Pressure Washing 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

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. Honolulu Storm Water Quality Division — Storm Water Compliance

   Wash water carrying detergents, degreasers or contaminants must not be allowed to reach a storm drain. Oahu's storm drain system is run by the Storm Water Quality Division, which sits in the city's Department of Facility Maintenance — not the Department of Environmental Services, which handles sewers and refuse. There is no city stormwater discharge permit for a pressure washing business to buy; the requirement is to capture the wash water and dispose of it properly, and any discharge to state waters would need NPDES coverage from the State Department of Health Clean Water Branch.

   Official government source

   No permit fee where wash water is captured and disposed of properly; an NPDES permit from the DOH Clean Water Branch, needed only if a discharge is actually made to state waters, is charged under the state's own schedule·No permit or waiting period where wash water is contained; NPDES coverage, if it is required, is a state application process rather than a city counter transaction

   No permit fee where wash water is captured and disposed of properly; an NPDES permit from the DOH Clean Water Branch, needed only if a discharge is actually made to state waters, is charged under the state's own schedule

   No permit or waiting period where wash water is contained; NPDES coverage, if it is required, is a state application process rather than a city counter transaction

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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