GUIDES & RESOURCES
Business Licenses
A quick guide containing links to selected websites, books, movies, magazines, online databases and other resources to help you find what you are looking for.
Websites
- Business Owner's Guide to State Government
- Licensing and Permits in Indiana
- From the Indiana State Information Center
- Marion County Recorder - Assumed Business Name
- If your business operates under an assumed name (a name that does not include the surname of the owner) the name must be recorded with the appropriate county recorder as well as with the Indiana Secretary of State. Record your business name in Marion County by filing a "Certificate of Firm or Partnership Engaged in Business Under Name Other Than Their Own".
- Indiana Secretary of State - Check Name Availability
- Do a business name search to determine if a business entity legal name may be available for use. This is a preliminary search, the name can not be guaranteed until the final processing of the Exclusive Use of Corporation Name form.
- Application for Reservation of Exclusive Use of Corporate Name
- Indiana Tax Center
- From Indiana Department of Revenue: Sales Tax ( Registered Retail Merchants certificate), Withholding Tax, and Food & Beverage Tax.
- Employment Taxes for Small Business
- From the Internal Revenue Service: Federal Income Tax Withholding, Social Security and Medicare taxes, and Federal Unemployment Tax Act. Apply for an Employer Identification Number (EIN), also known as a Federal Tax Identification Number.
- Indiana Department of Workforce Development
- State unemployment insurance tax requirements for employers.
- Indiana Worker's Compensation Board Injured Workers
- Obtain worker's compensation insurance coverage for your employees.
- Indianapolis Controller's Office
- Issues business licenses for the following limited number of business types: adult entertainment, amusement location, carriage business, coachman, cart vendor, commercial parking lot, dance hall and dance permit, escort services, escorts, fire prevention business and servicemen, hotel/motel, kennels, groomers/pet stores/stables, limo driver, limo owner, massage parlor, massage therapists, nude models, pawn broker, public pay phone, scavenger truck, second hand motor vehicles, sidewalk cafe, sound truck, special events, transient merchant activities (see Transient Merchant link below), taxi driver and taxi owner. All other types of businesses requiring licensing information should call the State Information Center at (317) 233-0800.
- Indianapolis Department of Metropolitan Development - Division of Compliance
- Building permits(construction/electrical/HVACR/plumbing), signs, zoning, transient merchant licenses and licensed contractors listings.
- Indiana Professional Licensing Agency
- Administers licensing of 15 non-health related professions (i.e. accountants, auctioneers, cosmetologists, engineers, plumbers, private detectives, realtors, etc.)
- Marion County Health Department - Department of Food Safety
- Issues licenses for opening/renovating restaurants and for events at which temporary food establishments operate. Conducts food safety inspections for restaurants, grocery stores and other food service establishments
- Indiana Department of Health - Food Protection Program
- Enforces food sanitation (retail and wholesale) laws, trains local health departments, inspects food operators on state property, administers food product recalls
- Uniform Code Council - Bar codes
- Transient Merchant
- Sale of goods from an outdoor location.
- CCH (Commerce Clearing House)
- The Business Owner's Toolkit explains licensing and permits.
Library Materials
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SCORE guide starting a business in the Indianapolis area by: 658.11 1998 |
Indiana small business resource guide by: 658.022 IND |
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Building a business in Indiana a guide for starting and growing a privately owned business by: 658.1109772 BUI |
Online Databases
- Business Source Premier
- Provides full text for more than 2,800 scholarly business journals. Locate articles from well-known business periodicals.
- General Business File ASAP
- This multi-faceted database provides information on businesses and companies.
- ReferenceUSA
- ReferenceUSA is a searchable national business directory with listings for over 14 million US businesses
Organization Links
- Central Indiana SBDC (Small Business Development Center)
- 9301 E. 59th St., Room F147
Indianapolis, IN 46216
(317) 233-SBDC (7232) - Provides free counseling to help develop business plans and solve problems in existing businesses.
- Business Ownership Initiative of Indiana/Central Indiana Women's Business Center
- 4755 Kingsway Drive, Suite 314
Indianapolis, IN 46204
(317) 917-3266 - Programs include business counseling and a 20-hour Business Beginnings class. Formerly known as the Neighborhood Self-Employment Initiative.
- SBA Indiana
- U.S. Small Business Administration - Indiana District Office
8500 Keystone Crossing, Suite 400
Indianapolis, IN 46240
(317) 226-7272 - Counseling and training sessions are available to those starting or running businesses.
- SCORE (Counselors to America’s Small Business)
- 8500 Keystone Crossing, Suite 401
Indianapolis, IN 46240
(317) 226-7264 - Offers one-on-one counseling and a monthly workshop "Starting and Running Your Own Successful Small Business. Registration is required.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- What license do I need for my business?
- Indiana does not have any one single, comprehensive business license. The Indiana State Information Center website should help.
