Registering a Business

Local governments handle new business registration differently. Most new businesses must register for a business name, business permits, and business taxes.

• A fictitious business name is a legal alias. If your name is John Doe, you may only legally do business as John Doe. Registering a fictitious business name allows you to create a legal name to do business.
• Many local governments require business to file for any of a range of business permits: sellers permit, business license, resellers permit, etc.
• Business taxes are special taxes that are separate from the business owners' personal income tax.

Use the following location-specific resources to find the information you need to register your business.

• California Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development

• Indiana Department of Revenue

• Kentucky Department of Revenue

• NYC Business Express

• Texas Secretary of State
• Official Texas Economic Development Corporation
• State and local sales taxes are collected by Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts
• The Texas Workforce Commission collects all unemployment taxes for workers employed in Texas
• Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR)

• Austin City Code: Title 4. - Business Regulation and Permit Requirements

• Establishing a Company

• Doing Business in Kenya

If your country isn't listed here, check DoingBusiness.Org. It's an excellent resource for finding business registration information on a country-by-country basis. You'll still need to check for municipal regulations, but it's a good start.