Photography 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

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 Commercial Photography Permit

   Des Moines Parks and Recreation authorizes commercial photography and filming in city parks and on trails through a permit, and you are expected to have it before shooting. The permit does not carry permission to photograph individuals using the facility without their written consent, and at Western Gateway and Pappajohn Sculpture Park the city can permit photography in the park but not of the artwork, which the Des Moines Art Center controls. Apply through the department's online application.

   Official government source

   No permit fee is published on the city's commercial photography page·Apply before the shoot; allow a couple of weeks for the department to process the application

   No permit fee is published on the city's commercial photography page

   Apply before the shoot; allow a couple of weeks for the department to process the application

Official Sources

• City of Des Moines Development Services Department
• Iowa Department of Revenue — Sales Tax Permit

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