General licenses are issued locally (2026)
10 states point to the city or county for general licenses: California, Colorado, Florida, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Tennessee, Utah and Virginia. Mainstay Filing, our best overall pick, forms the LLC either way.
| State | What the page says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| California | “obtain business licenses and other permits from appropriate cities or counties” | California Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) |
| Colorado | “Contact your city hall or county clerk to obtain necessary business licenses or other special licenses” | Colorado Secretary of State |
| Florida | “Most county tax collectors require businesses to pay local business tax (occupational license).” | Florida Department of State |
| Kentucky | “Review Kentucky local occupational license fee information by county and city” | Kentucky Secretary of State |
| Maine | “General licenses to operate a business are managed at the town/city level in Maine.” | Maine.gov Business Licensing |
| Massachusetts | “Check with licensing boards in your city or town to see if your business needs a license to operate.” | Massachusetts (mass.gov) |
| Mississippi | “Business Licenses / Tax Permits From your city or county clerk or revenue department.” | Mississippi Secretary of State One Stop Shop |
| Tennessee | “Once you register for business tax, please contact the individual county and/or municipal clerk to arrange for payment of this required fee and to obtain your business license.” | Tennessee Department of Revenue |
| Utah | “To register for a local business license in Utah, visit the city or county website where your business is located.” | Utah Department of Commerce (startup.utah.gov) |
| Virginia | “Whenever a license is required by ordinance adopted pursuant to this chapter” | Code of Virginia, Title 58.1, Chapter 37 (section 58.1-3700) |