Search form Search Website You are here Home » Financial and Management Services Apply for a Business License Business & Special License Forms Business License Fee Exemption Criteria FAQ's - Business Licensing for Rental Property Owners Special Licenses Application Solicitor/Peddler Permit/License Application COVID-19 Surcharge (Employee Fee) Refund Request Customer Service Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Wednesday 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. (360) 487-8410, Ext. 3 business.licenses @cityofvancouver.us City Hall 415 W. 6th St. Vancouver, WA 98660 Business and Special Licenses Vancouver's business and special licensing regulations are found in Title 5, Vancouver Municipal Code (VMC) and summarized below. For questions, contact city at business.licenses@cityofvancouver.us or 360-487-8410 option 3. Important Note: If your business is based within Vancouver city limits, you should also confirm that the proposed business activity is an allowed use at the business location address. To confirm the proposed use meets the zoning, contact the Vancouver Community Development Department at 360-487-7803 or cddplanning@cityofvancouver.us. Please note, the issuance of a city business license does not equate to city zoning approval of the business activity in the specified business location. City Licensing During COVID-19 Pandemic For questions about the refund program or fees suspension described below, contact Vancouver business licensing staff at: business.licenses@cityofvancouver.us or 360-487-8410 option 3. Surcharge (Employee Fee) Refund Program On April 5, 2021, the Vancouver City Council adopted Ordinance M-4333 to assist Vancouver business licensees that are among those most severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and that may continue to remain subject to capacity restrictions to support public safety. The ordinance allows for a Vancouver business licensee that is engaged in one of the following businesses: Restaurant, Tavern, Brewery, Winery, or Distillery, Fitness and Training Facility, Movie Theater, Performing Arts and Theaters, or Bowling Facility, and that paid city business license fees for either: A new city business license – paid during the period of April 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022, or Renewal of an existing city business license – that expires during the period of April 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022, To request a refund of the city business license fee surcharge (employee fee) portion of those fees. To request the refund, the business must complete the COVID-19 Refund Request form and return it to the city, as instructed on the form. Other Business Relief Resources COVID-19 Business Assistance WA State DOR Business Relief during COVID-19 Pandemic Business Licensing Customer Service City business and special licensing staff are available by email or phone, 8:00 am - 5:00 pm, Monday-Friday. email: business.licenses@cityofvancouver.us phone: 360-487-8410, option 3 Also, in-person license assistance can be provided by appointment, on Monday or Wednesday during City Hall's limited open hours. COVID-19 masking and social distancing protocols must be followed. Vancouver business license applications and renewals continue to be processed by the city's licensing partner, the Washington State Department of Revenue (DOR), Business Licensing Service (BLS). DOR public offices are closed until further notice; however, all online DOR BLS services are still available, and DOR BLS customer service staff are available for assistance at 360-705-6741, 8 am-5 pm, weekdays. Vancouver special license applications are processed by city licensing staff using forms available on this website, or upon request from city licensing staff. See below for more details about applying for a city business license or special license. Business Requirements Home-based Business. In addition to holding a city business license, a business with a location address that is a residence in the city (referred to as "home occupation") must comply with the city's home occupation regulations set forth in VMC 20.860, and may be required to hold a Home Occupation Permit issued by the Community & Economic Development Department. To learn more, go to Home Occupation Permit, or contact the Vancouver Community Development Department at 360-487-7803 or cddplanning@cityofvancouver.us. City Business License. Vancouver requires a business to hold a city business license (also called "endorsement") if it is either (1) physically located within city limits, or (2) entering city limits to conduct business. (To confirm if a business location is within city limits, see “How to: VERIFY IF DOING BUSINESS IN CITY” section below.) Separate city business license. A separate city business license is required for each permanent business location in the city. In addition, if more than one business is operated from a single location, a separate city business license is required for each business. Partnership with Washington State. Vancouver is partnered with the Washington State Department of Revenue (DOR), Business Licensing Service (BLS), for the administration of its city business licenses (endorsements) -- see "How to: OBTAIN A CITY BUSINESS LICENSE" section below. Note: A