Event Planning Permit Requirements in Bowling Green, KY

1. EIN (Employer Identification Number)

   Required if operating as a business entity (LLC or corporation) or if you have employees. Free from the IRS. You will need an EIN to open a business bank account and sign vendor contracts professionally.

   Official government source

   Free·Immediate (online application)

   Free

   Immediate (online application)

1. Kentucky Business Registration

   Event planning businesses organized as an LLC, corporation, or limited partnership register with the Kentucky Secretary of State. Under KRS 365.015(3), an assumed name (DBA) certificate for an individual sole proprietor is filed with the county clerk where the person maintains their principal place of business; for a corporation, LLC, LP, or general partnership the certificate goes to the Secretary of State and a filed copy is then recorded with the county clerk for the registered agent's or principal office's county. An LLC provides personal liability protection, which matters when coordinating large events.

   Official government source

   $40 Articles of Organization (LLC) or $40 Articles of Incorporation plus organization tax based on authorized shares (corporation); assumed name certificate $20 to the Secretary of State for entities, plus a county clerk fee set by KRS 64.012 ($46 in Jefferson County)·Entity filings are not given a published processing time; an assumed name certificate is effective on the date it is filed and lasts five years

   $40 Articles of Organization (LLC) or $40 Articles of Incorporation plus organization tax based on authorized shares (corporation); assumed name certificate $20 to the Secretary of State for entities, plus a county clerk fee set by KRS 64.012 ($46 in Jefferson County)

   Entity filings are not given a published processing time; an assumed name certificate is effective on the date it is filed and lasts five years

2. Kentucky Sales and Use Tax Permit — Event Planning Services Are Taxable

   Event planning is not an untaxed professional service in Kentucky. KRS 139.200(2)(aj) lists social event planning and coordination services among the services on which the 6% sales tax is imposed, added by 2022 Ky. Acts ch. 212 sec. 3 effective January 1, 2023, so a planner's coordination and management fee is itself taxable gross receipts, not just any decorations or supplies resold to the client. Neighboring paragraphs catch more of the same work: KRS 139.200(2)(ai) taxes the rental of space for meetings, conventions, short-term business uses, entertainment events, weddings, banquets, parties and other short-term social events, and (q) taxes photography and photofinishing services. KRS 139.200(1)(a) separately taxes retail sales of tangible personal property, which covers decorations, favors, floral arrangements and printed materials sold to the client. KRS 139.240(1) requires every person engaged in or desiring to engage in business as a retailer or seller in Kentucky to file a permit application with the Department of Revenue for each place of business, and KRS 139.250 requires the permit to be conspicuously displayed at that place, and makes it nonassignable and valid only for the person named. The rate is a flat 6% of gross receipts and there are no local sales and use taxes anywhere in Kentucky, so no city or county add-on applies in Louisville, Lexington or Bowling Green. A planner acting as a disclosed agent who merely passes through a vendor's charge is in a different position than one billing the client for the item, so the contract structure matters.

   Official government source

   No fee. Neither KRS 139.240 nor KRS 139.250 prescribes any charge for the retailer's or seller's permit — the Department of Revenue issues the account on the Kentucky Business One Stop registration at no cost. The tax itself is 6% of gross receipts with no local add-on·Not published by the Department of Revenue. KRS 139.240(1) requires the application to be on file for anyone presently engaged in or desiring to engage in business as a retailer, so register before the first taxable sale; registration is filed electronically through the Kentucky Business One Stop and KRS 139.240(4) waives a written signature for electronic registrants

   No fee. Neither KRS 139.240 nor KRS 139.250 prescribes any charge for the retailer's or seller's permit — the Department of Revenue issues the account on the Kentucky Business One Stop registration at no cost. The tax itself is 6% of gross receipts with no local add-on

   Not published by the Department of Revenue. KRS 139.240(1) requires the application to be on file for anyone presently engaged in or desiring to engage in business as a retailer, so register before the first taxable sale; registration is filed electronically through the Kentucky Business One Stop and KRS 139.240(4) waives a written signature for electronic registrants

1. City of Bowling Green — Office of Occupational License Business Registration

   Event planning businesses operating in Bowling Green must register with the City's Office of Occupational License in the Finance Department before doing business in the city. The application asks for business entity information, the primary business address, and a description of services. Registration is a one-time $50 fee for a local business (a $275 cash bond may also be required); the ongoing obligation is the City's Occupational License Tax of 2% of net profits, raised from 1.85% effective January 1, 2024, plus employee withholding. If you work primarily from home, confirm with the City-County Planning Commission of Warren County (warrenpc.org), the joint planning agency for Bowling Green and Warren County that the zoning ordinance allows the activity at your address. Note that social event planning and coordination services are also subject to Kentucky's 6% state sales tax under KRS 139.200(2)(aj).

   Official government source

   $50 one-time local business registration fee (a $275 cash bond may also be required); ongoing Occupational License Tax of 2% of net profits·Processing time not published by the city; registration must be completed before conducting business

   $50 one-time local business registration fee (a $275 cash bond may also be required); ongoing Occupational License Tax of 2% of net profits

   Processing time not published by the city; registration must be completed before conducting business

2. Bowling Green Special Event Permit (for events in public spaces)

   Events using Bowling Green public parks, streets, rights-of-way, sidewalks, or plazas require a Special Event Permit submitted to the city's Citizen Information and Assistance office at least 45 days before the first day of the event. Related permits may also apply: a Parade Permit for races and walks, a Street Closure Permit for private-property events needing a street closed, a Special Noise Variance for residential-area events, a Tent Permit for tents over 400 square feet, and a Downtown Park Application (submitted to Parks and Recreation) for Fountain Square, Circus Square, or Mitch McConnell Park. Alcohol service requires additional ABC licensing, insurance, and lease agreements. As the event planner you may obtain these on the client's behalf.

   Official government source

   The city publishes no special event fee schedule; depending on the event, liability insurance and clean-up or sanitation deposits may be required·Applications must be submitted at least 45 days before the first day of the event

   The city publishes no special event fee schedule; depending on the event, liability insurance and clean-up or sanitation deposits may be required

   Applications must be submitted at least 45 days before the first day of the event

3. Warren County Temporary Use / Special Event Approval (if applicable)

   Events on unincorporated Warren County land outside Bowling Green, or large outdoor events on private property in the county, are reviewed under the county zoning ordinance by the City-County Planning Commission of Warren County (CCPC), which serves Warren County and the cities of Bowling Green, Smiths Grove, Plum Springs, Oakland, and Woodburn. This is separate from any City of Bowling Green special event permit. Insurance, a site plan, and sanitation provisions are typically expected for large gatherings.

   Official government source

   CCPC's fee schedule contains no separate temporary use permit; a Conditional Use Permit from the Board of Adjustments is $330 where the ordinance requires one, and online payments carry a 3% surcharge·Not published by CCPC; conditional use permits require a Board of Adjustments hearing

   CCPC's fee schedule contains no separate temporary use permit; a Conditional Use Permit from the Board of Adjustments is $330 where the ordinance requires one, and online payments carry a 3% surcharge

   Not published by CCPC; conditional use permits require a Board of Adjustments hearing

Official Sources

• Bowling Green Business Licensing
• Kentucky Secretary of State — Business Registration
• IRS EIN Application

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