Humboldt County Business License: Fees and Steps
Last verified: November 5, 2026
Humboldt County runs one business license for the whole county except the City of Winnemucca, and the city runs its own. Which one you need depends on where the work happens, not where your office is. Our position: if any of your revenue comes from jobs outside Winnemucca city limits, you need the county license even when your shop is in town. The county's application packet says so in as many words.
Both licenses start from the same joint application packet and the same sign-off sheet, and both require your Nevada state business license first. The county license has a published fee schedule. The city's fee is not published in the packet, so you learn it from the City Clerk.
Quick answer:
- County license: required to do business anywhere in Humboldt County except inside Winnemucca city limits. Issued by the Humboldt County Planning Department, 25 W Fourth Street, 775-623-6392, [email protected].
- County fee: $25 to $250 a year by gross receipts earned outside the city limits, $100 for a wholesale delivery license.
- City license: required only if you do business inside Winnemucca city limits. Submitted to the City of Winnemucca Clerk's Office, 90 W Fourth Street, 775-623-6331. The fee is quoted after you apply.
- Documents for either: copy of your state business license, Nevada sales and use tax documentation (or an exemption), your EIN, and a contractor license number if you hold one.
- Fictitious firm name: filed with the Humboldt County Clerk, $20.
Which License Do You Need?
The county application packet defines the split. The Humboldt County business license application packet says Humboldt County Code Chapter 5.04 requires a county license for anyone doing business in the county, and that it covers businesses outside the City of Winnemucca and businesses headquartered in Winnemucca that work outside the city limits. Winnemucca Municipal Code Chapter 5.04.030, as cited in the same packet, requires a city license for doing business in the city.
| Where the work happens | License | Who issues it |
|---|---|---|
| Only inside Winnemucca city limits | City of Winnemucca business license | City Clerk's Office |
| Only outside the city limits, anywhere in Humboldt County | Humboldt County business license | County Planning Department |
| Based in Winnemucca, with jobs outside the city limits | Both | City Clerk and County Planning |
The third row catches the owners who assume the city license covers everything. A plumber, trucker or service firm that is based in town but drives to ranches, mine sites or other towns in the county is doing business in the county. This is our reading of the packet's wording, so ask Planning at 775-623-6392 if your work is split.
Start With the State Business License
Neither local office will issue anything until you show the state license. NRS 76.100 requires every person doing business in Nevada to hold a state business license issued by the Secretary of State, and the packet lists a copy of it as a required document for both the county and the city application.
What the State Charges
| Item | Cost | Where to confirm |
|---|---|---|
| State business license (sole proprietor, partnership, LLC) | $200 per year | NRS 76.100 |
| State business license (corporation) | $500 per year | NRS 76.130 |
| LLC articles of organization | $75 | NRS 86.561 |
| LLC initial list and annual list | $150 each | NRS 86.263 |
| Corporation articles | $75 if authorized shares total $75,000 or less, higher tiers above that | NRS 78.760 |
| Corporation initial list and annual list | $150 at the lowest share tier, up to $11,125 for the annual list | NRS 78.150 |
| Name reservation | $25 for 90 days | Secretary of State name reservation (Wayback Machine snapshot, September 26, 2026) |
For an LLC that is $425 in the first year ($75 articles, $150 initial list, $200 license) and $350 every year after. For a corporation at the lowest share tier it is $725, then $650. These are statutory fees. The Secretary of State's own fee schedule could not be read for this review, so check the total at filing. Expedited filing is capped by NRS 225.140 at $125 for 24 hours, $500 for 2 hours and $1,000 for 1 hour; those are ceilings, not the amounts the office necessarily charges.
The license is not a separate renewal. It is paid with your annual list, due by the last day of the month in which your entity was formed, and the Secretary of State's state business license FAQ (Wayback Machine snapshot, October 14, 2026) lists a $100 penalty for a late license. You file through the state's ORION business portal, the successor to SilverFlume, which is where the county packet still sends you. To check that your business name is free, use the Secretary of State entity search. If you would rather hand the filing off, see our comparison of Nevada LLC formation services; for the full formation walkthrough, see the Nevada LLC guide.
