North Carolina Business Licenses
General North Carolina 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 North Carolina annual report.
Get your North Carolina business license. Harbor Compliance assists with initial and renewal registrations in every state.
Get your North Carolina construction licenses. Harbor Compliance assists with initial and renewal registrations in every state.
Licensing guide for energy industry registrations and licenses in North Carolina. Find detailed application, renewal, and reporting requirements.
If you are looking to obtain a finance license in North Carolina, Harbor Compliance can help.
Total cost, time, and step-by-step instructions to form a limited liability company in North Carolina. Do it yourself or purchase our formation service.
Total cost, time, and step-by-step instructions on how to incorporate in North Carolina. Do it yourself or purchase our incorporation service.
North Carolina Business Licensing Guides and Information.
Total time, cost, and paperwork to start your business in North Carolina 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 North Carolina. 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 North Carolina, and across the US.
North Carolina 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.
North Carolina 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.
- North Carolina Articles of Incorporation
- North Carolina Articles of Organization
- North Carolina Certificate of Authority
- North Carolina Certificate of Cancellation Service
- North Carolina Certificate of Good Standing / Existence
- North Carolina Certificate of Merger
- North Carolina Certification - Authentication
- North Carolina Corporation LLC Nonprofit Amendment
- North Carolina Entity Name Reservation
- North Carolina Fictitious Name Registration & Renewal
- North Carolina Nonprofit Articles of Incorporation
- North Carolina Registered Agent Service
- Obtain North Carolina Certified Copies
- Reinstate North Carolina Corporation LLC Nonprofit
- Start a North Carolina 501(c)(3)
North Carolina Tax Filings
Find the information you need to register for state taxes or seek tax exemptions.
- North Carolina Employer (Payroll & Withholding Tax) Registration Service
- North Carolina Sales & Use Tax Registration Service
- North Carolina Sales Tax Exemption
- North Carolina Tax Clearance Certificate
- North Carolina Tax Exemption
North Carolina State Licensing Agencies
Below is a listing of the state-level licensing agencies within North Carolina that a business should check for business license requirements.
- Board for the Licensing of Geologists
- Board of Architecture and Registered Interior Designers
- Board of Examiners for Engineers & Surveyors
- Board of Landscape Architects
- Board of Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselors (NCBLCMHC)
- Board of Nursing
- Board of Pharmacy
- Commissioner of Banks - Consumer Finance Section
- Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services - Food and Drug Protection Division - Drug Program
- Department of Commerce - Division of Employment Security
- Department of Health and Human Services - Asbestos Hazard Management Program
- Department of Health and Human Services - Drug Control Unit
- Department of Health and Human Services - Lead Hazard Management Program
- Department of Insurance
- Department of Labor - Wage and Hour Division
- Department of Revenue
- Division of Health Service Regulation - Acute and Home Care Licensure and Certification Section
- Landscape Contractors Licensing Board
- Licensing Board for General Contractors
- Medical Board
- Private Protective Services Board
- Psychology Board
- Real Estate Commission
- Secretary of State - Business Registration Division
- Secretary of State - Charitable Solicitation Licensing Division
- Social Work Certification and Licensure Board
- State Bar
- State Board of CPA Examiners
- State Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors
- State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors
- State Board of Refrigeration Contractors
- State Bureau of Investigation - Alcohol Law Enforcement Branch
- Veterinary Medical Board
North Carolina Local Business Licences
Below is a listing of the local jurisdictions within North Carolina that a business should check for local business license requirements.
