Pocatello Business License: No General License, but a Full Fee Table and a Home Occupation License

Searching for a Pocatello Idaho business license usually turns up an answer that is only partly right. Pocatello does not issue a general business license that every company must hold. The city licenses certain types of business, and it requires a separate Home Occupation License for businesses run from a home. This guide shows you how to confirm whether your activity needs a city license, what the city charges, and which Idaho filings sit alongside it.

Informational content only. This article is general information, not legal or tax advice. Rules and fees change, so confirm each figure with the agency named in the step. If your situation is complex, such as alcohol service, a regulated trade, or multiple owners, talk with a qualified attorney or CPA before you file.

What you need before you start

• A written description of what your business will sell or do, and whether customers will come to the location
• The business name you want, checked against the Idaho business search at sosbiz.idaho.gov/search/business
• The physical address where the business will operate, and whether it is a home address
• An Idaho registered agent with a physical street address (P.O. boxes are not accepted)
• Filing money: $100 online or $120 on paper for an LLC Certificate of Organization, and $25 online or $45 on paper for an assumed business name
• Phone numbers: Police Department Permits and Licensing Division, 208-234-6285; Planning and Development Services, 208-234-6184; fingerprinting appointments, 208-234-6105
• A copy of the current city fee schedule, pulled from the City of Pocatello website on the day you apply

Step 1: Check whether your activity needs a Pocatello license

As of 2026, Pocatello requires a city license only for certain types of business. If your activity is not on the schedule below, you likely do not need a Pocatello general license, so do not pay a fee for a license your activity does not require. Confirm by calling the Police Department Permits and Licensing Division at 208-234-6285 and describing your business in one or two sentences.

Use this table as your starting point. Fees are shown as the city schedule lists them.

Activity	City fee
Catering	$20 per day
Beer, off-premise	$50
Beer, on-premise	$150
Wine	$200
Liquor by the drink (includes wine)	$562.50
Liquor on a golf course (includes wine)	$300
Proprietor or owner transfer	$25
Site or location change	$50
Detective and security: investigator or guard business	$100
Detective and security: employee (renewal $40)	$80
Taxi company (renewal $50)	$100
Taxi operator	$80
Auctioneer	$100
Carnival or circus	$100
Christmas tree lot	$50
Pawnbroker	$50
Solicitor or peddler business	$100
Solicitor or peddler, individual	$80
Sexually oriented business	$150 or more. The city page shows different figures across versions, so confirm the current schedule before you apply.

Renewing at least 30 days early earns a reduced renewal fee. Put the renewal date on your calendar the day the license is issued.

Step 2: Form your entity with the Idaho Secretary of State

Idaho has no state business license. Business.idaho.gov states it plainly: 'Idaho does not have a state business license. Registering your business is a registration, not a license.' Your entity filing is a state registration with the Idaho Secretary of State at sos.idaho.gov, and it is usually the first document a new business files.

For an LLC, file a Certificate of Organization (Limited Liability Company) through SOSBiz at sosbiz.idaho.gov/forms/business/. The fee is $100 online and $120 on paper. The name must include 'limited liability company' or 'limited company,' or an accepted abbreviation such as LLC, L.C. or LC, and it must be distinguishable from names already on the Secretary of State's records. A corporation files Articles of Incorporation for a $100 filing fee.

The Secretary of State says business filings are processed in about 7 to 10 days from the filing date. Expedited service costs more: a $40 surcharge for evidence of filing within 8 working hours, or a $100 surcharge for same day service on filings submitted before 1:00 p.m. Mountain time. Check the SOSBiz Processed Through Date page for current estimates.

Every entity must keep an Idaho registered agent with a physical Idaho street address who is available during normal business hours. An owner may serve as their own agent using an Idaho address. An assumed business name cannot serve as the registered agent.

Step 3: File an assumed business name if you will not use your legal name

If you will operate under a name other than your LLC or corporation name, or you are a sole proprietor using a trade name, file a Certificate of Assumed Business Name, which is the Idaho DBA. It is filed with the Idaho Secretary of State, not with a county office. The fee is $25 online or $45 on paper, and the paper fee includes a $20 manual data entry surcharge. Forms are at sos.idaho.gov/business-forms/. A DBA registers the name. It does not license your activity, and it does not expire, although it stays active only until you cancel it.

