Iowa Business Licenses
General Iowa Guides & Resources
These guides provide detailed, step-by-step instructions for starting a business or nonprofit, registering with state authorities, and establishing a compliant organization.
Business Resources:
Fast easy instructions and affordable support for filing your Iowa biennial report.
Get your Iowa business license. Harbor Compliance assists with initial and renewal registrations in every state.
Get your Iowa construction licenses. Harbor Compliance assists with initial and renewal registrations in every state.
Licensing guide for energy industry registrations and licenses in Iowa. Find detailed application, renewal, and reporting requirements.
If you are looking to obtain a finance license in Iowa, Harbor Compliance can help.
Total cost, time, and step-by-step instructions to form a limited liability company in Iowa. Do it yourself or purchase our formation service.
Total cost, time, and step-by-step instructions on how to incorporate in Iowa. Do it yourself or purchase our incorporation service.
Iowa Business Licensing Guides and Information.
Total time, cost, and paperwork to start your business in Iowa today! Our affordable formation services are state-specific.
Nonprofit Resources:
How to Start a Nonprofit Organization
Total cost, time, and how to start a nonprofit in Iowa. Instruction and services to assist with your non-profit formation.
Comprehensive solutions (and free resources) to help manage your fundraising, tax exemption, license renewals, and other nonprofit compliance activities in Iowa, and across the US.
Iowa Business Licenses for Regulated Industries
Our licensing guides provide a wealth of information including requirements, filing instructions, fees, timelines to licensure, and more for a range of industries and activities.
Iowa Corporate Filings
These web pages provide detailed information on state filings required to form an entity, register a name, gain authority to operate, maintain good standing, and more.
Iowa Tax Filings
Find the information you need to register for state taxes or seek tax exemptions.
- Iowa Employer (Payroll & Withholding Tax) Registration Service
- Iowa Sales & Use Tax Registration Service
- Iowa Sales Tax Exemption
- Iowa Tax Clearance Certificate
- Iowa Tax Exemption
Iowa State Licensing Agencies
Below is a listing of the state-level licensing agencies within Iowa that a business should check for business license requirements.
- Alcoholic Beverages Division
- Attorney General - Consumer Protection Division
- Department of Agriculture & Land Stewardship - Entomology & Plant Science Bureau
- Department of Inspections, Appeals, & Licensing - Board of Pharmacy
- Department of Inspections, Appeals, & Licensing - Building & Construction Division
- Department of Inspections, Appeals, & Licensing - Building & Construction Division - Electrical Licensing and Inspection Program
- Department of Inspections, Appeals, & Licensing - Building & Construction Division - Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board
- Department of Inspections, Appeals, & Licensing - Licensing Division - Accountancy Examining Board
- Department of Inspections, Appeals, & Licensing - Licensing Division - Architectural Examining Board
- Department of Inspections, Appeals, & Licensing - Licensing Division - Engineering & Land Surveying Examining Board
- Department of Inspections, Appeals, & Licensing - Licensing Division - Fire Extinguishing and Alarm Systems Advisory Board
- Department of Inspections, Appeals, & Licensing - Licensing Division - Interior Design Examining Board
- Department of Inspections, Appeals, & Licensing - Licensing Division - Landscape Architectural Examining Board
- Department of Inspections, Appeals, & Licensing - Real Estate Commission
- Department of Inspections, Appeals, & Licensing - Social and Charitable Gambling Unit
- Department of Public Safety
- Department of Public Safety State Fire Marshal Division
- Department of Revenue
- Division of Labor
- Insurance Division
- Secretary of State
- Utilities Board
- Workforce Development
Iowa Local Business Licences
Below is a listing of the local jurisdictions within Iowa that a business should check for local business license requirements.
