Landscaping Business Permit Requirements in Honolulu, HI

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. Hawaii Department of Taxation — General Excise Tax (GET) License

   Hawaii has no sales tax. Instead the state levies a General Excise Tax on the gross income of the business itself, and unlike a sales tax it reaches services, commissions and rent as well as goods. Every business must register for a GET licence with the Department of Taxation on Form BB-1 before doing business. The rate is 4% statewide, rising to 4.5% on Oahu because of the 0.5% county surcharge, and it is owed on gross income whether or not it is passed on to the customer.

   Official government source

   $20 one-time registration fee (Form BB-1)·Hawaii Tax ID issued immediately in person, in about 5–7 days online via Hawaii Tax Online, or 4–6 weeks by mail

   $20 one-time registration fee (Form BB-1)

   Hawaii Tax ID issued immediately in person, in about 5–7 days online via Hawaii Tax Online, or 4–6 weeks by mail

2. Hawaii Commercial Pesticide Applicator Certification (Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity)

   A landscaper who applies pesticides or herbicides for hire must hold a Commercial Pesticide Applicator certification from the Hawaii Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity, Pesticides Branch — the department renamed from HDOA and its site moved to dab.hawaii.gov. Certification means passing the Core examination plus the examination for each category worked; ornamental and turf pest control is the usual landscaping category. Certification covers the applicator, not the business.

   Official government source

   $50 per examination — the Core exam fee is waived when taken with a category exam, and each additional category is another $50 — plus $100 for the new certification card·Certification runs five years and is renewed either by re-examination or by accumulating the approved continuing education units for each category

   $50 per examination — the Core exam fee is waived when taken with a category exam, and each additional category is another $50 — plus $100 for the new certification card

   Certification runs five years and is renewed either by re-examination or by accumulating the approved continuing education units for each category

1. Hawaii General Excise Tax (GET) License

   The City and County of Honolulu Department of Budget and Fiscal Services issues no business licence — its divisions are accounting, real property assessment, treasury, purchasing and the liquor commission, and Honolulu has no general business licence at all, so there is nothing to renew annually or display. What a business does need is the statewide General Excise Tax licence from the Department of Taxation on Form BB-1, plus any activity-specific approvals such as building or zoning permits from the Department of Planning and Permitting.

   Official government source

   $20 one-time registration fee (Form BB-1) — there is no city business license fee·Hawaii Tax ID issued immediately in person, in about 5–7 days online via Hawaii Tax Online, or 4–6 weeks by mail

   $20 one-time registration fee (Form BB-1) — there is no city business license fee

   Hawaii Tax ID issued immediately in person, in about 5–7 days online via Hawaii Tax Online, or 4–6 weeks by mail

2. Hawaii Contractors License Board — Landscaping Contractor License (C-27)

   Hawaii licenses landscaping contractors at the state level through the Contractors License Board (DCCA/PVL) under classification C-27, with sub-classifications for hydro mulching (C-27a) and tree trimming and removal (C-27b); irrigation and lawn sprinkler work falls under C-37b. There is no City and County of Honolulu contractor registration. A license is required unless the aggregate contract price is $1,000 or less and no building permit is needed.

   Official government source

   $50 application fee, $75 per examination part (most classifications require two parts), and a license fee of $494–$663 for a contracting entity or sole proprietor ($334–$438 for a responsible managing employee), depending on where the issue date falls in the two-year licensing cycle. Biennial renewal is $338 for an active entity or sole proprietor.·Applications filed by the first Tuesday of a month are reviewed at the following month's Board meeting (the Board does not meet in December); the qualifying individual must pass the exams within six months of approval

   $50 application fee, $75 per examination part (most classifications require two parts), and a license fee of $494–$663 for a contracting entity or sole proprietor ($334–$438 for a responsible managing employee), depending on where the issue date falls in the two-year licensing cycle. Biennial renewal is $338 for an active entity or sole proprietor.

   Applications filed by the first Tuesday of a month are reviewed at the following month's Board meeting (the Board does not meet in December); the qualifying individual must pass the exams within six months of approval

Official Sources

• City and County of Honolulu Department of Budget and Fiscal Services
• Hawaii Department of Taxation — General Excise Tax License

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