Step 4: Apply for a Home Occupation License if you work from home

Home-based businesses in Pocatello need a Home Occupation License. Applications go through the city's eTRAKiT portal, and Planning and Development Services at 208-234-6184 handles the review. Before you submit, call and ask three questions: what the license covers, how your planned use fits the zoning rules for your address, and what the fee is. This guide does not list a Home Occupation License fee, so read it on the portal or confirm it by phone.

Ask the planner about customer visits, employees, signage, and equipment before you buy anything or sign a lease. The answers may change your plan.

Step 5: Handle activity-specific licenses and approvals

Several items on the fee table involve background checks. Fingerprinting is by appointment, so call 208-234-6105 and schedule it before your application deadline.

Some activities are not licensed by the city at all:

• Day care is licensed by Idaho Health and Welfare and IdahoSTARS, not the City of Pocatello.
• Contractors: Idaho has no statewide general contractor license. Contractors register with the Idaho Contractors Board at DOPL. Confirm the requirements for your trade with the board.
• Food or health-related operations: check with Southeastern Idaho Public Health about whether a permit applies to your operation.

Step 6: Register for state taxes

Idaho's flat income tax rate is 5.3%, and the Idaho State Tax Commission lists this as the 2025 rate, so confirm the current year's rate at tax.idaho.gov. A default LLC is a pass-through entity, and its members report Idaho income on their personal returns. An LLC that files a partnership or S corporation return owes a $10 permanent building fund tax per owner for whom the entity pays Idaho tax. An LLC taxed as a C corporation pays the 5.3% business income tax plus the $10 permanent building fund tax.

If you sell taxable goods, you will need a sales tax permit through the Idaho Tax Commission's registration system at tax.idaho.gov/ibr. The state sales tax rate is 6%. Idaho has no local sales tax outside voter-approved resort cities.

Short-term rentals have a specific rule. Since 2026-07-01, HB 583 bars cities and counties from requiring a license, fee, permit or registration for a short-term rental. State and local lodging taxes still apply, and the Pocatello-Chubbuck Auditorium District lodging tax is one of them. Ask the district whether it applies to your rental.

Step 7: Calendar your Idaho annual report

An LLC or corporation must file an annual report every year. It is due before the end of the month in which the formation document became effective, beginning one year after formation. The fee is listed as no fee under Idaho Code 30-21-214. Set the reminder the day you file.

What to expect

Many new businesses in Pocatello will find that the only required filings are the state entity filing, any DBA, and tax registrations, with no city general license at all. A business that falls on the fee table or needs a Home Occupation License should expect separate review times, so ask each department for its current timeline. Once your entity is processed, you can expect a confirmation you can check on the Idaho business search at sosbiz.idaho.gov/search/business. Keep copies of every filing and receipt in one folder.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Assuming Pocatello requires a general business license and paying a fee that your activity does not need.
• Filing a DBA with a county office. Idaho DBAs are filed with the Secretary of State.
• Using a P.O. box as the registered agent address, or using your DBA name as the registered agent.
• Operating a home business before the Home Occupation License is issued.
• Treating the Idaho entity filing as a license. It is a registration.
• Missing the 30-day early renewal window, which is when the reduced renewal fee applies.
• Assuming a day care is licensed by the city. It is licensed through state and partner agencies.
• Relying on an old fee figure from a third-party website. Confirm against the city schedule.

Tips for a smoother filing

• Call the Permits and Licensing Division before you pay anything, and describe your activity in plain words.
• Pay for expedited Secretary of State service only if you need a filing confirmed quickly.
• Check the business name on the Idaho business search before you pay for a filing.
• Schedule fingerprinting early, because the appointment may take time to get.
• Put every renewal and annual report date on one shared calendar.

For a business with alcohol service, multiple owners, a regulated trade, or any short-term rental, get advice from a qualified attorney or CPA before you open. This article is informational only and is not legal or tax advice.