Find every license your business actually needs.
Our license search checks federal, state, county, and city requirements for your specific industry, address, and activity. Then we file the licenses you need and track their renewal dates.
Business Licenses, plainly.
Forming an LLC is not the same as being licensed to operate. Most businesses need additional licenses at one or more levels of government: a federal license if regulated (food, alcohol, firearms, broadcast, transport), a state license (most professional services, healthcare, contractor, retail liquor, child care), a county license, a city or municipal business license.
The license requirements depend on three things: what industry you are in, where you are physically located, and what specific activities you do. A landscaping LLC in Phoenix needs different licenses from a landscaping LLC in Atlanta. A SaaS company in San Francisco needs a city business license. A restaurant needs maybe 8 separate licenses.
Our license search asks specific questions about your business type and looks up the exact requirements for your address. We then handle the filings, including any required preliminary steps (fingerprinting, background checks, professional licensing, zoning).
Common situations.
A clean handoff, in four steps.
You give us the basics. We handle the state, the IRS, and the compliance clock so you can focus on the business.
A name that's actually available.
Real-time check against the state register, USPTO trademark database, and matching domains.
Filed with the Secretary of State.
We submit your Articles, pay the state fee on your behalf, and return the stamped certificate.
EIN + the right tax setup.
Federal Employer ID with the IRS, plus state tax accounts when your business needs them.
Registered Agent + deadline tracking.
Your agent on file in every state, with every renewal and annual report tracked in one calendar.
Four steps. We handle the rest.
How we compare.
| Standard providers | Legacy online providers | Local consultants | File.Business | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Search | $99 | $199 | varies | included |
| Per-license filing | $99 | $199+ | varies | $99 |
| Renewal calendar | no | no | no | yes |
| Background checks coordinated | extra | extra | varies | included |
| Stored in vault | no | no | no | yes |
Based on publicly listed pricing and feature pages as of 2026. Competitor names are trademarks of their respective owners.
Frequently asked questions.
How many licenses does a business need?
Federal licenses, when?
Professional licensing?
Home-based business?
What if my activity changes?
Background checks and fingerprinting?
Renewal periods?
What if I miss a renewal?
Multi-state operations?
Run a license search in about 5 minutes.
Tell us a few details. We do the rest. You get a single dashboard for everything.
Recommended add-ons
Most customers add these to keep their business compliant year-round.
Registered Agent
Most orderedRequired for every registered business entity in every state.
Compliance Monitoring
Best valueTrack every annual report, registered agent renewal, and license deadline.
Annual Report Filing
RecommendedAuto-file your state annual report. Never miss a deadline.