business’s state-issued Unified Business Identifier (UBI) is used to reference its city business license account. Exemption from all city business license fees. A business that expects to generate $12,000 or less in gross annual receipts in city limits must hold a city business license, but can be exempt from paying all city license fees upon completing the in-city income question on the application or annual renewal form. Note: State fees are still charged. If a business qualifies for this fee exemption, it must enter the applicable gross annual income -- in the range of $1 to $12,000 -- on the application or, for renewing licensees, on the renewal form. An entry of "$0" is not acceptable. If the city determines that a business does not meet the requirements, the city will withdraw the city license registration and require that the business re-apply for the city business license and pay the applicable city fees. For a complete list of criteria to qualify for the all-city-fees exemption, see: Qualifying Criteria, City Business License Fee Exemptions. For questions about these criteria, contact Vancouver business licensing staff (see contact information below). Exemption from city employee fee, only. An organization that qualifies for a nonprofit employee-fee-only exemption criterion can be exempt from paying the city business license employee fee upon correctly completing the application. The organization must check "Yes" in the application box corresponding to “Is this business a 501(c) nonprofit?” and attach a copy of its current IRS tax exemption certificate to the application. For a complete list of criteria to qualify for the employee fee-only exemption, see: Qualifying Criteria, City Business License Fee Exemptions. For questions about these criteria, contact city business licensing staff (see contact information below). Not transferable. A city business license is not transferable to another party; each new owner must apply for a new city business license. City Special License. Certain types of businesses that operate in Vancouver (e.g., ambulance companies, solicitors, taxicab companies, transportation network companies, food vendors, movie theaters, secondhand dealers, recycling collectors, etc.) must hold a city-issued special license, in addition to holding a city business license. To learn more about city special license requirements, go to: Special Licenses. How to: Verify if Doing Business in City Limits Before applying for a city business license or special license, verify that your business location address, or location where you will conduct work, is in city limits and, thus, subject to the city’s business license regulations. See following options for making this verification. Enter address at: City Limits Map, or Enter address & check "Jurisdiction" at: Clark County Property Information Center, or Provide address to city business licensing staff via email: business.licenses@cityofvancouver.us, or phone: (360) 487-8410 option 3. How to: Obtain City Business License Obtaining a city business license (also called "endorsement") is a 3-step process: 1. Application. There are two possible methods to apply for a city business license: (1) online via the My DOR website (fastest method), or (2) by US mail (via paper forms). Application-related fees are found in the “FEES…” section below. Online application. Go to https://secure.dor.wa.gov/home/ and follow instructions to complete online application for a city business license and pay associated fees via debit or electronic check from your bank account, or via credit card. For assistance with this process, contact the Washington State Department of Revenue (DOR), Business Licensing Service (BLS) at 360-705-6741 or bls@dor.wa.gov. By US mail (using paper Business License Application and City Addendum). To obtain paper forms, contact DOR BLS at 360-705-6741 or bls@dor.wa.gov, or city business licensing staff at business.licenses@cityofvancouver.us or 360-487-8410 option 3. Mail completed forms, along with a check or money order, to the DOR BLS address on page 1 of the application form. 2. City review & license activation. When a business successfully completes application and associated payment, DOR BLS notifies city that application information is available for review with respect to city regulations. Unless issues arise during review, city typically activates a license within a week of DOR BLS notification. (If issues arise, the applicant will be contacted.) 3. Issuance of business license. After city activates city business license, DOR BLS mails out Washington State business license that has the applicable category of city license printed in the “City Endorsement” section of the state license, along with an expiration date. There are five possible categories of city license issued for Vancouver; see descriptions below. Vancouver General Business. Applies to a for-profit business with a location address in city limits, that is not a home occupation. Vancouver General Non-Resident Business. Applies to a for-profit business with a location address outside city limits. Vancouver Home Occupation. Applies to a for-profit business operated from owner's residence located in city limits. Vancouver Nonprofit Business. Applies to a business that qualifies for one of the city's nonprofit