Starting a Business in Chesapeake: Licenses, Registrations & Checklist
A step-by-step plan to open a business in Chesapeake: 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 Chesapeake, VA
- City/county BPOL license — Chesapeake, Chesapeake County, Virginia · Local commissioner of revenue: Chesapeake / Chesapeake County (city)
- Obtain certificate of occupancy for premises in Chesapeake · Chesapeake (Chesapeake County) building department (city)
- Form the business: Virginia State Corporation Commission
- Register for state taxes: Virginia Department of Taxation
- Register as an employer: Virginia Employment Commission
Startup sequence and prerequisites in Chesapeake
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 Virginia
- File formation documents with the Virginia State Corporation Commission
- Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
Then, once those are done
- Register for and file Virginia entity-level taxes — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
- City/county BPOL license — Chesapeake, Chesapeake County, Virginia — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
- Obtain certificate of occupancy for premises in Chesapeake — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
Known charges: $50.00 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 Chesapeake
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 Chesapeake:
- Contractor licensing: Virginia Board for Contractors (DPOR)
- Real estate licensing: Virginia Real Estate Board (DPOR)
- Alcohol licensing: Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority
- Child care licensing: Virginia Department of Education, Office of Early Childhood
- Health facility licensing: Virginia Department of Health
- City/county BPOL license — Chesapeake, Chesapeake County, Virginia (Local commissioner of revenue: Chesapeake / Chesapeake County, city)
- Obtain certificate of occupancy for premises in Chesapeake (Chesapeake (Chesapeake County) building department, city)
With your current selections, the licenses and permits are: City/county BPOL license — Chesapeake, Chesapeake County, Virginia; Obtain certificate of occupancy for premises in Chesapeake. Change the industry above to see yours.
Sources: scc.virginia.gov, tax.virginia.gov, vec.virginia.gov
Formation comes first; tax, license and employer registrations wait on it. In your plan the first steps are:
- Maintain a registered agent in Virginia
- File formation documents with the Virginia State Corporation Commission
- Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
Sources: scc.virginia.gov, tax.virginia.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: scc.virginia.gov, tax.virginia.gov
In your plan for Chesapeake, requirements come from four levels. Virginia 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 Virginia; Pay Annual Registration Fee (Virginia); Register for and file Virginia entity-level taxes; File the annual unclaimed property holder report (Virginia)
- City (2): City/county BPOL license — Chesapeake, Chesapeake County, Virginia; Obtain certificate of occupancy for premises in Chesapeake
Sources: scc.virginia.gov, tax.virginia.gov
- Register for unemployment insurance with Virginia Employment Commission.
- Workers' compensation: Virginia Workers' Compensation Commission. Required when: 3 employees (more than 2 regularly employed)
- Register to withhold Virginia income tax from wages.
Sources: vec.virginia.gov, doli.virginia.gov, tax.virginia.gov