Starting a Business in Providence: Licenses, Registrations & Checklist
A step-by-step plan to open a business in Providence: 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 Providence, RI
- City/town licenses — Providence, Providence County, Rhode Island · City or town clerk: Providence / Providence County (city)
- Obtain certificate of occupancy for premises in Providence · Providence (Providence County) building department (city)
- Form the business: Rhode Island Secretary of State
- Register for state taxes: Rhode Island Division of Taxation
- Register as an employer: Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training
Startup sequence and prerequisites in Providence
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 Rhode Island
- File formation documents with the Rhode Island Secretary of State
- Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
Then, once those are done
- Register for and file Rhode Island entity-level taxes — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
- Notify residents and regulators of a data breach within 45 days (Rhode Island) — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
- City/town licenses — Providence, Providence County, Rhode Island — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
- Obtain certificate of occupancy for premises in Providence — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
Known charges: $50.00 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 Providence
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 Providence:
- Contractor licensing: Rhode Island Contractors' Registration and Licensing Board
- Real estate licensing: Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation
- Alcohol licensing: Rhode Island DBR Liquor Control Administration (with local boards)
- Child care licensing: Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth and Families
- Health facility licensing: Rhode Island Department of Health
- City/town licenses — Providence, Providence County, Rhode Island (City or town clerk: Providence / Providence County, city)
- Obtain certificate of occupancy for premises in Providence (Providence (Providence County) building department, city)
With your current selections, the licenses and permits are: City/town licenses — Providence, Providence County, Rhode Island; Obtain certificate of occupancy for premises in Providence. Change the industry above to see yours.
Sources: sos.ri.gov, business.sos.ri.gov, tax.ri.gov, dlt.ri.gov
Formation comes first; tax, license and employer registrations wait on it. In your plan the first steps are:
- Maintain a registered agent in Rhode Island
- File formation documents with the Rhode Island Secretary of State
- Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
Sources: sos.ri.gov, business.sos.ri.gov, tax.ri.gov
Known government fees for your plan: $0.00 one-time and $50.00 per year.
Steps without a recorded fee are not counted, so check each agency's fee schedule before you budget.
Sources: sos.ri.gov, business.sos.ri.gov, tax.ri.gov
In your plan for Providence, requirements come from four levels. Rhode Island 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 (5): Maintain a registered agent in Rhode Island; File Annual Report (Rhode Island); Register for and file Rhode Island entity-level taxes; File the annual unclaimed property holder report (Rhode Island)…
- City (2): City/town licenses — Providence, Providence County, Rhode Island; Obtain certificate of occupancy for premises in Providence
Sources: sos.ri.gov, business.sos.ri.gov, tax.ri.gov
- Register for unemployment insurance with Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training.
- Workers' compensation: Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training, Workers' Compensation. Required when: 1 employee
- Rhode Island TDI/TCI payroll tax: applies from 1 employee.
- Register to withhold Rhode Island income tax from wages.
Sources: dlt.ri.gov, dlt.ri.gov, tax.ri.gov