Pest Control 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. Maine Pesticide Firm License (Board of Pesticides Control)

   A pest control company must hold a separate Firm license from the Maine Board of Pesticides Control in addition to its applicators' individual licenses. The firm license is required of all custom applicator companies except sole proprietors with no other employees, and companies that apply pesticides only on premises they own or lease. The firm must also carry the required insurance coverage and employ at least one licensed Commercial Master applicator.

   Official government source

   $300 for a 3-year firm license·License term is 3 years, renewable December 31; the firm must have a licensed Commercial Master in place before operators can be licensed

   $300 for a 3-year firm license

   License term is 3 years, renewable December 31; the firm must have a licensed Commercial Master in place before operators can be licensed

1. Maine Board of Pesticides Control - Commercial Pesticide Applicator License

   Applying pesticides for hire in Maine - structural pest control, lawn and landscape care, tree and shrub care - requires a commercial applicator license from the Maine Board of Pesticides Control (DACF). Technicians hold the Commercial Operator license and work under a licensed Commercial Master; each company, branch office or agency must have at least one Commercial Master. Certification requires the Core exam plus one or more category exams, and Master applicants also pass a regulations exam and an oral exam. A separate $300 three-year Firm license applies to most companies.

   Official government source

   $105 license/renewal fee for the Commercial Master or Commercial Operator license covering a 3-year term, plus $10 per written exam (Core, each category, and the Master regulations exam) and $40 for the Master oral exam - roughly $125-$165 to start·License term is 3 years, renewable December 31. Allow 3-4 weeks after applying for an exam date, up to 8 weeks during the March-May peak.

   $105 license/renewal fee for the Commercial Master or Commercial Operator license covering a 3-year term, plus $10 per written exam (Core, each category, and the Master regulations exam) and $40 for the Master oral exam - roughly $125-$165 to start

   License term is 3 years, renewable December 31. Allow 3-4 weeks after applying for an exam date, up to 8 weeks during the March-May peak.

2. 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

Official Sources

• Maine Board of Pesticides Control — Commercial Pesticide Applicator License
• City of Lewiston Finance Department

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