Handyman Business Permit Requirements in Hartford, CT

1. EIN (Employer Identification Number)

   Required if you have employees or operate as an LLC or corporation. Free from the IRS.

   Official government source

   Free·Immediate (online application)

   Free

   Immediate (online application)

1. Connecticut Department of Revenue Services — Sales Tax Permit

   Required for all businesses selling tangible personal property or taxable services in Connecticut. Connecticut charges a 6.35% state sales tax and taxes certain services (broader base than many states). Register with the Connecticut Department of Revenue Services via myconneCT; a $100 registration fee applies.

   Official government source

   $100 (registration fee)·Immediate (online via myconneCT)

   $100 (registration fee)

   Immediate (online via myconneCT)

2. Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection - Home Improvement Contractor Registration

   Contractors performing home improvement work on residential property in Connecticut must register with the Department of Consumer Protection. Registration requires general liability insurance of at least $20,000 and a non-refundable $220 fee, and all registrations expire annually on March 31. Trades such as electrical, plumbing and HVAC require separate state licenses in addition to this registration.

   Official government source

   $220 initial registration; $220 annual renewal·All registrations expire on March 31 regardless of when they are issued

   $220 initial registration; $220 annual renewal

   All registrations expire on March 31 regardless of when they are issued

1. No general Hartford business license (category-specific licenses only)

   Hartford does not require a general business license. The Licenses & Inspections Division licenses only specific regulated categories - food establishments, mobile vendors, laundromats, amusement devices, parking lots and similar activities. Service businesses such as plumbing, salons, tutoring, pet sitting or photography are not licensed by the city, though they may need a state license, zoning approval, or a certificate of occupancy for commercial space.

   Official government source

   No fee - Hartford issues no general business license·Not applicable

   No fee - Hartford issues no general business license

   Not applicable

2. City of Hartford Building Permit (for regulated work)

   Handyman tasks that cross into electrical, plumbing, HVAC or structural work require permits pulled from the City of Hartford's Development Services / Licenses & Inspections division through the Accela permitting portal. Connecticut abolished county government in 1960, so there is no Hartford County building department. A handyman must not perform work reserved to a state-licensed trade: Connecticut licenses electrical, plumbing and heating-piping-cooling work through the Department of Consumer Protection, and CGS Sec. 29-263(a) bars the building official from issuing a permit to a contractor required to be registered unless that contractor's name, business address and DCP registration number appear on the application and the contractor presents a home improvement contractor certificate of registration.

   Official government source

   Set by the municipality's adopted permit fee schedule and scaled to the declared value of the work; every Connecticut building permit also carries a state code-education fee assessed per $1,000 of declared construction value (CGS Sec. 29-263(b))·The building official must issue or refuse the permit within 30 days of the application (CGS Sec. 29-263(a)); a final inspection is required when the work is complete

   Set by the municipality's adopted permit fee schedule and scaled to the declared value of the work; every Connecticut building permit also carries a state code-education fee assessed per $1,000 of declared construction value (CGS Sec. 29-263(b))

   The building official must issue or refuse the permit within 30 days of the application (CGS Sec. 29-263(a)); a final inspection is required when the work is complete

Official Sources

• City of Hartford Licenses and Inspections Division
• Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection — Home Improvement Contractor Registration

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