Starting a Business in Salem: Licenses, Registrations & Checklist
A step-by-step plan to open a business in Salem: 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 Salem, OR
- Renew Salem business license · City of Salem Permit Application Center (city)
- Form the business: Oregon Secretary of State, Corporation Division
- Register for state taxes: Oregon Department of Revenue
- Register as an employer: Oregon Employment Department
Startup sequence and prerequisites in Salem
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 Oregon
- File formation documents with the Oregon Secretary of State, Corporation Division
- Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
Then, once those are done
- Register for unemployment insurance (Oregon) — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
- Register for state income tax withholding (Oregon) — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
- None (Oregon) — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
- Register for and file Oregon entity-level taxes — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
- City business license and local business income taxes — Salem, Polk County, Oregon — 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 Salem — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
- Renew Salem business license — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
- Report new hires to the Oregon new hire directory — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
- Carry workers' compensation insurance (Oregon) — 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)
- Display required Oregon workplace notices — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
- Provide paid sick leave (Oregon) — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
Known charges: $100.00 per year.
Total incomplete: some fees unknown
26 of 28 steps have no fee amount in our data. The figures above count only the 2 steps with a recorded fee. Check each agency's fee schedule. Fees that depend on your situation: File wage reports and pay unemployment insurance contributions (Oregon).
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 Salem
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 Salem:
- Contractor licensing: Oregon Construction Contractors Board
- Real estate licensing: Oregon Real Estate Agency
- Alcohol licensing: Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission
- Child care licensing: Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care
- Health facility licensing: Oregon Health Authority
- Renew Salem business license (City of Salem Permit Application Center, city)
With your current selections, the licenses and permits are: Obtain food service establishment / health permit; Ensure certified food protection manager on staff; City business license and local business income taxes — Salem, Polk County, Oregon; Obtain certificate of occupancy for premises in Salem; Renew Salem business license. Change the industry above to see yours.
Sources: sos.oregon.gov, oregon.gov, oregon.gov
In your plan for Salem, requirements come from four levels. Oregon 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 Oregon; File Annual Report (Oregon); Register for and file Oregon entity-level taxes; None (Oregon)…
- County (1): Obtain food service establishment / health permit
- City (3): City business license and local business income taxes — Salem, Polk County, Oregon; Obtain certificate of occupancy for premises in Salem; Renew Salem business license
Sources: sos.oregon.gov, oregon.gov
- Register for unemployment insurance with Oregon Employment Department.
- Workers' compensation: Oregon Workers' Compensation Division. Required when: 1 employee
- Paid Leave Oregon contributions: applies from 1 employee.
- Register to withhold Oregon income tax from wages.
- Your plan adds these employer steps: Report new hires to the Oregon new hire directory; Carry workers' compensation insurance (Oregon); Display required federal labor law posters; Complete Form I-9 for each new hire; Display required Oregon workplace notices.
Sources: oregon.gov, oregon.gov, oregon.gov