Starting a Business in Minneapolis: Licenses, Registrations & Checklist
A step-by-step plan to open a business in Minneapolis: what to file first, what depends on what, and which permits come before opening day. Change the business details to fit yours.
Permits and registrations specific to Minneapolis, MN
- Provide Minneapolis sick and safe time · City of Minneapolis Labor Standards Enforcement (city)
- Form the business: Minnesota Secretary of State
- Register for state taxes: Minnesota Department of Revenue
- Register as an employer: Minnesota DEED Unemployment Insurance
Startup sequence and prerequisites in Minneapolis
Based on your selections, this plan has 28 steps. What you file first decides what you can do next: later registrations and licenses wait on the ones below.
Do these first
- Maintain a registered agent in Minnesota
- File formation documents with the Minnesota Secretary of State
- Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
Then, once those are done
- Register for unemployment insurance (Minnesota) — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
- Register for state income tax withholding (Minnesota) — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
- Minnesota sales tax permit (Minnesota Tax ID) (Minnesota) — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
- Register for and file Minnesota entity-level taxes — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
- City business licenses — Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minnesota — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
- Obtain food service establishment / health permit — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
- Ensure certified food protection manager on staff — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
- Obtain certificate of occupancy for premises in Minneapolis — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
- Report new hires to the Minnesota new hire directory — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
- Carry workers' compensation insurance (Minnesota) — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
- Display required federal labor law posters — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
- Complete Form I-9 for each new hire — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
- Provide Minneapolis sick and safe time — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
- Display required Minnesota workplace notices — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
- Provide paid sick leave (Minnesota) — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
No fee amounts are known for this plan yet.
Total incomplete: some fees unknown
27 of 28 steps have no fee amount in our data. The figures above count only the 1 step with a recorded fee. Check each agency's fee schedule.
Things the formation documents depend on: a registered agent and any professional approvals.
File the formation documents with the state.
Obtain the EIN (and apply for tax-exempt status, for nonprofits). Most registrations need it.
State tax accounts, trade name, foreign qualification and publication requirements.
Licenses and permits you need before you operate: state, industry, local and professional.
Insurance, employment paperwork, new-hire reporting and workplace notices.
Recurring filings and payments, in the order they fall due.
Common questions about Minneapolis
The state licenses your industry through its own regulator, and the city and county add local permits. These are the authorities and local items on record for Minneapolis:
- Contractor licensing: Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (residential building contractor license)
- Real estate licensing: Minnesota Department of Commerce
- Alcohol licensing: Minnesota Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement Division (with city licensing)
- Child care licensing: Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families
- Health facility licensing: Minnesota Department of Health
- Provide Minneapolis sick and safe time (City of Minneapolis Labor Standards Enforcement, city)
With your current selections, the licenses and permits are: Minnesota sales tax permit (Minnesota Tax ID) (Minnesota); Obtain food service establishment / health permit; Ensure certified food protection manager on staff; City business licenses — Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minnesota; Obtain certificate of occupancy for premises in Minneapolis. Change the industry above to see yours.
Sources: sos.state.mn.us, revenue.state.mn.us, uimn.org
In your plan for Minneapolis, requirements come from four levels. Minnesota sets formation, state taxes and employer rules; the city and county add local licenses and taxes.
- Federal (8): Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN); File federal income tax return: Form 1040 with Schedule C; Deposit federal payroll taxes; File Form 941 (Employer's Quarterly Federal Tax Return)…
- State (15): Maintain a registered agent in Minnesota; File Annual Renewal (Minnesota); Register for and file Minnesota entity-level taxes; Minnesota sales tax permit (Minnesota Tax ID) (Minnesota)…
- County (1): Obtain food service establishment / health permit
- City (3): City business licenses — Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minnesota; Obtain certificate of occupancy for premises in Minneapolis; Provide Minneapolis sick and safe time
Sources: sos.state.mn.us, revenue.state.mn.us
- Register for unemployment insurance with Minnesota DEED Unemployment Insurance.
- Workers' compensation: Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry. Required when: 1 employee
- Minnesota Paid Leave premiums: applies from 1 employee.
- Register to withhold Minnesota income tax from wages.
- Your plan adds these employer steps: Report new hires to the Minnesota new hire directory; Carry workers' compensation insurance (Minnesota); Display required federal labor law posters; Complete Form I-9 for each new hire; Provide Minneapolis sick and safe time.
Sources: uimn.org, dli.mn.gov, revenue.state.mn.us