Photography Business Permit Requirements in Memphis, TN

1. EIN (Employer Identification Number)

   Required if you have employees or operate as an LLC/corporation. Also useful for opening a business bank account and separating personal and business finances. Free from the IRS.

   Official government source

   Free·Immediate (online application)

   Free

   Immediate (online application)

2. FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate (Drone Photography)

   Required if you offer commercial aerial photography using drones (unmanned aircraft systems). Must pass the FAA Aeronautical Knowledge Test at an approved testing center. Operating commercially without this certificate can result in significant fines. This is a federal requirement enforced by the FAA regardless of state.

   Official government source

   $175 (exam fee)·2–4 weeks to study and schedule exam

   $175 (exam fee)

   2–4 weeks to study and schedule exam

1. Tennessee — No State Photography License Required

   Photography is not a licensed occupation in Tennessee. The Department of Commerce and Insurance's Regulatory Boards Division publishes the complete list of the professions it licenses - accountancy, alarm system contractors, architects and engineers and land surveyors, the Athletic Commission, auctioneers, bondsmen, collections, contractors and home improvement, cosmetology and barber, court reporters, debt management, funeral directors, geologists, home inspectors, the Motor Vehicle Commission, private investigation, private probation, private protective services, real estate appraisers, the Real Estate Commission and scrap metals - and photography is not among them. There is no state board, no certification requirement and no examination. The obligations that do apply are general business ones: a county business licence from the clerk where you operate, and registration with the Department of Revenue if you sell prints or other tangible goods.

   Official government source

   No state licence and no state fee. The county business licence is $15 per clerk, plus $15 to the city if you are inside a city's limits.·No state licensing step. The county clerk issues the business licence at the counter; a Department of Revenue tax account takes up to 10 business days.

   No state licence and no state fee. The county business licence is $15 per clerk, plus $15 to the city if you are inside a city's limits.

   No state licensing step. The county clerk issues the business licence at the counter; a Department of Revenue tax account takes up to 10 business days.

2. Tennessee Department of Revenue — Sales and Use Tax Registration

   Memphis photographers register with the Tennessee Department of Revenue through TNTAP if they sell taxable goods. Tangible photographs - prints, albums, canvases - are tangible personal property and are taxable, along with any session or sitting fee billed as part of the sales price of those goods. Digital image files are not: Revenue's Sales and Use Tax Manual expressly lists individual digital photographs among the electronically transferred items that are NOT specified digital products, and photography is not one of the services the statute enumerates as taxable, so an electronically delivered shoot creates no sales tax. The rate on taxable sales in Memphis is 7% state plus a 2.75% local rate, for a combined 9.75%; the City of Memphis has been at the 2.75% statutory maximum since January 1, 2020, while unincorporated Shelby County is 2.25%.

   Official government source

   No fee. Tennessee charges nothing to register for a sales and use tax certificate through TNTAP.·Up to 10 business days for the Department of Revenue to register your business, per its published guidance.

   No fee. Tennessee charges nothing to register for a sales and use tax certificate through TNTAP.

   Up to 10 business days for the Department of Revenue to register your business, per its published guidance.

1. Memphis and Shelby County Business License

   Most businesses operating in Memphis need a business license from the Shelby County Clerk, plus a separate City of Memphis license if located inside the city - this covers photography studios and freelance photographers with a commercial location. Tennessee has no 'occupational tax certificate': $3,000-$99,999 in annual gross receipts means a minimal activity license, and $100,000 or more means a standard business license plus business tax filed with the Tennessee Department of Revenue. Home-based photographers who host client sessions at home should confirm zoning with the Memphis and Shelby County Division of Planning and Development (develop901.com), not the county clerk.

   Official government source

   $15 flat fee to the Shelby County Clerk plus a $15 flat fee to the City of Memphis (both required inside the city, $30 total) - not a percentage of gross revenue. No license is required under $3,000 in gross receipts; $3,000-$99,999 is a minimal activity license; at $100,000+ you also owe Tennessee's separate, uncapped state business tax.·Neither the City of Memphis nor the Shelby County Clerk publishes a processing time. Licenses expire one year from the application date. Where a state business tax account is also required, the Department of Revenue states registration takes up to 10 business days.

   $15 flat fee to the Shelby County Clerk plus a $15 flat fee to the City of Memphis (both required inside the city, $30 total) - not a percentage of gross revenue. No license is required under $3,000 in gross receipts; $3,000-$99,999 is a minimal activity license; at $100,000+ you also owe Tennessee's separate, uncapped state business tax.

   Neither the City of Memphis nor the Shelby County Clerk publishes a processing time. Licenses expire one year from the application date. Where a state business tax account is also required, the Department of Revenue states registration takes up to 10 business days.

2. Memphis - Film Memphis Permit (only for specific triggers)

   Memphis does not require a permit for all paid photography on public property. Film Memphis, the Memphis and Shelby County film commission, requires a permit if you are filming B-roll on Beale Street, using a drone, filming on City or County property, filming with or on a MATA trolley or bus, or need a street closure or uniformed assistance. For anything else, Film Memphis advises calling first rather than assuming. Contact 901-527-8300 x2 or [email protected].

   Official government source

   No fee schedule is published. Film Memphis does not list permit fees or insurance amounts on its permits page; ask when you call, since requirements depend on the location and the triggers involved.·Original paperwork must be in the Film Memphis office 10 days before the shoot. Film Memphis publishes no separate approval time, so treat the 10 days as a minimum, not a guarantee.

   No fee schedule is published. Film Memphis does not list permit fees or insurance amounts on its permits page; ask when you call, since requirements depend on the location and the triggers involved.

   Original paperwork must be in the Film Memphis office 10 days before the shoot. Film Memphis publishes no separate approval time, so treat the 10 days as a minimum, not a guarantee.

Official Sources

• Memphis Business Licensing
• Tennessee Department of Revenue — Business Tax Registration
• FAA — Become a Drone Pilot (Part 107)

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