Starting a Business in Lincoln: Licenses, Registrations & Checklist
A step-by-step plan to open a business in Lincoln: 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 Lincoln, NE
- City occupation tax / license — Lincoln, Lancaster County, Nebraska · City clerk: Lincoln / Lancaster County (city)
- Obtain certificate of occupancy for premises in Lincoln · Lincoln (Lancaster County) building department (city)
- File Lancaster County business personal property return · Lancaster County Assessor (county)
- Form the business: Nebraska Secretary of State
- Register for state taxes: Nebraska Department of Revenue
- Register as an employer: Nebraska Department of Labor
Startup sequence and prerequisites in Lincoln
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 Nebraska
- File formation documents with the Nebraska Secretary of State
- Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
Then, once those are done
- Register for and file Nebraska entity-level taxes — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
- City occupation tax / license — Lincoln, Lancaster County, Nebraska — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
- Obtain certificate of occupancy for premises in Lincoln — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
Known charges: $15.00 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 Lincoln
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 Lincoln:
- Contractor licensing: Nebraska Department of Labor (contractor registration)
- Real estate licensing: Nebraska Real Estate Commission
- Alcohol licensing: Nebraska Liquor Control Commission
- Child care licensing: Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services
- Health facility licensing: Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services
- City occupation tax / license — Lincoln, Lancaster County, Nebraska (City clerk: Lincoln / Lancaster County, city)
- Obtain certificate of occupancy for premises in Lincoln (Lincoln (Lancaster County) building department, city)
- File Lancaster County business personal property return (Lancaster County Assessor, county)
With your current selections, the licenses and permits are: City occupation tax / license — Lincoln, Lancaster County, Nebraska; Obtain certificate of occupancy for premises in Lincoln. Change the industry above to see yours.
Sources: sos.nebraska.gov, revenue.nebraska.gov, dol.nebraska.gov
Formation comes first; tax, license and employer registrations wait on it. In your plan the first steps are:
- Maintain a registered agent in Nebraska
- File formation documents with the Nebraska Secretary of State
- Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
Sources: sos.nebraska.gov, revenue.nebraska.gov
Known government fees for your plan: $0.00 one-time and $15.00 per year.
Steps without a recorded fee are not counted, so check each agency's fee schedule before you budget.
Sources: sos.nebraska.gov, revenue.nebraska.gov
In your plan for Lincoln, requirements come from four levels. Nebraska 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 Nebraska; File Biennial Report (Nebraska); Register for and file Nebraska entity-level taxes; File the annual unclaimed property holder report (Nebraska)
- County (1): File Lancaster County business personal property return
- City (2): City occupation tax / license — Lincoln, Lancaster County, Nebraska; Obtain certificate of occupancy for premises in Lincoln
Sources: sos.nebraska.gov, revenue.nebraska.gov
- Register for unemployment insurance with Nebraska Department of Labor.
- Workers' compensation: Nebraska Workers' Compensation Court. Required when: 1 employee
- Register to withhold Nebraska income tax from wages.
Sources: dol.nebraska.gov, dol.nebraska.gov, revenue.nebraska.gov