Handyman Business Permit Requirements in Des Moines, IA

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. Iowa Department of Revenue — Sales Tax Permit

   Required for businesses selling taxable goods or services in Iowa. The state rate is 6%, and local option sales tax of up to 1% may apply. Iowa taxes about 75 enumerated services, so check whether your service is taxable before assuming you need a permit. Register with the Iowa Department of Revenue online.

   Official government source

   Free — no fee to register for a sales tax permit·Register online through GovConnectIowa, the state's tax portal

   Free — no fee to register for a sales tax permit

   Register online through GovConnectIowa, the state's tax portal

2. Iowa Contractor Registration (DIAL)

   Iowa has no statewide general contractor license, but anyone earning at least $2,000 a year from construction work — including handyman work, carpentry, roofing, and painting, and including out-of-state contractors — must register with the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing. Registrants need an Iowa unemployment insurance number, and contractors with employees must also carry workers' compensation coverage and a $25,000 bond. Cities may separately require permits or their own contractor licenses.

   Official government source

   $50 application fee (state registration); city contractor license fees are separate·Register online through DIAL before performing work; registration must be renewed every year

   $50 application fee (state registration); city contractor license fees are separate

   Register online through DIAL before performing work; registration must be renewed every year

1. No Des Moines General Business License Required

   Des Moines has no general or blanket business license, and the Development Services Department does not issue one. The City Clerk's Office licenses only specific regulated activities - alcohol, tobacco, transient merchants, mobile food vendors, peddlers, pawnbrokers, theaters, coin-operated machines, solid waste haulers and similar categories. Most businesses need nothing from the Clerk. What a commercial tenant does need is a Certificate of Occupancy for the space, issued by the Permit and Development Center, and home-based businesses go through home occupation review with Zoning Enforcement.

   Official government source

   Nothing - there is no such license. A commercial Certificate of Occupancy is $51.50·Not applicable

   Nothing - there is no such license. A commercial Certificate of Occupancy is $51.50

   Not applicable

2. Des Moines Building and Trade Permits (for regulated work)

   Handyman work crosses into permitted territory as soon as it involves electrical, plumbing, mechanical, or structural changes. Those permits come from the City of Des Moines Permit and Development Center, not Polk County, and are pulled by someone holding the appropriate state license - a handyman should not be performing work that requires a licensed trade contractor.

   Official government source

   Residential: $154.50 for renovations to a dwelling, $77.25 for electrical, mechanical, or plumbing alterations and additions, $77.25 for decks, fences, and similar accessory structures. Commercial building permits start at $66.31 and scale with valuation·Simple trade permits are typically issued within about a week; larger projects go through plan review first

   Residential: $154.50 for renovations to a dwelling, $77.25 for electrical, mechanical, or plumbing alterations and additions, $77.25 for decks, fences, and similar accessory structures. Commercial building permits start at $66.31 and scale with valuation

   Simple trade permits are typically issued within about a week; larger projects go through plan review first

Official Sources

• City of Des Moines Development Services Department
• Iowa Contractor Registration

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