Handyman Business Permit Requirements in Lewiston, ME

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. Maine Revenue Services — Sales Tax Registration

   Required for all businesses selling tangible personal property or taxable services in Maine. Maine charges a 5.5% state sales tax (food and lodging have different rates). Register with Maine Revenue Services online.

   Official government source

   Free·Immediate (online)

   Free

   Immediate (online)

2. No Statewide Contractor License Required in Maine

   Maine has no general state licence or registration for residential contractors or handymen, and no 'Maine Contractors Registration Board' exists. Contracts over $3,000 in labour and materials for home construction or repair must be in writing and signed by both parties under the Home Construction Contracts Act (10 MRSA section 1487). The only related state registration is the narrow Transient Seller of Home Repair Services programme at the Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation, which applies to businesses that solicit home-repair work door to door. Trade work still requires the relevant individual licence - electricians, plumbers and fuel technicians - and municipal building permits apply per job.

   Official government source

   No state licence fee for general handyman or contracting work. A Transient Seller of Home Repair Services registration, if you solicit door to door, is $30 per year (OPOR Chapter 10 fee rule).·No application process for general contracting; pull municipal building permits before regulated work

   No state licence fee for general handyman or contracting work. A Transient Seller of Home Repair Services registration, if you solicit door to door, is $30 per year (OPOR Chapter 10 fee rule).

   No application process for general contracting; pull municipal building permits before regulated work

1. City of Lewiston - Selective Business Licensing (City Clerk)

   Lewiston does not require a general business licence or registration, and licensing is run by the City Clerk's Department (207-513-3124), not the Finance Department. The Clerk licenses over 40 specific business types required by Maine statute or city ordinance - among them food service establishments, mobile units and roving diners, massage establishments and therapists, tattoo parlours, lodging houses, flea markets, pawnbrokers, peddlers, second-hand dealers, taxicab companies, junk collectors and adult businesses. Most other trades - cleaning, landscaping, handyman, photography, tutoring, pet sitting, notary, bookkeeping, real estate, insurance, plumbing, electrical and HVAC contracting - are not licensed by the City at all. Most licensed types require inspection by the Fire, Code (Health) or Police departments before issue.

   Official government source

   Fees are published per category in the City's Business License Applications Fees, Penalties and Inspection and Approval Schedule - for example food service establishment $150-$575 by class and size, mobile unit / roving diner $100, massage establishment $110 application plus $195 licence, tattooing $110 plus $195, second-hand dealer $88, peddler $56 in state. Most businesses pay nothing because they are not a licensed category.·File the application at least seven days before you begin operating, and allow time for any required Fire, Code (Health) or Police inspection

   Fees are published per category in the City's Business License Applications Fees, Penalties and Inspection and Approval Schedule - for example food service establishment $150-$575 by class and size, mobile unit / roving diner $100, massage establishment $110 application plus $195 licence, tattooing $110 plus $195, second-hand dealer $88, peddler $56 in state. Most businesses pay nothing because they are not a licensed category.

   File the application at least seven days before you begin operating, and allow time for any required Fire, Code (Health) or Police inspection

2. Lewiston Building Permit (for regulated work)

   Handyman and construction work in Lewiston beyond minor repair requires a permit from the City of Lewiston Planning and Code Enforcement Department; the Permits page lists only the City as the permitting authority, and Androscoggin County has no building permit role. Applications go to Planning and Code Enforcement, which quotes the fee before review begins, and inspections are required during and after the work.

   Official government source

   Single-family renovation $25 if under $2,500 of value, otherwise $25 base plus $5 per $1,000; commercial renovation $25 base plus $7 per $1,000; new single-family construction $25 base plus $0.25 per square foot; fences and driveways $25; change of use $40; interior demolition $50. Starting work before the permit issues doubles the fee (City of Lewiston Building Permit Fee Schedule).·Submit the application, pay the quoted fee, then review begins; no work may start until the permit is issued

   Single-family renovation $25 if under $2,500 of value, otherwise $25 base plus $5 per $1,000; commercial renovation $25 base plus $7 per $1,000; new single-family construction $25 base plus $0.25 per square foot; fences and driveways $25; change of use $40; interior demolition $50. Starting work before the permit issues doubles the fee (City of Lewiston Building Permit Fee Schedule).

   Submit the application, pay the quoted fee, then review begins; no work may start until the permit is issued

Official Sources

• City of Lewiston Finance Department

Related Guides