Taxes That Come With the License
Nevada levies no personal or corporate income tax, according to the Department of Taxation. It does tax payroll and large revenue. The Commerce Tax applies only above $4,000,000 in Nevada gross revenue a year, so a typical Winnemucca start-up files nothing. The Modified Business Tax reaches employers: 1.17% of quarterly wages above $50,000 for general businesses, per the Department's page. What you register for on day one is the sales tax permit below, if you sell taxable goods.
Sales Tax Permit
If you sell taxable goods you need a sales tax permit. The Department of Taxation's start and run a business page lists a $15 fee per location. The county and city applications both ask for your Nevada sales and use tax number or proof that you are exempt, so register before you apply locally. The Department's stated base state rate is 6.85%. We could not verify a current Humboldt County combined rate, so check the Department's sales and use tax publications or call the Department before you set prices.
Humboldt County Business License
The county's business license page says the Planning Department issues the license and that you need one "unless the business is only conducted within the city limits of Winnemucca." The County Clerk's page confirms the clerk transferred management of the Business License Department to Planning, so older guides that send you to the clerk for the county license are out of date.
County Fee Schedule
The fee is set by your estimated annual gross receipts, from the schedule on the county's business license page. The renewal form specifies that the figure counts receipts from business conducted outside the city limits of Winnemucca, so your in-town sales do not push you up a bracket.
| Annual gross receipts | Annual license fee |
|---|---|
| Not over $25,000 | $25 |
| Over $25,000 but less than $50,000 | $50 |
| Over $50,000 but less than $250,000 | $100 |
| Over $250,000 but less than $500,000 | $150 |
| Over $500,000 | $250 |
| Wholesale delivery business license | $100 |
How to Apply and Renew
Pick up the packet at the Planning Department, 25 W Fourth Street, Winnemucca, or download it from the county page. Deliver the completed packet in person, by mail, or by email to [email protected]. Include copies of your Nevada state business license, your Nevada sales and use tax documentation or exemption, your EIN, and your Nevada contractor license number if you have one. The county's renewal application asks you to write CANCEL on the form if you stop doing business in the county. It also states a late penalty of 25% of the delinquent amount for each month overdue. The renewal due date is printed on your form, not published on the county page, so keep the form when it arrives.
City of Winnemucca Business License
The City of Winnemucca licenses businesses inside its limits under Winnemucca Municipal Code Chapter 5.04.030, as cited in the joint packet. You submit the completed packet to the City Clerk's Office, 90 W Fourth Street, in person or by mail. Per the packet's guide, the clerk contacts you with the annual fee, and once your payment clears the license is emailed to the address you gave. If it does not arrive, check spam and then call the clerk at 775-623-6331.
The city's fee is not published in the packet or on any city page we could read, so we do not quote one. Ask the clerk before you budget. Your estimated gross receipts for the form are the amount you expect to earn from work done within the city limits. The form asks for extra counts for some businesses: rooms for motels and hotels, slots or amusement machines for gaming, vehicles for trucking, and operators for barbers and salons.
The Approval Sign-Off Sheet
This is the step that costs new owners the most time. The packet includes an approval sheet, and the instructions say each required approval must be obtained before the license can be issued, whether or not you have a physical location in the city or county. You visit the offices in order:
| Office | Who needs it | Phone |
|---|---|---|
| Planning and Zoning, 25 W Fourth Street | Everyone (confirms your business type is allowed at the location) | 775-623-6392 |
| Assessor, 50 W Fifth Street | Everyone (decides whether you file a business personal property tax return) | 775-623-6310 |
| Building and Safety, county | County applicants (also verifies contractor licenses) | 775-623-6322 |
| Building and Safety, city, and Fire Protection | City applicants | 775-623-6319 |
| Nevada Department of Agriculture, Food Safety | Anyone who prepares, sells or handles food or drink | 775-432-4237 |
| Nevada Health Authority | Lodging, pools, campgrounds, RV and mobile home parks, tattoo and piercing | 775-684-1061 |
| WMCA Convention and Visitors Authority | Hotels, motels, RV parks, short-term rentals | 775-623-5071 |
| City Clerk's Office | City applicants (final submission) | 775-623-6331 |
The packet also contains the state's Affirmation of Compliance with Mandatory Industrial Insurance Requirements, a form citing NRS 244.33505 and NRS 268.0955. You check one box: you carry workers' compensation, you are exempt or have no employees or subcontractors, or you are self-insured. Decide which applies before you sit down with the forms, because it is signed under penalty of perjury. The table and the form come from the application packet.
