Starting a Business in Little Rock: Licenses, Registrations & Checklist
A step-by-step plan to open a business in Little Rock: 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 Little Rock, AR
- City business license — Little Rock, Pulaski County, Arkansas · City clerk: Little Rock / Pulaski County (city)
- Obtain certificate of occupancy for premises in Little Rock · Little Rock (Pulaski County) building department (city)
- File Pulaski County business personal property return · Pulaski County County Assessor (county)
- Form the business: Arkansas Secretary of State
- Register for state taxes: Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration
- Register as an employer: Arkansas Division of Workforce Services
Startup sequence and prerequisites in Little Rock
Based on your selections, this plan has 10 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 Arkansas
- File formation documents with the Arkansas Secretary of State
- Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
Then, once those are done
- Register for and file Arkansas entity-level taxes — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
- City business license — Little Rock, Pulaski County, Arkansas — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
- Obtain certificate of occupancy for premises in Little Rock — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
Known charges: $150.00 per year.
Total incomplete: some fees unknown
9 of 10 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.
Common questions about Little Rock
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 Little Rock:
- Contractor licensing: Arkansas Contractors Licensing Board
- Real estate licensing: Arkansas Real Estate Commission
- Alcohol licensing: Arkansas Alcoholic Beverage Control Division
- Child care licensing: Arkansas DHS Division of Child Care and Early Childhood Education
- Health facility licensing: Arkansas Department of Health
- City business license — Little Rock, Pulaski County, Arkansas (City clerk: Little Rock / Pulaski County, city)
- Obtain certificate of occupancy for premises in Little Rock (Little Rock (Pulaski County) building department, city)
- File Pulaski County business personal property return (Pulaski County County Assessor, county)
With your current selections, the licenses and permits are: City business license — Little Rock, Pulaski County, Arkansas; Obtain certificate of occupancy for premises in Little Rock. Change the industry above to see yours.
Sources: littlerock.gov, sos.arkansas.gov, dfa.arkansas.gov, dws.arkansas.gov
Formation comes first; tax, license and employer registrations wait on it. In your plan the first steps are:
- Maintain a registered agent in Arkansas
- File formation documents with the Arkansas Secretary of State
- Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
Sources: littlerock.gov, sos.arkansas.gov, dfa.arkansas.gov
Known government fees for your plan: $0.00 one-time and $150.00 per year.
Steps without a recorded fee are not counted, so check each agency's fee schedule before you budget.
Sources: littlerock.gov, sos.arkansas.gov, dfa.arkansas.gov
In your plan for Little Rock, requirements come from four levels. Arkansas sets formation, state taxes and employer rules; the city and county add local licenses and taxes.
- Federal (2): Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN); File federal income tax return: Form 1040 with Schedule C
- State (4): Maintain a registered agent in Arkansas; File Annual Franchise Tax Report (Arkansas); Register for and file Arkansas entity-level taxes; File the annual unclaimed property holder report (Arkansas)
- County (1): File Pulaski County business personal property return
- City (2): City business license — Little Rock, Pulaski County, Arkansas; Obtain certificate of occupancy for premises in Little Rock
Sources: littlerock.gov, sos.arkansas.gov, dfa.arkansas.gov
- Register for unemployment insurance with Arkansas Division of Workforce Services.
- Workers' compensation: Arkansas Workers' Compensation Commission. Required when: 3 employees
- Register to withhold Arkansas income tax from wages.
Sources: dws.arkansas.gov, labor.arkansas.gov, dfa.arkansas.gov