Two closed binders and a pen on a conference table, Boulder City Business License: Fees, Steps and Renewal

Boulder City Business License: How to Register and What It Costs

Last verified: November 5, 2026

Quick answer: Boulder City licenses businesses itself. The Business License Office at City Hall, 401 California Avenue, issues the license, not Clark County.

  • Where to apply: the city's online permit portal. Pick Resident Business License for a Boulder City address or Non-Resident if your business is based elsewhere.
  • Fee: a point total multiplied by $0.03, with an $80 annual minimum (Boulder City Resolution R-6046).
  • Renewal: the license year runs July 1 through June 30 and is pro-rated by the month.
  • Documents: a copy of your Nevada state business license, proof of Department of Taxation registration, Nevada Form D-25 and a government ID. A lease or landlord letter and a home occupation application apply in some cases.
  • Contact: 702-293-9219 or [email protected], Monday to Thursday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Checked against the city's licensing pages on November 5, 2026.

This guide is for anyone opening or running a business inside Boulder City limits, or working there from a base in another city. Settle the address first. The city approves a license only after the departments that control the location (zoning, building and fire) have signed off, so a lease on a space that zoning will not approve is the mistake that costs you time, and the license fee is not.

What You Need Before You Start

Boulder City is an incorporated city in Clark County, and it is one of six licensing jurisdictions in the county, according to the Clark County business license guide. For a business located in Boulder City, the city license is the local license. According to the city's 2026 step-by-step licensing guide, every applicant provides:

  • a copy of your Nevada state business license from the Secretary of State
  • proof of registration with the Nevada Department of Taxation
  • Nevada Industrial Relations Form D-25
  • a valid driver's license or other government-issued ID

Depending on your situation, the same guide adds more:

  • Not the property owner: a signed lease for the location.
  • Home address: a home occupation permit application and a letter from the landlord granting permission, if you rent.
  • Business name that differs from your legal name: a Fictitious Firm Name Certificate from the Clark County Clerk.
  • Health permit or state board license: a copy of each one your business needs.
  • Based outside Boulder City: a valid business license from your primary jurisdiction.

Uploads go in as PDF files. The city says staff may ask for more documents after you submit.

Boulder City Licensing Rules to Know First

These points come from the city's Business Licensing page, its licensing FAQs and the 2026 application guide. They are the rules most likely to change your plans.

  • Inspections come before the invoice. The city sends your application to the Fire Department and the Building and Safety Division, and it will not issue a license until all inspections are approved. After approval it invoices you, and it issues the license when you pay.
  • Which departments review you depends on the address. A commercial location in the city needs building, fire and zoning approval, and a business at the airport also needs Airport Management. A home address needs only zoning approval. The city does not inspect residential addresses or addresses outside Boulder City.
  • Gaming is prohibited. The city's FAQ says gaming in Boulder City is prohibited. Liquor licenses go through the Boulder City Liquor Board and are issued for one year; the city publishes a separate liquor fee resolution (R942).
  • Signs need a check first. The city asks you to contact Community Development before installing any sign, flag or banner, and points to Title 11, Chapter 24 of the city code.
  • The portal wants one full-time employee. The guide says all businesses must have at least one full-time employee on the application, and a business with no staff marks the owner as that employee.

Home Occupation Permit Conditions

If you run the business from a home address, the city's Home Occupation Permit application makes you initial each condition from Section 11-29-5 of the city code. The ones that decide whether a business fits at a house:

  • Clients or customers visit by appointment only. A legal professional's or licensed massage technician's home office may not have customers or clients on the premises at all.
  • Nobody other than a resident of the dwelling is employed on site or reports to work there, and that includes independent contractors.
  • The business uses one room of the house or an accessory building, with no outdoor storage.
  • No advertising on the premises.
  • No more than one truck or vehicle comes to or is parked at the property, and none over 10,000 pounds gross unloaded weight.
  • No compressed gases, flammable liquids or hazardous materials beyond normal household amounts.

The form says a business that cannot meet a condition can apply for a conditional use permit, which goes to the Planning Commission. A business with employees reporting to the house or regular walk-in customers is the usual case that fails. For the state-level picture, see our guide to Nevada home-based business laws, zoning and permits.

Step-by-Step: Boulder City Business License

Step 1: Confirm the Address With Community Development

Before you sign a lease or buy a property, call the Community Development Department at 702-293-9282 and ask whether your business activity is allowed at that address. Zoning decides it, and it is the one approval you cannot fix after the fact. Home-based owners should read the conditions above first.

