BUSINESS LICENSES AND PERMITS
IN GENERAL The startup, operation or expansion of a business in Minnesota may involve securing one or more business, occupational or environmental licenses or permits. Those licenses and permits fall into a number of categorical groupings according to purpose: • Licenses and permits to ensure the competency of practitioners of a business, trade or profession. • Licenses and permits to ensure the safety and efficacy of a product or process. • Licenses and permits to prevent fraud or ensure the financial solvency of parties to a business transaction. • Licenses and permits to control access to markets or to encourage or restrict competition in a specific industry. • Licenses and permits to regulate activities in pursuit of broad social goals like clean air, clean water. • Licenses and permits to ensure the appropriate and responsible use of natural resources. • Licenses and permits to control the development and implementation of new technology. • Licenses and permits to authorize a business to serve as the state’s agent for collection of revenue. The Bureau of Business Licenses provides information about federal, state and local licenses and assistance in securing them. The Bureau also publishes, free of charge, the State of Minnesota Directory of Licenses and Permits which contains a complete list of regulated activities, licenses and permits, and the appropriate state agency contact. It is reprinted at the end of this Guide. A list of licenses and permits with more extensive information on state requirements, schedules, fees is available at Minnesota ELicensing. From the Minnesota ELicensing website, a business can access licensing information on over 890 licenses administered by state agencies in Minnesota. This includes information on permits, registrations, certifications, credentialing and other forms of approval granted by state agencies and boards as a condition of doing business: conducting a trade, profession or occupation, or pursuing a recreational activity in Minnesota. This includes equipment and vehicles and the right to operate them. This site is easy to use and conveniently lets you access licensing information by activity, administering agency, name of license, or with a keyword search. Note that Minn. Stat. § 645.44, subd. 19 makes explicit that monies paid to a government entity for a business or individual to engage in trade, profession, or business or to improve private property are a tax not a fee.
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