County / Parish
- Alamance County
- Alexander County
- Alleghany County
- Anson County
- Ashe County
- Avery County
- Beaufort County
- Bertie County
- Bladen County
- Brunswick County
- Buncombe County
- Burke County
- Cabarrus County
- Caldwell County
- Camden County
- Carteret County
- Caswell County
- Catawba County
- Chatham County
- Cherokee County
- Chowan County
- Clay County
- Cleveland County
- Columbus County
- Craven County
- Cumberland County
- Currituck County
- Dare County
- Davidson County
- Davie County
- Duplin County
- Durham County
- Edgecombe County
- Forsyth County
- Franklin County
- Gaston County
- Gates County
- Graham County
- Granville County
- Greene County
- Guilford County
- Halifax County
- Harnett County
- Haywood County
- Henderson County
- Hertford County
- Hoke County
- Hyde County
- Iredell County
- Jackson County
- Johnston County
- Jones County
- Lee County
- Lenoir County
- Lincoln County
- Macon County
- Madison County
- Martin County
- McDowell County
- Mecklenburg County
- Mitchell County
- Montgomery County
- Moore County
- Nash County
- New Hanover County
- Northampton County
- Onslow County
- Orange County
- Pamlico County
- Pasquotank County
- Pender County
- Perquimans County
- Person County
- Pitt County
- Polk County
- Randolph County
- Richmond County
- Robeson County
- Rockingham County
- Rowan County
- Rutherford County
- Sampson County
- Scotland County
- Stanly County
- Stokes County
- Surry County
- Swain County
- Transylvania County
- Tyrrell County
- Union County
- Vance County
- Wake County
- Warren County
- Washington County
- Watauga County
- Wayne County
- Wilkes County
- Wilson County
- Yadkin County
- Yancey County
City / Borough / Municipality / Neighborhood
- Aberdeen
- Advance
- Ahoskie
- Albemarle
- Alliance
- Andrews
- Angier
- Apex
- Archdale
- Arden
- Asheboro
- Asheville
- Atlantic
- Atlantic Beach
- Aulander
- Aurora
- Avon
- Aydlett
- Bailey
- Bakersville
- Banner Elk
- Barco
- Barnardsville
- Bath
- Battleboro
- Bayboro
- Beaufort
- Belews Creek
- Belhaven
- Belmont
- Benson
- Bessemer City
- Beulaville
- Black Creek
- Black Mountain
- Bladenboro
- Blanch
- Boiling Spring Lakes
- Boiling Springs
- Bolivia
- Boone
- Brasstown
- Brevard
- Bridgeton
- Browns Summit
- Brunswick
- Bryson City
- Buies Creek
- Bunn
- Burgaw
- Burlington
- Burnsville
- Butner
- Buxton
- Calabash
- Camden
- Cameron
- Camp Lejeune
- Candler
- Canton
- Carolina Beach
- Carolina Shores
- Carrboro
- Carthage
- Cary
- Cashiers
- Castle Hayne
- Catawba
- Cedar Falls
- Cedar Island
- Chapel Hill
- Charlotte
- Cherokee
- Cherryville
- China Grove
- Chocowinity
- Claremont
- Clayton
- Clemmons
- Cleveland
- Climax
- Clinton
- Clyde
- Coats
- Colfax
- Columbia
- Columbus
- Concord
- Conetoe
- Conover
- Cornelius
- Corolla
- Cove City
- Cramerton
- Creedmoor
- Creston
- Creswell
- Crossnore
- Cullowhee
- Currituck
- Dallas
- Danbury
- Davidson
- Denton
- Denver
- Dobson
- Dublin
- Duck
- Dudley
- Dunn
- Durham
- Eagle Springs
- East Spencer
- Eden
- Edenton
- Efland
- Elizabeth City
- Elizabethtown
- Elkin
- Ellerbe
- Elm City
- Elon
- Emerald Isle
- Enfield
- Engelhard
- Enka
- Ennice
- Erwin
- Everetts
- Fairfield
- Fairmont
- Fairview
- Farmville
- Fayetteville
- Fearrington
- Flat Rock
- Fletcher
- Forest City
- Fort Bragg
- Franklin
- Franklinton
- Fuquay Varina
- Garner
- Gastonia
- Gates
- Gatesville
- Gibsonville
- Godwin
- Goldsboro
- Goldston
- Graham
- Grandy
- Granite Falls