Fictitious Firm Name Certificate (DBA) With the County Clerk
Under NRS 602.010, anyone doing business under a name different from the legal name of each owner files a certificate with the county clerk of each county where the business is conducted. Nevada has no statewide registry. In Humboldt County you file with the County Clerk, 50 W Fifth Street, 775-623-6343, using the Certificate of Business application. The clerk's fee schedule, revised July 1, 2025, lists $20 for filing a fictitious firm name certificate under NRS 19.013. A DBA is a name filing, not a license, and it does not replace the city or county license. An LLC that sells under its exact legal name does not need one.
Licenses for Specific Businesses
The county and city licenses are general. Some businesses need another approval first:
- Food and drink: the packet requires approval from the Nevada Department of Agriculture Food Safety Program for grocery stores, bars, restaurants, caterers, cottage food operations and food trailers.
- Lodging and short-term rentals: get the WMCA Convention and Visitors Authority sign-off, which the packet ties to lodging tax requirements. The Department of Taxation's lodging tax page says county commissioners impose and collect that tax. Pools, campgrounds and RV parks also go through the Nevada Health Authority.
- Contractors: your Nevada contractor license number goes on the application, and county Building and Safety checks that it is current. The Nevada State Contractors Board runs the license lookup.
- Liquor and gaming: the county's licenses page sends liquor applicants to the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office, with a background investigation, fingerprinting and quarterly billing. Gaming machines are billed quarterly per machine. State gaming applications are on the Gaming Control Board forms page.
- Real estate and professions: these are state licenses, such as the Nevada Real Estate Division for brokers and property managers. They are separate from the local license.
Step-by-Step: Getting Licensed in Humboldt County
Step 1: Decide City, County or Both
Map where your revenue will come from. Work only inside the city limits means the city license. Work only outside means the county license. Both means both.
Step 2: Form Your Entity and Get the State License
File through ORION, pay the $200 license ($500 for a corporation) with your initial list, and keep a copy for both local applications. See the state fee table above.
Step 3: Register for Sales Tax and Get Your EIN
Apply for the sales tax permit if you sell taxable goods, or get the exemption documentation. Get a free EIN directly from the IRS online application; it costs nothing.
Step 4: File a Fictitious Firm Name If You Need One
Do this before you print signs or invoices under a trade name. File with the County Clerk and pay $20.
Step 5: Collect the Sign-Offs
Fill out the joint application and visit the offices on the sign-off sheet in order. Call ahead: Planning, the Assessor and Building and Safety are the three that everyone passes through.
Step 6: Submit and Pay
County applicants submit to Planning and pay by the schedule above. City applicants submit to the City Clerk and wait for the fee quote. Do not start trading until the license is issued.
Disclaimer
This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice. Fees and office procedures change; the county fee schedule and fictitious firm name fee above were read from the county's own pages on November 5, 2026, and the City of Winnemucca's fee was not published. Confirm each amount with the issuing office before you pay, and ask a Nevada attorney or CPA about your entity choice.
Sources
- Humboldt County: Business License (fee schedule, Planning Department contact)
- Humboldt County: Business License Application Packet (joint county and city application, sign-off sheet, industrial insurance affirmation)
- Humboldt County: Business License Renewal Application (gross receipts basis, late penalty)
- Humboldt County Clerk: fictitious firm names and the license transfer notice
- Humboldt County Clerk: Fee Schedule, revised July 1, 2025
- Humboldt County: Licenses (liquor, gaming)
- City of Winnemucca
- Nevada Legislature: NRS chapter 76 (state business license), chapter 86, chapter 78, chapter 225, chapter 602
- Nevada Secretary of State: state business license FAQ (Wayback Machine snapshot, October 14, 2026)
- Nevada Secretary of State: name reservation (Wayback Machine snapshot, September 26, 2026)
- Nevada Department of Taxation: start and run a business, Commerce Tax, Modified Business Tax, lodging tax, income tax in Nevada
- IRS: apply for an EIN online
- Nevada State Contractors Board: licensing inquiry, Nevada Gaming Control Board forms, Nevada Real Estate Division licensing, Nevada Health Authority