Cleaning Service Permit Requirements in Morgantown, WV

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. West Virginia State Tax Department — Business Registration

   Before engaging in business activity in West Virginia every individual or business entity must obtain a Business Registration Certificate from the WV Tax Division (WV Code §11-12-1 et seq.), applied for through the Business for West Virginia portal at business4.wv.gov or on form BUS-APP. A separate certificate is needed for each business name and each location. The certificate is permanent — it does not expire — until the legal name, location or ownership changes, and it must be surrendered when the business stops operating in West Virginia. It also authorises you to collect the 6% state sales tax plus any municipal sales tax of up to 1%.

   Official government source

   $30 one-time Business Registration Certificate fee, per business name and location·1–5 business days when filed online through the Business for West Virginia portal (business4.wv.gov); longer by paper BUS-APP

   $30 one-time Business Registration Certificate fee, per business name and location

   1–5 business days when filed online through the Business for West Virginia portal (business4.wv.gov); longer by paper BUS-APP

2. West Virginia Workers' Compensation Insurance

   West Virginia requires employers with employees to carry workers' compensation insurance, bought from one of the more than 350 private carriers writing in the state — West Virginia privatised its workers' compensation fund in 2006 and there is no state fund. Coverage is verified by the Offices of the Insurance Commissioner, and other agencies check it: the WV Contractor Licensing Board will not issue or renew a contractor licence without proof of workers' compensation and unemployment coverage. Sole proprietors, partners and members with no employees may apply to the Insurance Commissioner for an exemption from coverage.

   Official government source

   No state-set fee — premium is quoted by a private carrier from your payroll and classification code; sole proprietors with no employees may apply for an exemption at no premium cost·Immediate to 1 week

   No state-set fee — premium is quoted by a private carrier from your payroll and classification code; sole proprietors with no employees may apply for an exemption at no premium cost

   Immediate to 1 week

1. City of Morgantown Finance Department — Municipal Business License

   Every business operating inside Morgantown city limits must hold a Municipal Business License issued by the city Finance Department (304-284-7408) and applied for through the Morgantown Access Portal. You must first hold a WV State Business Registration Certificate, and if you have a physical location in the city you must also obtain a Certificate of Occupancy ($65) before the license will issue. Licenses run on the city fiscal year and expire June 30, so renew on or before July 1. The license is separate from the city's Business & Occupation (B&O) gross-receipts tax and its municipal service fee on employees and self-employed owners working in the city.

   Official government source

   $20 flat Municipal License Fee (also $20 for non-profits), printed on the city's Municipal Business License Application; B&O tax and the municipal service fee are billed separately·1–3 weeks

   $20 flat Municipal License Fee (also $20 for non-profits), printed on the city's Municipal Business License Application; B&O tax and the municipal service fee are billed separately

   1–3 weeks

2. Morgantown Home Occupation Approval and WV Trade Name (DBA) Registration

   A cleaning service run from a home in Morgantown needs Home Occupation approval from the city Planning Department before the Finance Department will issue a municipal business license. Class 1 home occupations (work conducted off-premise or electronically, no customer visits) are approved administratively; Class 2 is a conditional use requiring Board of Zoning Appeals approval. If using a trade name, file the DBA with the West Virginia Secretary of State — Monongalia County does not accept trade name filings.

   Official government source

   WV Secretary of State trade name: no filing fee for a sole proprietor, individual or general partnership; $25 for an LLC, corporation or other registered entity; plus $1 online processing. No published fee for the Morgantown Home Occupation Application itself; the municipal business license that follows is $20.·1–2 weeks for the trade name filing and Class 1 home occupation approval; longer if a Class 2 Board of Zoning Appeals hearing is needed

   WV Secretary of State trade name: no filing fee for a sole proprietor, individual or general partnership; $25 for an LLC, corporation or other registered entity; plus $1 online processing. No published fee for the Morgantown Home Occupation Application itself; the municipal business license that follows is $20.

   1–2 weeks for the trade name filing and Class 1 home occupation approval; longer if a Class 2 Board of Zoning Appeals hearing is needed

Official Sources

• City of Morgantown City Clerk
• West Virginia State Tax Department — Business Registration

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