employee-fee-only exemption criteria and provides a copy of its IRS 501(c) tax exempt certification letter as an attachment to the application/addendum. Vancouver Employee Fee-Exempt Business. Applies to a business that qualifies for one of the city's employee-fee-only exemption criteria, other than the nonprofit criteria. How to: Renew City License A city business license is active until expiration date shown on state license. To facilitate the annual renewal process, the Washington State Department of Revenue (DOR), Business Licensing Service (BLS) mails a renewal notice to each active city business licensee approximately 45 days prior to the applicable expiration date. The notice includes instructions to complete renewal process prior to expiration date. Upon completion of a renewal, DOR BLS issues an updated state license, showing the applicable city license endorsement category and new expiration date. City fees to renew the city business license are the same as city fees to apply for the city business license – see “FEES…” section below. Fees: Application and Renewal Note: For state fees, see: State Business License Fees. Annual City License Fees – Application or Renewal. Fee Type Amount Description Base License Fee* $200.00 per location or entity Surcharge (Employee Fee)** $90.00 per FTE "employee"*** MINIMUM TOTAL, ALL FEES $290.00 based on 1 FTE employee * Applies to businesses not qualified for all-city-fees exemption criteria. ** Applies to businesses not qualified for all-city fees or employee-fee exemption criteria. *** Full-time equivalent (FTE) "employee": Calculated based on total hours to be worked in city in 12-month period by all "employees" divided by 2,080 hours; result is then rounded to nearest whole number before multiplying by employee fee rate. “Employee” includes: Any person working in city that is on business’ payroll or that is a self-employed person, sole proprietor, owner, manager, or partner of business. (Persons working for a business through an employment agency are considered employees of that agency.) How to: Update Business Information To close account or provide updates to the business name, governing people, mailing address, and/or location address, see instructions at: https://dor.wa.gov/manage-business/update-my-business-information. For assistance with this process contact the Washington State Department of Revenue (DOR), Business Licensing Service (BLS) at 360-705-6741. How to: Request Refund of City Fees, if applicable If you determine that you obtained a city business license in error or overpaid the employee fee amount at application or renewal, you may be eligible for a full or partial refund of the city license fees. To request a refund, send an email to: business.licenses@cityofvancouver.us with the following information: Washington State UBI number, full business name, location and mailing addresses, date fees paid to Washington State DOR BLS, requested refund amount, reason for error in applying for license or miscalculation of fees, and name and phone number of authorized contact person Still have questions? LICENSE APPLICATION QUESTIONS -- Contact Washington State DOR BLS: Email: bls@dor.wa.gov Phone: 360-705-6741 CITY LICENSE REGULATIONS QUESTIONS -- Contact Vancouver Business Licensing: Email: business.licenses@cityofvancouver.us Phone: 360-487-8410 option 3 Special Licenses Some businesses must hold a Vancouver special license (issued by the Vancouver Business Licensing Section), in addition to a City business license. Read more Home Occupation Permit Some home-based businesses may be required to hold a Home Occupation Permit, issued by the Vancouver Community & Economic Development Department, in addition to a City business license. Read more Taxicab Co & TNC Operations VMC 5.76, Taxi/Transportation Network Company Code includes regulations that apply to all taxicab and transportation network companies, and their affiliated drivers, that operate (pick up fares) in city limits. Read more Doing Business in Vancouver Are you looking to start, grow or relocate a business in Vancouver? The City of Vancouver recognizes the value that businesses provide to our community and economy, and our Business Assistance Program encompasses a variety of programs and services designed to support business startup and growth citywide. Read more New Business License Lists Lists of businesses that were issued Vancouver business licenses in recent months. Read more Files Business License Fee Exemption Criteria (137 KB) FAQ's - Business Licensing - Rental Property Owners (198 KB) Vancouver Ordinance M-4239, Fees Suspension Apr 1, 2020 - Mar 31, 2021 (136 KB) Vancouver Ordinance M-4333, Surcharge Refund Program, Apr 1, 2021 - Mar 31, 2022 (1 MB) COVID-19 Business License Fee Surcharge (Employee Fee) Refund Request Form (237 KB) Return to Top I want to... Financial and Management Services 2021-2022 Budget Where does your property tax go? Municipal code Financial Reports & Performance Procurement Services Tax and Franchise Information Public Records Business and Special Licenses Special Licenses New Business License Lists Contact Information Financial & Management Services City Hall 415 W 6th St Vancouver WA 98660 Mailing Address: City of Vancouver P.O. 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