Local Government Offices
Legal operations require that you apply for and maintain an assortment of licenses and permits to conduct business in the city, county, township, or parish in which you are located. For the most part, you can obtain these documents by filling out a form and paying the fee. When compared to the intricacies of applying for a federal tax exemption, filing these forms may seem easy.
Check with your city or county government for specific details. Keep in mind that each jurisdiction and layer of administration is essentially independent, but they also rely on one another. If this sounds confusing and contradictory, it is. The city and county revenue offices may share a building or even a suite, but they are completely separate entities that may not be able to answer questions about each other.
One person, ideally the incorporator, should visit the county or city offices and collect all the general business information. Check the appropriate website as well. Although the offices are independent, many municipalities have collaborated to provide a basic road map through the permit process. This information may include contact information and is generally free of charge.
At the start-up stage, you are trying to fulfill the minimum licensing requirements to open a business. Once you are up and running, there will be more details and documentation to tend to, but it is important that you have a solid foundation.
Location, Location, LocationAs strange as it may seem, one of the first issues people often encounter at the city level is determining where the office is located. Some cities allow identifying post office boxes as a business address, but they also may require a street address.
If you use an address that is not zoned for business use, the city may raise concerns about your venture. Government employees are bound by the law and they must review your materials. All they will see is that you are a business and you have an office at a specific address. Keep in mind that all the local government employees have to go on are the forms you have completed and any corresponding land-use code.
Many organizations use the address of their incorporator, especially if their incorporator is a legal or tax professional. If the incorporator's office is already in an area zoned for business, using that address when your preferred address is impractical may be an easy, short-term solution. When you have your own office, make the needed address changes and you will be good to go.
If you find out that your office location is in a restricted area for any reason (usually involving zoning), ask the people in the office how to negotiate your way out of the problem. If your start-up office is simply someone's living room (a very normal circumstance), you may need to change addresses. If you have a building or are in the process of obtaining one, you may need to apply using a temporary address, pending your acquisition of necessary variances. This can be a long, complicated process, so seek professional advice from someone familiar with your situation.
Make New FriendsOne cannot overstate the value of making a visit to your local government offices in the early stages of setting up your organization. You will gain a profound understanding of how your government actually functions on a day-to-day level. On the other side, the individuals who keep everything humming will also have a chance to meet you and to establish the human connection that's often missing from the process of obtaining permits and licenses.
Time to Ask Those QuestionsAs much as everyone uses the Internet, websites are only as useful as the people who designed them intended them to be. Search engines do not always return satisfactory answers. Asking questions when you visit the local government offices remains the best way to resolve your outstanding questions. It is quite common for county and city offices to be in the same general area, so if you are in the wrong office, the correct one will often be nearby.
When you visit local government offices, collect the business cards of every person you talk with or meet. In the unlikely event you run into problems, having the direct phone number or e-mail address of a person you met — even briefly — will help resolve small annoyances before they escalate.
