Following up on our Business License post, we were asked where to get a business license.
Although we hate to repeat it, the phrase “it depends” applied here.
As you may remember from our recent posts, depending on the business you plan to operate, you may require licenses from any, or all, of the following three:
- Municipality where you plan to operate
- Province of Alberta
- Ottawa
Municipal License
To obtain a local business license you will need to go to the municipality (city, town, village, municipal or improvement districts) website. The best source we have found for this in Alberta is the Municipal Profiles page located on the Government of Alberta’s website.
These websites are all unique so there is no easy direction where to find the source for business licenses. Usually the information can be found in the Business or Invest headings. When all else fails, you can simply use the search function, if it is available.
If the business license application is on the website, you can fill it out and if possible submit it by email. If not a quick trip to the local office will be required.
This is one of the reasons for our Red Tape services. We understand people are busy, and if so we can go to city or town hall on your behalf.
Provincial License
Businesses requiring a Provincial license can access the applications at the following Service Alberta website.
As we mentioned in our previous post, provincial business licenses are required for the following activities:
- Automotive (sales, leasing, repair),
- Direct sales (door to door),
- Employment agencies,
- Fund-raising,
- Funerals,
- Gaming,
- Housing (inspection, sales, prepaid contractors),
- Insurance, and
- Lending (providing or collecting).
Federal License
You will need a Business Number (BN) to file for the following:
- corporation income tax
- GST/HST
- Payroll deductions
- Import-export.
This can be performed online at the Government of Canada Business Registration website.
Please note, with a business number, your business will be registered with the federal government.
We hope this provides you with some direction as to where you can obtain your license(s), once you have determined your individual needs.
Best of luck!
If you need any assistance with navigating the licensing requirements, our Red Tape service is here to help. Additionally if you require a website, professional email or accounting/bookkeeping services, please visit our IT or Accounting pages.