Step 2: Form Your Entity and Get the State Business License

Boulder City asks for a copy of your Nevada state business license, so the state filing comes first. LLCs and corporations file through the Secretary of State's ORION business portal, and the state license is obtained when you file the initial list of managers or officers (NRS 76.100). The Secretary of State issues the state license, not the Department of Taxation. If you are choosing between a sole proprietorship and an LLC, our Nevada LLC guide covers the filing, and you can compare LLC formation services in Nevada if you would rather hand it off.

A person who runs a business from home and earns no more than 66 2/3 percent of Nevada's average annual wage is excluded from the state license and files an annual certificate of exemption instead (NRS 76.020, NRS 76.105). The city's document list asks only for a state business license copy, so if you hold an exemption certificate, ask the Business License Office what it will accept in its place before you apply.

Step 3: Register With the Department of Taxation

The city asks for proof of registration with the Nevada Department of Taxation. The Department's start and run a business page lists the sales tax permit, which costs $15.00 per location, and says registering with the Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation also registers you for the Modified Business Tax. Register through My Nevada Tax. Services not tied to tangible property are generally not taxable, according to the Department's sales tax FAQs, but the city still asks for proof of registration, so check what applies to you with the Department.

Step 4: File a Fictitious Firm Name if You Use One

If you operate under a name other than your legal name, file a Fictitious Firm Name Certificate with the Clark County Clerk and upload it with your city application. The Clark County Clerk fee schedule lists $25.00 for a new or renewed certificate. More detail is in our Nevada DBA guide.

Step 5: Apply in the Boulder City Portal

All applications run through the Boulder City online permit portal. The city's guide walks through it like this:

  • Register an account. The email address you use becomes your username, and it must match the email the city has on file if you later want to view an existing license.
  • Choose Start New Application, then Business License, then Resident Business License for a Boulder City address or Non-Resident for a business based elsewhere.
  • Enter the physical business address and click the magnifying glass until the system accepts it, then describe the business, the legal name and any DBA.
  • Complete the Details and People sections and upload each required document as a PDF. Non-resident applicants pick the month they need the license to start.
  • Sign the terms and submit. If staff need more, you get an email from [email protected] and the application moves to Needs Revision.

Step 6: Pass Inspections, Pay the Invoice and Display the License

The departments that apply to your address contact you to schedule inspections. For questions about inspections, call 702-293-9282. When approvals are complete you receive an email that fees have been assessed, and you pay the invoice in the portal. The city mails a printed license to your business address and says it must be displayed in a conspicuous location. You can also print a copy from the portal once the license shows Active.

Boulder City Business License Fees

Boulder City sets its fees by resolution. The city's current fee schedule is Resolution R-6046, adopted March 26, 2013 and still the schedule the city links from its licensing page. It prices a resident license as a point total multiplied by 3 cents, with an $80 minimum. The resolution does not say how many points a given type of business gets, so we cannot tell you your exact fee. The invoice the city sends after approval shows it, and the Business License Office can tell you earlier on 702-293-9219.

Item Cost Notes
Resident business license Points x $0.03, $80 minimum a year License year July 1 to June 30, pro-rated by the month
Home occupation business Points x $0.03, $80 minimum a year The schedule lists no separate fee for the home occupation permit
Resident contractor $100 a year In addition to the regular business license fee
Residential rental units Points x $0.03, $80 minimum In addition to any other business license fee
Non-resident retail business $175 a year Excludes coin-operated machine vendors
Non-resident service or wholesale business $100 a year Non-resident contractors pay $200 a year
Non-resident one-time permit $30 per 24 hours Coin-operated machines are $50 a year per machine
Mobile food vendor $80 a year Child caregiver licenses are also $80 a year
Nonprofit permit $25 a year Garage sale permits have no fee
Change of address or business name $20 Operating from a location the license was not issued for is a separate $20 penalty
Operating without a license $20 per day Charged on top of the license fee
Late renewal $10 if paid within 30 days The license is revoked automatically after 30 days

The state charges separately. These are the filing fees you are likely to pay before or alongside the city license:

