Handyman Business Permit Requirements in Warwick, RI

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. Rhode Island Division of Taxation — Sales Tax Permit

   Required for all businesses selling tangible personal property or taxable services in Rhode Island. Rhode Island charges a 7% state sales tax with no local sales taxes. Register with the RI Division of Taxation online via the RI Tax Portal.

   Official government source

   Free·Immediate (online)

   Free

   Immediate (online)

2. Rhode Island Contractors' Registration and Licensing Board - Contractor Registration

   Anyone performing residential or commercial construction work in Rhode Island - including remodeling, alterations, repairs and handyman work - must register with the Contractors' Registration and Licensing Board (RICRLB). All subcontractors must register; employees of a registered contractor and homeowners working on their own residence are exempt. Registration requires a state-approved 5-hour pre-registration course (waived for exclusively commercial work), general liability insurance of at least $500,000 naming RICRLB as certificate holder, and workers' compensation coverage if you have employees. Electrical, HVAC, mechanical and plumbing trades are licensed separately by RI DLT.

   Official government source

   $150.00 registration fee, payable by credit or debit card through the OpenGov platform or by check to RICRLB.·Not published by the board; incomplete applications are rejected after three months and must be refiled.

   $150.00 registration fee, payable by credit or debit card through the OpenGov platform or by check to RICRLB.

   Not published by the board; incomplete applications are rejected after three months and must be refiled.

1. No General Business License in Warwick

   Warwick issues no general business license or business tax certificate. The city's Licensing Division, administered through the Warwick Police Department and filed on the city's OpenGov portal, licenses only specific activities - liquor, second class victualler, inside and outside entertainment, food truck/cart/trailer, general and produce peddlers, daily vendor, kennel, massage therapy, permanent make-up, second hand dealer, used car dealer, tobacco, private detective, laundromat, dry cleaners and similar. Mobile dog grooming appears nowhere in that catalogue, and Rhode Island has no state grooming license.

   Official government source

   No fee - Warwick issues no general business license, and neither Warwick nor the state licenses dog grooming.·Not applicable - no general business license is issued.

   No fee - Warwick issues no general business license, and neither Warwick nor the state licenses dog grooming.

   Not applicable - no general business license is issued.

2. City of Warwick Building Department - Building Permit (for regulated work)

   Handyman tasks involving electrical, plumbing, HVAC or structural modifications require permits pulled from the Warwick Building Department, filed through the city's OpenGov permitting portal. Kent County has no government and issues no permits. Licensed-trade work must be performed by an RI Department of Labor and Training licensed tradesperson, and anyone doing construction, remodeling, alteration or repair work must be registered with the state Contractors' Registration and Licensing Board.

   Official government source

   State-mandated valuation-based fee per Warwick's published permit fee sheet: $10.00 per $1,000 of project value with a $75.00 minimum, then $100 + $8.00 per $1,000 over $10,000 and $420 + $6.00 per $1,000 over $50,000, plus $0.002 per thousand of valuation for the state CE/ADA fee.·Not published by the city; permits are filed through Warwick's OpenGov permitting portal.

   State-mandated valuation-based fee per Warwick's published permit fee sheet: $10.00 per $1,000 of project value with a $75.00 minimum, then $100 + $8.00 per $1,000 over $10,000 and $420 + $6.00 per $1,000 over $50,000, plus $0.002 per thousand of valuation for the state CE/ADA fee.

   Not published by the city; permits are filed through Warwick's OpenGov permitting portal.

Official Sources

• City of Warwick City Clerk
• Rhode Island Contractors Registration and Licensing Board — Contractor License

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