County / Parish
- Adair County
- Adams County
- Allamakee County
- Appanoose County
- Audubon County
- Benton County
- Black Hawk County
- Boone County
- Bremer County
- Buchanan County
- Buena Vista County
- Butler County
- Calhoun County
- Carroll County
- Cass County
- Cedar County
- Cerro Gordo County
- Cherokee County
- Chickasaw County
- Clarke County
- Clay County
- Clayton County
- Clinton County
- Crawford County
- Dallas County
- Davis County
- Decatur County
- Delaware County
- Des Moines County
- Dickinson County
- Dubuque County
- Emmet County
- Fayette County
- Floyd County
- Franklin County
- Fremont County
- Greene County
- Grundy County
- Guthrie County
- Hamilton County
- Hancock County
- Hardin County
- Harrison County
- Henry County
- Howard County
- Humboldt County
- Ida County
- Iowa County
- Jackson County
- Jasper County
- Jefferson County
- Johnson County
- Jones County
- Keokuk County
- Kossuth County
- Lee County
- Linn County
- Louisa County
- Lucas County
- Lyon County
- Madison County
- Mahaska County
- Marion County
- Marshall County
- Mills County
- Mitchell County
- Monona County
- Monroe County
- Montgomery County
- Muscatine County
- O'Brien County
- Osceola County
- Page County
- Palo Alto County
- Plymouth County
- Pocahontas County
- Polk County
- Pottawattamie County
- Poweshiek County
- Ringgold County
- Sac County
- Scott County
- Shelby County
- Sioux County
- Story County
- Tama County
- Taylor County
- Union County
- Van Buren County
- Wapello County
- Warren County
- Washington County
- Wayne County
- Webster County
- Winnebago County
- Winneshiek County
- Woodbury County
- Worth County
- Wright County
City / Borough / Municipality / Neighborhood
- Ackley
- Adair
- Adel
- Afton
- Agency
- Ainsworth
- Akron
- Albert City
- Albia
- Alburnett
- Alden
- Alexander
- Algona
- Alleman
- Allerton
- Allison
- Alta
- Altoona
- Amana
- Ames
- Anamosa
- Andrew
- Anita
- Ankeny
- Anthon
- Aplington
- Arcadia
- Arlington
- Armstrong
- Atlantic
- Audubon
- Aurelia
- Avoca
- Badger
- Baldwin
- Batavia
- Baxter
- Bedford
- Belle Plaine
- Bellevue
- Belmond
- Bennett
- Benton
- Bernard
- Bettendorf
- Blairsburg
- Blairstown
- Bloomfield
- Bode
- Bonaparte
- Bondurant
- Boone
- Boxholm
- Boyden
- Breda
- Britt
- Brooklyn
- Buffalo Center
- Burlington
- Burnside
- Burt
- Bussey
- Callender
- Calmar
- Camanche
- Cantril
- Carlisle
- Carroll
- Carson
- Carter Lake
- Cascade
- Casey
- Castana
- Cedar Falls
- Cedar Rapids
- Center Junction
- Center Point
- Centerville
- Central City
- Chariton
- Charles City
- Charter Oak
- Cherokee
- Churdan
- Clarence
- Clarinda
- Clarion
- Clarksville
- Clear Lake
- Clinton
- Clive
- Coin
- Colesburg
- Colfax
- College Springs
- Colo
- Columbus Junction
- Conrad
- Coon Rapids
- Coralville
- Corning
- Correctionville
- Corydon
- Council Bluffs
- Crescent
- Cresco
- Creston
- Crystal Lake
- Cumberland
- Cumming
- Cylinder
- Dakota City
- Dallas Center
- Danville
- Davenport
- De Soto
- Decatur City
- Decorah
- Defiance
- Delhi
- Delmar
- Denison
- Denver
- Des Moines
- DeWitt
- Dexter
- Diagonal
- Dickens
- Dike
- Donnellson
- Doon
- Dows
- Dubuque
- Dumont
- Dunkerton
- Dunlap
- Durant
- Dyersville
- Dysart
- Eagle Grove
- Earlham
- Earling
- Eddyville
- Edgewood
- Eldon
- Eldora
- Eldridge
- Elgin
- Elk Horn
- Elkader
- Ellsworth
- Ely
- Emerson
- Emmetsburg
- Epworth
- Essex
- Estherville
- Everly
- Exira
- Fairbank
- Fairfield
- Farley
- Farragut
- Fayette
- Fenton
- Ferguson
- Fontanelle
- Forest City
- Fort Dodge
- Fort Madison
- Fredericksburg
- Fremont
- Garnavillo
- Garner
- Garwin
- George
- Gilbert
