Landscaping Business Permit Requirements in Manchester, NH

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. New Hampshire — No Sales Tax

   New Hampshire has no state sales tax and no local sales taxes, so businesses need no sales tax permit or resale registration for sales tax purposes. Businesses may instead owe the Business Enterprise Tax and the Business Profits Tax, both administered by the NH Department of Revenue Administration; BET paid can be credited against BPT. Restaurants, caterers and lodging operators separately collect the Meals and Rooms (Rentals) Tax and must hold a DRA license for it. Filing and payment are handled through DRA's Granite Tax Connect portal.

   Official government source

   No fee to register for business taxes with DRA. For taxable periods beginning on or after January 1, 2025, a BET return is due from any enterprise with more than $298,000 in gross receipts or an enterprise value tax base above $298,000; the BET rate is 0.55%·Immediate — registration and filing are done online through Granite Tax Connect

   No fee to register for business taxes with DRA. For taxable periods beginning on or after January 1, 2025, a BET return is due from any enterprise with more than $298,000 in gross receipts or an enterprise value tax base above $298,000; the BET rate is 0.55%

   Immediate — registration and filing are done online through Granite Tax Connect

2. New Hampshire Division of Pesticide Control — Commercial Pesticide Applicator License

   If you apply pesticides or herbicides on property of another as part of landscaping services, you must be licensed as a Commercial Applicator by the Division of Pesticide Control within the NH Department of Agriculture, Markets and Food. Submit a complete license and exam application, then schedule the written exam for your category with the Division at 603-271-3694. Licensees recertify by accruing approved education credits over a five-year period.

   Official government source

   $15 commercial applicator license exam fee plus a $60 commercial applicator license fee (fees increased effective July 1, 2025)·No processing time is published; exams are scheduled after the application is submitted

   $15 commercial applicator license exam fee plus a $60 commercial applicator license fee (fees increased effective July 1, 2025)

   No processing time is published; exams are scheduled after the application is submitted

1. Manchester City Clerk — Business License (activity-specific, not general)

   Manchester does NOT require a general business license for all businesses. The City Clerk's Business Licensing and Enforcement Division licenses only specific activities: food-service establishments, high-impact retail selling tobacco/vape/lottery products, peddlers, hawkers, dealers of junk/secondhand goods, pawnbrokers, hotels/motels/B&Bs, tattoo and body-piercing establishments, farmers markets, taxicab companies/drivers, non-consensual towing companies, employment offices, and circuses/carnivals/fairs/festivals/entertainment venues. Businesses outside these categories are not required to hold this license; call (603) 624-6348 to confirm applicability to your specific business.

   Official government source

   Varies by license type; call (603) 624-6348·1-3 weeks (if applicable)

   Varies by license type; call (603) 624-6348

   1-3 weeks (if applicable)

2. Landscaping — No Manchester or County Contractor Registration

   Neither the City of Manchester nor Hillsborough County registers landscaping contractors; New Hampshire counties have no registration authority at all, and the City publishes no such program. Regulated work still requires the usual city permits from the Building Division. If your work includes applying pesticides or herbicides on property of another, you must be licensed as a Commercial Applicator by the Division of Pesticide Control within the NH Department of Agriculture, Markets and Food.

   Official government source

   No local registration fee. A state Commercial Pesticide Applicator license is a $15 exam fee plus a $60 license fee·Not applicable — there is no registration to apply for

   No local registration fee. A state Commercial Pesticide Applicator license is a $15 exam fee plus a $60 license fee

   Not applicable — there is no registration to apply for

Official Sources

• City of Manchester City Clerk
• New Hampshire — No Sales Tax

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