Starting a Business in Flint: Licenses, Registrations & Checklist
A step-by-step plan to open a business in Flint: 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 Flint, MI
- City business license — Flint, Genesee County, Michigan · City clerk: Flint / Genesee County (city)
- Obtain certificate of occupancy for premises in Flint · Flint (Genesee County) building department (city)
- Form the business: Michigan LARA, Corporations Division
- Register for state taxes: Michigan Department of Treasury
- Register as an employer: Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency
Startup sequence and prerequisites in Flint
Based on your selections, this plan has 9 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 Michigan
- File formation documents with the Michigan LARA, Corporations Division
- Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
Then, once those are done
- Register for and file Michigan entity-level taxes — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
- City business license — Flint, Genesee County, Michigan — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
- Obtain certificate of occupancy for premises in Flint — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
Known charges: $25.00 per year.
Total incomplete: some fees unknown
8 of 9 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 Flint
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 Flint:
- Contractor licensing: Michigan LARA (residential builders and maintenance and alteration contractors)
- Real estate licensing: Michigan LARA
- Alcohol licensing: Michigan Liquor Control Commission
- Child care licensing: Michigan LARA, Child Care Licensing Bureau
- Health facility licensing: Michigan LARA
- City business license — Flint, Genesee County, Michigan (City clerk: Flint / Genesee County, city)
- Obtain certificate of occupancy for premises in Flint (Flint (Genesee County) building department, city)
With your current selections, the licenses and permits are: City business license — Flint, Genesee County, Michigan; Obtain certificate of occupancy for premises in Flint. Change the industry above to see yours.
Sources: michigan.gov, michigan.gov, michigan.gov
Formation comes first; tax, license and employer registrations wait on it. In your plan the first steps are:
- Maintain a registered agent in Michigan
- File formation documents with the Michigan LARA, Corporations Division
- Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
Sources: michigan.gov, michigan.gov
Known government fees for your plan: $0.00 one-time and $25.00 per year.
Steps without a recorded fee are not counted, so check each agency's fee schedule before you budget.
Sources: michigan.gov, michigan.gov
In your plan for Flint, requirements come from four levels. Michigan 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 Michigan; File Annual Statement (Michigan); Register for and file Michigan entity-level taxes; File the annual unclaimed property holder report (Michigan)
- City (2): City business license — Flint, Genesee County, Michigan; Obtain certificate of occupancy for premises in Flint
Sources: michigan.gov, michigan.gov
- Register for unemployment insurance with Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency.
- Workers' compensation: Michigan Workers' Disability Compensation Agency. Required when: 3 employees, or 1 employee working 35+ hours per week for 13 weeks
- Register to withhold Michigan income tax from wages.
Sources: michigan.gov, michigan.gov, michigan.gov