- Gillett Grove
- Gilman
- Gladbrook
- Glenwood
- Glidden
- Goldfield
- Goose Lake
- Gowrie
- Graettinger
- Grand Junction
- Grand Mound
- Granger
- Granville
- Greene
- Greenfield
- Grimes
- Grinnell
- Griswold
- Grundy Center
- Guthrie Center
- Guttenberg
- Hamburg
- Hampton
- Harlan
- Hartley
- Hartwick
- Hastings
- Havelock
- Hawarden
- Henderson
- Hiawatha
- Hills
- Hinton
- Holstein
- Hornick
- Hospers
- Hubbard
- Hudson
- Hull
- Humboldt
- Humeston
- Huxley
- Ida Grove
- Independence
- Indianola
- Inwood
- Iowa City
- Iowa Falls
- Janesville
- Jefferson
- Jesup
- Jewell
- Johnston
- Kalona
- Kamrar
- Kanawha
- Kensett
- Keokuk
- Keosauqua
- Keota
- Keystone
- Kingsley
- Knoxville
- La Porte City
- Lake City
- Lake Mills
- Lake Park
- Lake View
- Lamoni
- Lansing
- Latimer
- Laurel
- Laurens
- Lawton
- Le Claire
- Le Mars
- Lehigh
- Lenox
- Leon
- Letts
- Liberty Center
- Lime Springs
- Lineville
- Lisbon
- Livermore
- Logan
- Lone Tree
- Lost Nation
- Lovilia
- Lu Verne
- Lynnville
- Madrid
- Malcom
- Mallard
- Malvern
- Manchester
- Manilla
- Manly
- Manning
- Manson
- Mapleton
- Maquoketa
- Marcus
- Marengo
- Marion
- Marshalltown
- Martelle
- Martensdale
- Mason City
- Massena
- Maxwell
- Maynard
- McCallsburg
- McClelland
- McGregor
- Mechanicsville
- Mediapolis
- Melbourne
- Melcher-Dallas
- Melcher-Dallas
- Meriden
- Miles
- Milford
- Millersburg
- Minburn
- Missouri Valley
- Mitchellville
- Mondamin
- Monona
- Montezuma
- Monticello
- Moorhead
- Morning Sun
- Moscow
- Moulton
- Mount Ayr
- Mount Pleasant
- Mount Vernon
- Moville
- Murray
- Muscatine
- Nashua
- Neola
- Nevada
- New Hampton
- New London
- New Market
- New Sharon
- Newell
- Newhall
- Newton
- Nora Springs
- North English
- North Liberty
- Northwood
- Norwalk
- Norway
- Oakdale
- Oakland
- Oakville
- Ocheyedan
- Odebolt
- Oelwein
- Ogden
- Okoboji
- Olin
- Onawa
- Oran
- Orange City
- Orient
- Osage
- Osceola
- Oskaloosa
- Ottumwa
- Oxford
- Oxford Junction
- Packwood
- Palmer
- Palo
- Panama
- Panora
- Parkersburg
- Patterson
- Paullina
- Pella
- Peosta
- Perry
- Plainfield
- Pleasant Hill
- Pleasant Valley
- Pleasantville
- Pocahontas
- Pomeroy
- Postville
- Prairie City
- Preston
- Primghar
- Ralston
- Readlyn
- Red Oak
- Reinbeck
- Remsen
- Riceville
- Richland
- Ringsted
- Riverside
- Robins
- Rock Rapids
- Rock Valley
- Rockford
- Rockwell
- Rockwell City
- Rudd
- Runnells
- Ruthven
- Sabula
- Sac City
- Saint Ansgar
- Saint Anthony
- Saint Charles
- Salix
- Schaller
- Schleswig
- Scranton
- Sergeant Bluff
- Seymour
- Sheffield
- Shelby
- Sheldon
- Shell Rock
- Shellsburg
- Shenandoah
- Sibley
- Sidney
- Sigourney
- Sioux Center
- Sioux City
- Sioux Rapids
- Slater
- Sloan
- Solon
- South English
- Spencer
- Sperry
- Spillville
- Spirit Lake
- Springville
- Stanhope
- Stanton
- Stanwood
- State Center
- Storm Lake
- Story City
- Stratford
- Strawberry Point
- Stuart
- Sully
- Sumner
- Superior
- Swea City
- Swisher
- Tabor
- Tama
- Terril
- Thompson
- Thornburg
- Thornton
- Tiffin
- Tipton
- Titonka
- Toledo
- Traer
- Treynor
- Tripoli
- Troy Mills
- Truro
- Underwood
- Union
- Unionville
- Urbana
- Urbandale
- Vail
- Van Horne
- Van Meter
- Ventura
- Victor
- Villisca
- Vinton
- Walcott
- Wall Lake
- Walnut
- Wapello
- Washington
- Waterloo
- Waucoma
- Waukee
- Waukon
- Waverly
- Wayland
- Webster City
- Wellman
- Wellsburg
- Wesley
- West Bend
- West Branch
- West Burlington
- West Des Moines
- West Liberty
- West Point
- West Union
- Westside
- What Cheer
- Wheatland
- Whiting
- Williamsburg
- Wilton
- Winterset
- Winthrop
- Woden
- Woodbine
- Woodward
- Woolstock
- Wyoming
- Zearing
