Cleaning Service Permit Requirements in Boise, ID

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. Idaho State Tax Commission — Sales Tax Permit

   Required for all businesses selling taxable goods or services in Idaho. Idaho charges a 6% state sales tax. Some cities have local option taxes. Register with the Idaho State Tax Commission online.

   Official government source

   Free·Immediate (online via TAP)

   Free

   Immediate (online via TAP)

2. Idaho Workers' Compensation Insurance

   Idaho's Workers' Compensation Law (Idaho Code Title 72) requires nearly every employer with one or more employees — full-time, part-time, seasonal, or casual — to carry workers' compensation coverage, and the Industrial Commission's Employer Compliance Division enforces it. For a cleaning service this matters more than most: crews work in clients' homes and businesses and injury exposure is real. A sole proprietor with no employees is generally exempt under the Idaho Code 72-212 exclusions, but hiring even one helper triggers the requirement, and misclassifying a worker as an independent contractor does not avoid it. Coverage can be bought from a private carrier or the Idaho State Insurance Fund.

   Official government source

   Varies with payroll and classification code — commonly $500–$2,000 a year for a small cleaning crew. Rates for janitorial classifications run higher than office work.·A policy can usually be bound within a week; coverage must be in place before the first employee starts.

   Varies with payroll and classification code — commonly $500–$2,000 a year for a small cleaning crew. Rates for janitorial classifications run higher than office work.

   A policy can usually be bound within a week; coverage must be in place before the first employee starts.

1. City of Boise — No General Business License

   Boise does not require a general/blanket business license. Businesses must instead comply with zoning, required building/health permits, and any applicable activity-specific city license (Animal, Food & Alcohol Beverage, Security Services, Vehicle Licensing). Most professional/personal-service businesses fall under none of these categories and need no city business license — verify your specific business's obligations with the City Clerk's Licensing page.

   Official government source

   N/A — no general business license exists·N/A

   N/A — no general business license exists

   N/A

2. Home Occupation Compliance and Assumed Business Name Registration

   If you run a cleaning service from your home in Boise, your business must meet the home-occupation standards in the city's zoning code — check with Boise Planning & Development Services (208-608-7100) before you start. If you trade under a name other than your own, file a Certificate of Assumed Business Name with the Idaho Secretary of State; Idaho has no county-level DBA filing, so the Ada County Clerk does not handle this.

   Official government source

   $25 for an assumed business name filed online ($45 by paper); home-occupation compliance is handled through zoning review rather than a flat published fee·1–2 weeks for the assumed business name filing

   $25 for an assumed business name filed online ($45 by paper); home-occupation compliance is handled through zoning review rather than a flat published fee

   1–2 weeks for the assumed business name filing

Official Sources

• City of Boise Planning and Development Services
• Idaho State Tax Commission — Sales Tax Permit

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