Starting a Business in Columbia: Licenses, Registrations & Checklist
A step-by-step plan to open a business in Columbia: 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 Columbia, MO
- City business license — Columbia, Boone County, Missouri · City collector / county: Columbia / Boone County (city)
- Obtain certificate of occupancy for premises in Columbia · Columbia (Boone County) building department (city)
- Renew Columbia business license · City of Columbia Business Licenses (city)
- Form the business: Missouri Secretary of State
- Register for state taxes: Missouri Department of Revenue
- Register as an employer: Missouri Division of Employment Security
Startup sequence and prerequisites in Columbia
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 Missouri
- File formation documents with the Missouri Secretary of State
- Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
Then, once those are done
- Register for and file Missouri entity-level taxes — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
- City business license — Columbia, Boone County, Missouri — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
- Obtain certificate of occupancy for premises in Columbia — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
- Renew Columbia business license — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
No fee amounts are known for this plan yet.
Total incomplete: some fees unknown
9 of 9 steps have no fee amount in our data. The figures above count only the 0 steps with a recorded fee. Check each agency's fee schedule.
Common questions about Columbia
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 Columbia:
- Real estate licensing: Missouri Real Estate Commission
- Alcohol licensing: Missouri Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Control
- Child care licensing: Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services
- Health facility licensing: Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services
- City business license — Columbia, Boone County, Missouri (City collector / county: Columbia / Boone County, city)
- Obtain certificate of occupancy for premises in Columbia (Columbia (Boone County) building department, city)
- Renew Columbia business license (City of Columbia Business Licenses, city)
With your current selections, the licenses and permits are: City business license — Columbia, Boone County, Missouri; Obtain certificate of occupancy for premises in Columbia; Renew Columbia business license. Change the industry above to see yours.
Sources: sos.mo.gov, dor.mo.gov, labor.mo.gov
Formation comes first; tax, license and employer registrations wait on it. In your plan the first steps are:
- Maintain a registered agent in Missouri
- File formation documents with the Missouri Secretary of State
- Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
Sources: sos.mo.gov, dor.mo.gov
No fee amounts are recorded for your plan yet.
Steps without a recorded fee are not counted, so check each agency's fee schedule before you budget.
Sources: sos.mo.gov, dor.mo.gov
In your plan for Columbia, requirements come from four levels. Missouri 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 (3): Maintain a registered agent in Missouri; Register for and file Missouri entity-level taxes; File the annual unclaimed property holder report (Missouri)
- City (3): City business license — Columbia, Boone County, Missouri; Obtain certificate of occupancy for premises in Columbia; Renew Columbia business license
Sources: sos.mo.gov, dor.mo.gov
- Register for unemployment insurance with Missouri Division of Employment Security.
- Workers' compensation: Missouri Division of Workers' Compensation. Required when: 5 employees (1 in construction)
- Register to withhold Missouri income tax from wages.
Sources: labor.mo.gov, labor.mo.gov, dor.mo.gov