Where do you want to do business? Start with a zip code.
Enter the zip code or street address of your business location. We take you to the business license page for that city or county.
These local governments have committed support to the Small Business Opportunity Center. Select a tile to open the official business license page for that locality.
Use the zip code or street address where the business will operate.
We show the city or county that handles your business license.
One click opens the local government page with the application and contact details.
Search by name or filter by region.
| Locality | Region | Office | Phone | License page |
|---|
Towns sit inside a county. Some towns issue their own business license, so check the town page and the county page.
| Town | County | Region | Phone | Town page |
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A business license is your entry to the formal economy. Without it, you operate where growth programs, government buyers, and lenders cannot easily reach you. With it, you are visible, and visibility opens doors.
Your license is also the local government's record that your business exists. Most small businesses need a combination of licenses and permits from federal, state, and local agencies, and your city or county often issues the first one.4 This navigator takes you to that page.
Wanting to start a business is not what separates successful founders from the rest. Access to resources is. In my 2014 study, even recessions and macroenvironmental disturbances had no relationship with entrepreneurship rates.1 In my 2026 study, I investigate the role of status, a marker of legitimacy, on a firm's resource pool and financial performance, and found that lower status does impact small firm success and opportunity.2 Those findings are why the SBOC exists--we seek to help you increase your knowledge and information resources to crack the door of opportunity for those who want to go through it.
Legitimacy, status, contracts, training, capital and other resources sit behind formal business registration. Closing the opportunity gap for small business owners starts with your business license.
Your local license is the first step. Most businesses also need state or federal registrations, and some qualify for certifications that open contracting opportunities.
Common requirements include business registration, a general business license, a seller's permit for sales tax, an Employer Identification Number from the IRS, and food safety permits for restaurants. Some industries, such as alcohol, contracting, and hair styling, need special licenses with training or testing.1 Federal agencies license activities such as agriculture, aviation, firearms, and broadcasting.2
Virginia Business One Stop
The state's licensing portal links you to state licensure. This navigator adds the municipal licensing page that Business One Stop does not provide.
bos.sbsd.virginia.gov · SBSD (804) 786-6585
The SWaM program helps qualifying businesses compete for state-funded projects, and many Virginia localities also recognize it. There are five designations.3
To sell to the federal government, you must register your business in SAM.4 Apply for SWaM through the SBSD certification division. The SBSD office is at 600 East Broad Street, Suite 300, Richmond, VA 23219, phone (804) 786-6585.5
Small Business Opportunity Center: We exist to connect entrepreneurs to resources and opportunity. The Small Business Opportunity Center is a holistic small business accelerator and research center at Virginia Commonwealth University implemented by the VCU Division of Community Engagement in partnership with the VCU School of Business and the VCU da Vinci Center for Innovation. Our free, supportive entrepreneurship program identifies high potential under-resourced entrepreneurs and we provide them with or direct them to the training and resources they need in their entrepreneurship ecosystem to launch and scale successful traded sector firms.
We offer fall, spring, and on-demand small business training academies, student-led technical support, seed funding awards and pitch competitions--participation in which is merit-based and dependent upon completion of our training or certifications. Our website also brings together this Business License Navigator and other training and information resources. We offer a host of additional resources in partnership with state universities and colleges, key entrepreneurship support organizations, local governments, and state agencies across Virginia's interconnected East Coast regions. Through that partnership network, you reach the training, certifications, funding, and advising each partner provides.
The Virginia SBDC also gives no-cost individual advising. Call (703) 277-7703 or email help@virginiasbdc.org.6
Learn more and enroll: https://smallbusinessopportunitycenter.com/
Deciding whether to form an LLC or corporation comes next. See the State Corporation Commission tab.
Many owners start as a sole proprietor, then decide to incorporate or form a limited liability company (LLC) to protect personal assets. A sole proprietor owns an unincorporated business alone. In a general partnership, each partner is liable for the other partners' mistakes. With corporations and LLCs, owners and managers are generally not liable for the business's obligations.1
The Virginia State Corporation Commission (SCC) is where you register a business as a legal entity. Its New Business Resources page walks you through four steps: choose a business structure, select a distinctive name, appoint a registered agent, and file with the SCC. Online filing is typically faster, sometimes with same-day approval.2
In 2026, the Small Business Opportunity Center Expansion Project was funded in part by GO Virginia, a state funded initiative administered by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) that strengthens and diversifies Virginia's economy and fosters the creation of higher wage jobs in strategic industries.
