Cleaning Service Permit Requirements in Green Bay, WI

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. Wisconsin Department of Revenue - Seller's Permit

   Required of every individual, partnership, corporation or other organization with a Wisconsin sales location making retail sales of taxable products or taxable services, with limited exceptions for wholesalers, manufacturers and certain marketplace sellers. The permit is issued through Business Tax Registration, which also covers withholding and use tax accounts. Rates: 5% state; seventy counties add 0.5%; Milwaukee County is 0.9% and the City of Milwaukee adds 2%, both effective January 1, 2024, so the rate inside Milwaukee is 7.9% - the only Wisconsin city with a municipal sales tax.

   Official government source

   $20 one-time Business Tax Registration fee, then $10 to renew every two years - it is not free. The $20 is the same regardless of how many locations need a seller's permit. DOR can additionally require a security deposit of up to $15,000 in some cases, returned after 24 consecutive months of compliance.·Register online through My Tax Account. DOR does not publish a guaranteed processing time - contact [email protected] or 608-266-2776 to check status.

   $20 one-time Business Tax Registration fee, then $10 to renew every two years - it is not free. The $20 is the same regardless of how many locations need a seller's permit. DOR can additionally require a security deposit of up to $15,000 in some cases, returned after 24 consecutive months of compliance.

   Register online through My Tax Account. DOR does not publish a guaranteed processing time - contact [email protected] or 608-266-2776 to check status.

2. Wisconsin Workers' Compensation Insurance

   Wisconsin requires employers to carry workers' compensation insurance once they employ 3 or more employees (full- or part-time), or if they employ fewer than 3 but pay $500 or more in wages in any calendar quarter (Wis. Stat. 102.04). Sole proprietors with no employees are not required to carry it.

   Official government source

   No state fee - coverage is bought from a private insurer, and the premium depends on payroll, job classification codes and experience rating. Get quotes from licensed Wisconsin carriers.·Coverage must be in force once the statutory threshold in Wis. Stat. 102.04 is met; confirm binding timing with your insurer.

   No state fee - coverage is bought from a private insurer, and the premium depends on payroll, job classification codes and experience rating. Get quotes from licensed Wisconsin carriers.

   Coverage must be in force once the statutory threshold in Wis. Stat. 102.04 is met; confirm binding timing with your insurer.

1. City of Green Bay Office of the City Clerk — Business License

   Green Bay does not require a general/all-purpose business license. The City Clerk's office (Green Bay Municipal Code Ch. 10) licenses only specific regulated categories (e.g. Adult Entertainment, Alarm Business, Direct Seller/Solicitor, Entertainment Facility, Home-Based Businesses, Junk Collector, Massage Establishments, Mobile Food Vendor, Public Vehicle, Salvage, Secondhand Dealer, Tree & Brush Trimmer). Most business types listed here (barber shop, yoga studio, home bakery, daycare, handyman, cleaning service, photography, auto repair, electrical contractor, tutoring, nail salon, tattoo parlor, pet sitting, catering, personal trainer, hair salon, landscaping, plumbing) do NOT require a general city business license. Massage-therapy businesses need a specific Massage Establishment License, mobile-dog-grooming/pet-sitting need an Animal Establishment License, and food trucks need a Mobile Food Vendor License — each covered separately. Confirm with the City Clerk if unsure.

   Official government source

   no general license fee applies to most business types listed here·not applicable for most listed business types

   no general license fee applies to most business types listed here

   not applicable for most listed business types

2. Green Bay Home Occupation Application (and no DBA filing)

   If you run a cleaning service from your home in Green Bay you need a home-based occupation approval from the City's Department of Community & Economic Development under Green Bay Municipal Code Ch. 44. Wisconsin does not require sole proprietors to file a DBA or trade name with the county: Wis. Stat. 134.17 only requires recording a verified statement with the Brown County Register of Deeds when the name falsely appears to be a corporate name and is used to obtain credit.

   Official government source

   $25.00 initial home-based occupation application fee and $10.00 annual renewal (City of Green Bay Fee Schedule, Sec. 44-112). No DBA or trade-name filing fee applies in the ordinary case; if the narrow Wis. Stat. 134.17 case applies, the Register of Deeds charges the standard recording fee set by Wis. Stat. 59.43(2)(ag).·Not published - confirm current review times with the City of Green Bay Department of Community & Economic Development. No DBA filing step applies in the ordinary case.

   $25.00 initial home-based occupation application fee and $10.00 annual renewal (City of Green Bay Fee Schedule, Sec. 44-112). No DBA or trade-name filing fee applies in the ordinary case; if the narrow Wis. Stat. 134.17 case applies, the Register of Deeds charges the standard recording fee set by Wis. Stat. 59.43(2)(ag).

   Not published - confirm current review times with the City of Green Bay Department of Community & Economic Development. No DBA filing step applies in the ordinary case.

Official Sources

• City of Green Bay Office of the City Clerk
• Wisconsin Department of Revenue — Seller's Permit

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