Item Cost Notes
LLC articles of organization $75 NRS 86.561, one time
Corporation articles of incorporation $75 for authorized shares up to $75,000 NRS 78.760, higher tiers apply above that
Initial list of managers or officers $150 NRS 86.263 for LLCs, NRS 78.150 for corporations
Nevada state business license $200, or $500 for a corporation NRS 76.100, renews every year
Annual list of managers or officers $150 for an LLC Corporations pay more above $75,000 in authorized shares (NRS 78.150)
Name reservation (optional) $25 for 90 days NRS 86.561
Fictitious firm name (if used) $25 Clark County Clerk fee schedule
Sales tax permit (if you sell taxable goods) $15.00 per location Department of Taxation

For a Boulder City LLC the first year works out to $425 in state fees ($75 articles, $150 initial list and $200 license) plus at least $80 to the city, so $505 at the minimum. After that, the state costs $350 a year ($150 annual list and $200 license) and the city at least $80, so $430 at the minimum. A sole proprietor with no entity filing pays the $200 state license plus the city fee, or $280 at the minimum. These totals are our arithmetic from the figures above; your city fee may be higher once the point total is applied. The Secretary of State also offers expedited filing, and state law caps those fees at $125 for 24 hours, $500 for 2 hours and $1,000 for 1 hour (NRS 225.140). Those are ceilings, so confirm the amount actually charged with the Secretary of State.

Taxes That Apply in Boulder City

Nevada has no state income tax, as the Department of Taxation's income tax page says. Sales tax is the one most new Boulder City businesses meet first. Boulder City is in Clark County, and the Department's Clark County rate sheet, dated January 1, 2020, lists a combined rate of 8.375 percent. The Department says the base state rate is 6.85 percent and that local jurisdictions can add taxes, so check the current rate for your location on the Department's sales and use tax publications page before you quote it to anyone.

The Commerce Tax applies only if your Nevada gross revenue is over $4,000,000 in a fiscal year, with industry-based rates under NRS 363C. See our Commerce Tax guide and our overview of Nevada business taxes.

Renewing and Staying Licensed

You renew in two places, on two different calendars:

  • Boulder City license: valid July 1 through June 30. The city says that beginning June 1, 2026 you can view your renewal invoice and print your license from the portal. Pay within 30 days of expiration or the license is revoked and a reissue needs all fees plus a $20 penalty.
  • Nevada state business license and annual list: due by the last day of the anniversary month of your filing. The Secretary of State's state business license FAQ (read from a Wayback Machine snapshot dated October 14, 2026) lists a $100 penalty for a late renewal. See our annual list and license renewal guide.

Because the city year ends June 30 and the state date moves with your formation month, put both in your calendar once and do not assume one renewal covers the other.

Common Mistakes in Boulder City

  • Applying with a home address and no home occupation form. The city asks for the home occupation application at submission, and the permit decides whether a license can be issued at that address.
  • Planning to bring employees to a home business. The home occupation conditions bar anyone who does not live there from reporting to work at the site, including contractors.
  • Leaving out an upload. A missing lease, DBA certificate, health permit or state board license sends the application to Needs Revision and delays the invoice.
  • Assuming the county license covers the city. Clark County, Boulder City and the other cities license separately. If you also work in unincorporated Clark County, see our Clark County business license guide.
  • Treating the city license as a trade license. Contractors, cosmetologists and similar trades still need their state boards. Our contractor license guide covers that board, and the city's $100 resident contractor charge is only an add-on to the business license.

When This Guide Does Not Fit

This page covers general business licensing for businesses located in Boulder City. It does not cover gaming, which the city says is prohibited, or liquor licensing, which goes through the Boulder City Liquor Board. If your business is based in another Nevada city, start with that city's license and use the Non-Resident application here only if you work in Boulder City; the Nevada city guides list the others. If you are unsure which category your business falls into, the Business License Office on 702-293-9219 can tell you before you apply, and a Nevada attorney or CPA can advise on entity choice. Our overview of the Nevada business license covers the state side.

Where to Get Help

The Boulder City Business License Office handles licensing questions at 702-293-9219 or [email protected]. The city also publishes a Small Business Resource Guide and a searchable list of active Boulder City business licenses that you can use to verify a business. The Nevada Small Business Development Center offers free business consulting and training.

Important Disclaimer

This article is informational only and is not legal or tax advice. State and city requirements change, and the Boulder City fee resolution cited here dates from 2013. Confirm current fees and deadlines with the Boulder City Business License Office, the Nevada Secretary of State and the Nevada Department of Taxation before you file, and talk to a Nevada-licensed attorney or CPA about your own situation.

Sources

Keep exploring: related Nevada guides