Pressure Washing Permit Requirements in Green Bay, WI

1. EIN (Employer Identification Number)

   Required if you have employees or operate as an LLC/corporation. Free from the IRS.

   Official government source

   Free·Immediate (online)

   Free

   Immediate (online)

1. Wisconsin 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. Services are taxable only if they appear on DOR Publication 201's list - admissions and access to recreational facilities, landscaping, laundry and dry cleaning, and similar - so professional services such as accounting, consulting or insurance generally do not trigger it. The permit is obtained through Business Tax Registration, which also opens your withholding and use tax accounts.

   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.·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.

   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. General Liability Insurance - a client requirement, not a Wisconsin one

   Wisconsin does not license pressure washing contractors and does not require them to carry liability insurance - no pressure washing or power washing credential appears in DSPS's A-Z list of professions the department licenses. The requirement comes from customers: commercial clients and property managers routinely demand a certificate of insurance, often naming them as an additional insured, before work starts, and each contract sets its own limit. If you operate a company vehicle, commercial auto liability is a separate obligation under Wisconsin's motor vehicle financial responsibility law.

   Official government source

   No state-set price. General liability is quoted by private carriers on revenue, crew size, the work you do and the limit requested; Wisconsin publishes no schedule, so get quotes at the specific limit your target clients name.·Before your first commercial job - clients typically require the certificate in hand before signing.

   No state-set price. General liability is quoted by private carriers on revenue, crew size, the work you do and the limit requested; Wisconsin publishes no schedule, so get quotes at the specific limit your target clients name.

   Before your first commercial job - clients typically require the certificate in hand before signing.

1. Green Bay 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). Pressure washing is not a regulated category on the City Clerk's license list, so a general business license is not required for this business type in Green Bay.

   Official government source

   not applicable·not applicable

   not applicable

   not applicable

2. Stormwater / Wastewater Discharge Compliance

   Pressure washing businesses in Green Bay must not allow wash water containing detergents, oils or other pollutants to enter storm drains; contain the wastewater and dispose of it properly. Wisconsin's stormwater program is administered by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR), and the City of Green Bay administers local storm water management under Green Bay Municipal Code Ch. 16.

   Official government source

   No permit fee for ordinary operations - this is a discharge prohibition and an ongoing compliance obligation. Green Bay's $500.00 storm water management plan permit fee (Sec. 16-82) applies only to regulated land-disturbing/construction activity.·Ongoing compliance - there is no application step for ordinary operations.

   No permit fee for ordinary operations - this is a discharge prohibition and an ongoing compliance obligation. Green Bay's $500.00 storm water management plan permit fee (Sec. 16-82) applies only to regulated land-disturbing/construction activity.

   Ongoing compliance - there is no application step for ordinary operations.

3. DBA (Doing Business As) Registration

   Wisconsin does not require sole proprietors or general partnerships to file a DBA/trade name with the county or state. Wis. Stat. 134.17 only requires recording with the county Register of Deeds when a name falsely appears to be a corporate name (anti-fraud provision), not for ordinary trade-name use. If forming an LLC or corporation and operating under a different name, that name would be registered with the Wisconsin Dept. of Financial Institutions (DFI), not Brown County.

   Official government source

   not applicable (no county DBA filing exists for sole proprietors in Wisconsin)·not applicable

   not applicable (no county DBA filing exists for sole proprietors in Wisconsin)

   not applicable

Official Sources

• City of Green Bay — Business Licensing
• Wisconsin Department of Environmental Quality
• Wisconsin Secretary of State

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