Landscaping Business Permit Requirements in Wichita, KS

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. Kansas Department of Revenue — Retailer's Sales Tax License

   Required for all businesses selling tangible personal property or taxable services in Kansas. Kansas charges a 6.5% state sales tax; local jurisdictions may impose additional taxes. Register with the Kansas Department of Revenue.

   Official government source

   Free·Immediate (online)

   Free

   Immediate (online)

2. Kansas Pesticide Applicator Certification and Pesticide Business License

   KDA warns explicitly that commercial applicator certification is not, by itself, enough to apply pesticides for compensation in Kansas. A landscaper applying pesticides or herbicides for customers must either work for a properly licensed pesticide business or hold their own Pesticide Business License, and at least one employee must be commercially certified in each category the business operates in. Certification requires passing KDA-administered exams in the relevant category or subcategory under the Kansas Pesticide Law.

   Official government source

   $45 per commercial applicator exam, including the general exam and any retake ($25 for private applicator certification), plus $140 per business license category, $15 per uncertified applicator, and $40 per registered technician; insurance or a surety bond is also required·Not published as a fixed processing time; exams run on KDA's published certification schedule and no pesticide business activity may begin until the license is issued

   $45 per commercial applicator exam, including the general exam and any retake ($25 for private applicator certification), plus $140 per business license category, $15 per uncertified applicator, and $40 per registered technician; insurance or a surety bond is also required

   Not published as a fixed processing time; exams run on KDA's published certification schedule and no pesticide business activity may begin until the license is issued

1. City of Wichita — No General Business License for Most Businesses

   Wichita does not require a general business license. The city's own Business Licenses page states it 'does not require a standard business license for all businesses that operate within the City limits — only for certain businesses,' and lists those categories: adult entertainment, advertising, animals, cemeteries, entertainment, lodging and residential (including Home Occupation and short-term rentals), sales and services (liquor, massage therapy, mobile food vendor, pawnbroker, precious metal dealer, secondhand dealer, tobacco, transient merchant and similar), security, special events, transportation, and wells. Businesses outside those categories need no city business license. Two things this does not cover: contractors and building permits go through MABCD, the joint City of Wichita/Sedgwick County building department, and state occupational licenses (cosmetology, barbering, real estate, insurance) apply regardless of city licensing.

   Official government source

   No fee for business types the city does not license. Published examples for those it does: Home Occupation $35/year, mobile food vendor $350/year per vehicle ($50 per special event per vehicle), massage therapist $75 per 2 years, massage therapy business $200 per 2 years. MABCD trade certificates are $35.·Not applicable for unlicensed business types. Wichita advises about 2 weeks for a Home Occupation renewal and 30 days for massage licenses; MABCD says contractor license review can take up to two weeks.

   No fee for business types the city does not license. Published examples for those it does: Home Occupation $35/year, mobile food vendor $350/year per vehicle ($50 per special event per vehicle), massage therapist $75 per 2 years, massage therapy business $200 per 2 years. MABCD trade certificates are $35.

   Not applicable for unlicensed business types. Wichita advises about 2 weeks for a Home Occupation renewal and 30 days for massage licenses; MABCD says contractor license review can take up to two weeks.

2. Wichita / Sedgwick County MABCD — Lawn Irrigation Trade Contractor License (if applicable)

   MABCD, the joint City of Wichita/Sedgwick County building department, does not license landscaping as such — there is no landscaping class on its licence list. It does license Lawn Irrigation as one of its trade contractor categories, alongside drain cleaner, drain layer, electrical, elevator, fire suppression, gas fitter, handicap accessibility, mechanical, plumbing, refrigeration, sheet metal, solid fuel and mobile home installer. So mowing, planting, mulching and hardscaping need no MABCD licence, but installing or servicing an irrigation system does, and any electrical work for landscape lighting requires an Electrical trade contractor. Trade contractor licences expire December 31 of every odd year, and MABCD requires a certificate of liability insurance with at least $300,000 general liability naming MABCD as certificate holder.

   Official government source

   MABCD publishes a Lawn Sprinkler Test Fee of $100.00; contractor licence fees are set in its Table A. There is no fee for landscaping work that falls outside a licensed trade.·MABCD states that all licence applications go through a review process that can take up to two weeks. There is no wait for unlicensed landscaping work.

   MABCD publishes a Lawn Sprinkler Test Fee of $100.00; contractor licence fees are set in its Table A. There is no fee for landscaping work that falls outside a licensed trade.

   MABCD states that all licence applications go through a review process that can take up to two weeks. There is no wait for unlicensed landscaping work.

Official Sources

• City of Wichita City Treasurer
• Kansas Department of Revenue — Retailer's Sales Tax License

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