences by how much you sell, and the number to know is $100,000.
There is a business licence here, it is cheap, and which one you need is decided by your gross receipts rather than by your trade.
- The licence comes from your county and/or municipal clerk. The Department of Revenue runs the tax side, but it does not hand you the licence.https://www.tn.gov/revenue/taxes/business-tax/registration-and-licensing.html
- More than $3,000 and under $100,000 in gross receipts: you need a minimal activity licence, renewed annually for $15.https://revenue.support.tn.gov/hc/en-us/articles/360057607771-BUS-15-Minimal-Activity-Licenses
- $100,000 or more in gross receipts: you need a standard business licence from the county and/or municipal clerk.https://www.tn.gov/revenue/taxes/business-tax/registration-and-licensing.html
- "A separate $15 business license registration fee must be paid to the county and/or municipal clerk" for each new business.https://www.tn.gov/revenue/taxes/business-tax/registration-and-licensing.html
- The $100,000 line is not old guidance. It was set by Public Chapter 377 (2023) and applies to tax years ending on or after December 31, 2023 - older articles quoting $10,000 are out of date.https://www.tn.gov/revenue/taxes/business-tax/registration-and-licensing.html
- Business tax registration itself is done online through the Tennessee Taxpayer Access Point (TNTAP), separately from the clerk's licence.https://www.tn.gov/revenue/taxes/business-tax/registration-and-licensing.html
Sources (each one opened and read on 2026-09-15)
- Tennessee Department of Revenue - Registration and Licensing: https://www.tn.gov/revenue/taxes/business-tax/registration-and-licensing.html
- Tennessee Department of Revenue - BUS-15 Minimal Activity Licenses: https://revenue.support.tn.gov/hc/en-us/articles/360057607771-BUS-15-Minimal-Activity-Licenses
Who issues a Business License in Tennessee
This is a local permit. It is issued by your city or county, not by the state of Tennessee. The state office listed underneath handles a related filing — it does not issue this permit.
- Tennessee — the state revenue or taxation department (handles state tax registration and permits)
https://www.tn.gov/revenue
Finding your local office
Start with the city your address sits in — the relevant department is usually called Planning, Building, Community Development, or Business Licensing. If your address is unincorporated, the county performs that role instead. Calling the main switchboard and asking who handles this is usually faster than searching.
Starting point for anything else in Tennessee: the state business portal, https://sos.tn.gov/businesses. It is a starting point, not the issuer of this permit.
The general US process
This sequence is the shape the process takes across the US. It is not a list of Tennessee requirements, and no step here should be read as one — the issuing office named above sets the actual requirements.
- Step 1: Work out which government actually licenses you. In most of the country this is the city; unincorporated addresses are usually licensed by the county; a few states also run a statewide business licence.
- Step 2: Check the zoning for your address before paying anything — a licence does not override zoning.
- Step 3: Apply through that office. Larger cities almost all have an online portal; smaller ones may still be paper.
- Step 4: Expect the fee to be flat, or scaled to gross receipts or headcount, depending on the jurisdiction.
- Step 5: Display the licence if the issuing office asks you to.
- Step 6: Put the renewal date in a calendar. Renewal notices are not guaranteed.
What varies: whether a licence is required at all, who issues it, how the fee is calculated, and whether the state has its own layer on top.
Documents usually asked for
A typical list, not a Tennessee checklist.
- EIN or SSN
- Business name/DBA filing
- Physical address
- Description of business activities
Related permits in Tennessee
Business License in states bordering Tennessee
Rules stop at the state line — same permit, each state bordering Tennessee:
See Business License in all 50 states & DC →
Frequently asked questions
Who issues a business license in Tennessee?
Your city or county — not the state.
How much does a business license cost in Tennessee?
We don't publish a Tennessee figure we haven't verified. The typical US range is $25–$500. The office named above has the real number for your address.
How long does it take to get a business license in Tennessee?
Typical US processing is 3–30 days, and expedited handling is often available for a fee. The issuing office publishes its own turnaround, and that is the number to trust.
What is Tennessee-specific on this page: the issuing office, 6 Tennessee facts, each quoted off the government page beside it. Everything else — the numbered process, the document list, the cost and timeline — is the general US pattern, not a Tennessee rule, and is labelled that way above. Requirements, fees and deadlines are set by the issuing office; confirm with it before you file or pay.