Photography 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)

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 Facility and Park Use / Special Event Permit

   Ordinary photography in Lewiston's parks and on public streets does not require a permit. Any event or shoot that uses City-owned property - exclusive use of a park or facility, equipment that blocks passage, or a permitted event - requires a Special Event Application under the City's Special Events Policy and Facility and Parks Use Policy, administered by the City Administrator's Office (207-513-3121). Androscoggin County has no parks department and issues no event permits.

   Official government source

   $50 non-refundable application processing fee; designated (starred) parks carry additional park use fees per the application's fee schedule, and Clerk permits are priced separately - sound amplification $17 per day, outdoor entertainment $50, outdoor alcohol $25 per event·The signed application and $50 fee must be returned no later than 30 business days before the event

   $50 non-refundable application processing fee; designated (starred) parks carry additional park use fees per the application's fee schedule, and Clerk permits are priced separately - sound amplification $17 per day, outdoor entertainment $50, outdoor alcohol $25 per event

   The signed application and $50 fee must be returned no later than 30 business days before the event

Official Sources

• City of Lewiston Finance Department
• Maine Revenue Services — Sales Tax Registration

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