Cleaning Service Permit Requirements in Dover, DE

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. Delaware — No Sales Tax

   Delaware has no state or local sales tax. Instead, Delaware levies a Gross Receipts Tax on the seller of goods or provider of services, based on total receipts. Register with the Delaware Division of Revenue.

   Official government source

   Free (gross receipts tax registration)·Immediate (online)

   Free (gross receipts tax registration)

   Immediate (online)

2. Delaware Workers' Compensation Insurance

   Delaware requires every employer with one or more employees to carry workers' compensation insurance through a licensed carrier or an approved self-insurance program. The Office of Workers' Compensation, within the Department of Labor's Division of Industrial Affairs, administers the system and runs an Employer Look-Up tool for verifying coverage. A cleaning-service sole proprietor with no employees is not required to cover themselves, though limited exemptions and inclusions for independent contractors and agricultural workers are set out in 19 Del.C. §§ 2307 and 2308 — confirm your status with the Office of Workers' Compensation before relying on an exemption.

   Official government source

   No state filing fee; premiums are paid to a licensed carrier and vary with payroll and class code — commonly $500–$2,000/year for a small cleaning business·Immediate to 1 week to bind coverage with a carrier

   No state filing fee; premiums are paid to a licensed carrier and vary with payroll and class code — commonly $500–$2,000/year for a small cleaning business

   Immediate to 1 week to bind coverage with a carrier

1. City of Dover Planning and Inspections Department — Business License

   Every business operating within Dover city limits must hold a city business license (City Code ch. 26, art. II), separate from any Certificate of Occupancy for the space. Fees are set per business-type category in Appendix F, most recently revised by Ordinance 2024-22 (adopted July 8, 2024). Manufacturers and contractors instead pay a rate on gross receipts, and merchants and bottlers a rate on gross purchases for resale, each with a minimum fee. Licenses are annual and prorated quarterly for businesses that start mid-year.

   Official government source

   Set per category in Appendix F — e.g. barber or beautician $64, manicurist $32, massage therapist $60, fitness trainer $72, food truck $180, eating establishment $128, car wash $192, health spa/club $192, pest control $96, photographer $128; businesses not listed pay $52 (1–3 employees) to $320 (51–100 employees). Contractors and manufacturers pay $0.00046 of gross receipts (minimum $128); merchants and bottlers $0.00046 of gross purchases for resale (minimum $64).·1–3 weeks

   Set per category in Appendix F — e.g. barber or beautician $64, manicurist $32, massage therapist $60, fitness trainer $72, food truck $180, eating establishment $128, car wash $192, health spa/club $192, pest control $96, photographer $128; businesses not listed pay $52 (1–3 employees) to $320 (51–100 employees). Contractors and manufacturers pay $0.00046 of gross receipts (minimum $128); merchants and bottlers $0.00046 of gross purchases for resale (minimum $64).

   1–3 weeks

2. Dover Home Occupation Compliance and Trade Name (DBA) Registration

   If you run a cleaning service from your home in Dover, comply with the home-occupation provisions of the city's Zoning Ordinance — Dover does not issue a separately named or separately priced Home Occupation Permit — and hold the standard City of Dover business license. If you use a trade name, register the DBA with the Delaware Division of Revenue through Delaware One Stop. As of February 2, 2026 the Division of Revenue runs the statewide trade name registry; filings are no longer made with the Kent County Superior Court Prothonotary, and there is no 'Kent County Clerk'.

   Official government source

   $25 one-time for the state trade name registration; no separate home-occupation fee (the city business license applies, from $52/year for 1–3 employees)·Trade name filed online, same day; zoning check 1–2 weeks

   $25 one-time for the state trade name registration; no separate home-occupation fee (the city business license applies, from $52/year for 1–3 employees)

   Trade name filed online, same day; zoning check 1–2 weeks

Official Sources

• City of Dover Planning and Inspections Department
• Delaware — No Sales Tax

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