- Grantsboro
- Greensboro
- Greenville
- Grover
- Halifax
- Hamlet
- Hampstead
- Hamptonville
- Harbinger
- Harkers Island
- Harrells
- Harrisburg
- Hatteras
- Havelock
- Haw River
- Hayesville
- Hazelwood
- Henderson
- Hendersonville
- Hertford
- Hickory
- High Point
- Highlands
- Hildebran
- Hillsborough
- Hoffman
- Holden Beach
- Holly Ridge
- Holly Springs
- Holly Springs
- Hope Mills
- Horse Shoe
- Hudson
- Huntersville
- Indian Trail
- Jackson
- Jackson Springs
- Jacksonville
- Jamestown
- Jefferson
- Kannapolis
- Kenansville
- Kernersville
- Kill Devil Hills
- King
- Kings Mountain
- Kinston
- Kittrell
- Kitty Hawk
- Knightdale
- Knotts Island
- Kure Beach
- La Grange
- Lake Junaluska
- Lake Lure
- Lansing
- Lattimore
- Laurinburg
- Lawndale
- Leland
- Lenoir
- Lewisville
- Lexington
- Liberty
- Lillington
- Lincolnton
- Littleton
- Locust
- Louisburg
- Lowell
- Lucama
- Lumberton
- Madison
- Maggie Valley
- Maiden
- Manns Harbor
- Manson
- Manteo
- Maple
- Marble
- Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point
- Marion
- Mars Hill
- Marshall
- Marshville
- Marvin
- Matthews
- Maury
- Maxton
- Mayodan
- MCAS New River
- McCain
- McLeansville
- Mebane
- Middlesex
- Midland
- Mill Spring
- Mills River
- Mint Hill
- Misenheimer
- Mocksville
- Monroe
- Mooresville
- Morehead City
- Morganton
- Morrisville
- Mount Airy
- Mount Gilead
- Mount Holly
- Mount Olive
- Mount Pleasant
- Mount Ulla
- Mountain Home
- Moyock
- Murfreesboro
- Murphy
- Nags Head
- Naples
- Nashville
- Nebo
- New Bern
- New London
- Newell
- Newland
- Newport
- Newton
- Newton Grove
- North Topsail Beach
- North Wilkesboro
- Oak Island
- Oak Ridge
- Oakboro
- Ocean Isle Beach
- Ocracoke
- Old Fort
- Olin
- Oriental
- Otto
- Oxford
- Pantego
- Pembroke
- Pfafftown
- Pilot Mountain
- Pine Hall
- Pinehurst
- Pinetops
- Pinetown
- Pineville
- Pisgah Forest
- Pittsboro
- Pleasant Garden
- Plymouth
- Point Harbor
- Polkton
- Pollocksville
- Pope Field
- Poplar Branch
- Purlear
- Raeford
- Raleigh
- Ramseur
- Randleman
- Red Springs
- Reidsville
- Rex
- Richlands
- Roanoke Rapids
- Robbins
- Robbinsville
- Robersonville
- Rockfish
- Rockingham
- Rockwell
- Rocky Mount
- Rocky Point
- Roduco
- Rose Hill
- Roseboro
- Rosman
- Roxboro
- Ruffin
- Rural Hall
- Rutherford College
- Rutherfordton
- Salisbury
- Saluda
- Sanford
- Saxapahaw
- Scotland Neck
- Selma
- Seven Lakes
- Shallotte
- Shelby
- Siler City
- Skyland
- Smithfield
- Sneads Ferry
- Snow Hill
- Southern Pines
- Southport
- Sparta
- Spindale
- Spring Hope
- Spring Lake
- Spruce Pine
- Staley
- Stallings
- Stanley
- Star
- Statesville
- Stoneville
- Stony Point
- Summerfield
- Sunbury
- Sunset Beach
- Supply
- Surf City
- Swan Quarter
- Swannanoa
- Swansboro
- Swepsonville
- Sylva
- Tabor City
- Tarboro
- Thomasville
- Tillery
- Timberlake
- Tobaccoville
- Township of Taylorsville
- Trenton
- Trinity
- Troutman
- Troy
- Tryon
- Tyner
- Valdese
- Vale
- Vanceboro
- Varnamtown
- Wadesboro
- Wagram
- Wake Forest
- Wallace
- Wallburg
- Walnut Cove
- Wanchese
- Warrensville
- Warrenton
- Washington
- Waxhaw
- Waynesville
- Weaverville
- Webster
- Weddington
- Welcome
- Weldon
- Wendell
- Wentworth
- Wesley Chapel
- West End
- West Jefferson
- Westport
- Whiteville
- Whitsett
- Whittier
- Wilkesboro
- Willard
- Williamston
- Willow Spring
- Wilmington
- Wilson
- Windsor
- Wingate
- Winston-Salem
- Winterville
- Winton
- Woodfin
- Wrightsville Beach
- Yadkinville
- Yanceyville
- Youngsville
- Zebulon