Two closed binders and a pen on a conference table, Lyon County Business License: Fernley and Yerington

Lyon County Business License: Fernley and Yerington

Last verified: November 5, 2026

Quick answer: Your license office depends on where the business sits, and the Nevada state license comes before any of them.

  • Dayton and other unincorporated areas: the Lyon County Clerk/Treasurer, at 27 S. Main Street, Yerington, 775-463-6501. The fee depends on the number of owners and employees and is printed on the county's application form, not on its web page.
  • Fernley: the Fernley City Clerk's Office, at 595 Silver Lace Boulevard, 775-784-9830. New businesses pay a $25 application fee plus an annual license fee; a home occupation license is $75 (Fernley fee page, in effect as of January 2, 2019).
  • Yerington: City of Yerington City Hall, at 14 East Goldfield Avenue, 775-463-3511. The city says to submit the application to City Hall before you do business and publishes no fee amount on that page.
  • Before any of them: the state business license ($200 for most businesses, $500 for corporations) and, if you sell taxable goods, your Department of Taxation registration.
  • Renewal: county license fees are billed each June and due July 1, on a July 1 to June 30 fiscal year. Fernley and Yerington do not state renewal dates on the pages we read, so ask them.

Lyon County has three places that license businesses, and the one you use depends on where the door is, not on your mailing address. Inside Fernley you deal with the Fernley City Clerk. Inside Yerington you deal with Yerington City Hall. Everywhere else, Dayton included, you deal with the Lyon County Clerk/Treasurer. This guide puts the order in which to do things first, then gives each office its own section.

Which Office Licenses Your Business

Lyon County's own page says any person or company engaging in a trade, service or business in the county must obtain a license under Lyon County Code from the Clerk/Treasurer's office, even if the business has no office in the county (Lyon County: Business Licenses and Business Licenses FAQ). The same county site says the City of Fernley and the City of Yerington are each responsible for business licenses within their city limits (Lyon County: Doing Business). The county's Doing Business page lists only those two cities, so Dayton, which has no city government of its own, falls under the county.

Our reading is that the city issues the license inside Fernley or Yerington and the county issues it everywhere else. The pages we read do not say whether a business inside a city also needs the county license, so ask the Clerk/Treasurer before you assume it does not.

Start With the Nevada State Business License

The state license is issued by the Secretary of State, not by any Lyon County office (Nevada Revised Statutes chapter 76, NRS 76.100). A person must hold it to conduct business in Nevada, and an entity that files an initial or annual list pays it at the time of that filing. The license is $200, or $500 for a corporation. Two groups fall outside the definition of "business": nonprofits that qualify under 26 U.S.C. 501(c), and a person who works from home and earns no more than 66 2/3 percent of the average annual wage (NRS 76.020(2)). If you are the second group, read our guide to Nevada home-based business laws before you rely on it, because the exclusion covers the state license only and a local license can still apply.

For an LLC the state cost is $75 for the articles of organization, $150 for the initial list and $200 for the license, so $425 in year one and $350 a year after that (Nevada Revised Statutes chapter 86, NRS 86.561 and 86.263). The annual list and license renewal is due by the last day of the month in which the LLC was formed. Our Nevada LLC guide walks through the filing, and the annual list and license renewal guide covers renewals.

You can file yourself through SilverFlume or use a formation service. A service changes who does the paperwork, not what Lyon County asks of you afterwards. If you want to compare services, see our comparison of LLC services in Nevada.

If your Nevada gross revenue passes $4,000,000 in a fiscal year you also owe the Commerce Tax (Nevada Department of Taxation: Commerce Tax). Most start-ups are far below that.

Do You Need a Sales Tax Permit?

If you sell tangible goods in Nevada, register with the Department of Taxation. The permit is a $15 fee per location (Nevada Department of Taxation: start and run a business). The state base rate is 6.85 percent, and counties can add to it, so the rate you charge depends on your location. The Department's sales tax rate sheets are dated, so we do not quote a Lyon County combined rate here; confirm yours with the Department.

This matters for local licensing too. The county asks you to bring its office a copy of your Nevada Business Registration form and the compliance letter from the Department of Taxation, and Fernley requires the stamped Taxation form to be returned with the license application (Lyon County business license FAQ and Fernley State Licensing Requirements).

Lyon County License: Dayton and Unincorporated Areas

The Lyon County Clerk/Treasurer handles county business licenses at 27 S. Main Street in Yerington (Lyon County Clerk/Treasurer). Office hours are Monday to Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.

  • Fee: set by the number of owners and employees you have, using the fee schedule printed on the county's business license form. Owners count as workers, and part-time employees count too.
  • Documents: your Nevada Business Registration form and the Department of Taxation compliance letter, sent or brought in with the application.
  • Fictitious firm name: required unless you are a sole proprietor using only your own name, or a Nevada-registered corporation, LLC or trade name (see our Nevada DBA guide).
  • Inspections: for a commercial location, check zoning with the planning department first, then call the health inspector if the business is food related, and the building and fire inspectors in every case. Some businesses also need Lyon County Utilities.
  • Exclusions: the county lists multi-level marketing sellers, special events sponsored by the city or county, sellers under a flea or farmer's market umbrella, and individuals with no more than five garage sales a year.

Timing and paperwork also differ from the cities. The county runs on a July 1 to June 30 fiscal year: fees are billed in June and due July 1. Fees can be prorated by quarter but not by month, so a business that starts in August pays the full year and one that starts in October pays three quarters. Fees over $100 can be paid quarterly (July 1, October 1, January 1 and April 1), but the county does not bill you quarterly. Every applicant completes a child support form and an Affirmation of Compliance for workers' compensation; with employees and coverage you can submit your certificate of insurance instead. Moving, even next door, or changing ownership or the nature of the business means filing a renewal form. Except for home occupations, a licensee may post a sign and address visible from the road. The full rules are in the Lyon County Code on American Legal Publishing.

Fernley Business License

Fernley's City Clerk's Office runs the program from 595 Silver Lace Boulevard; call 775-784-9830. The city asks you to complete your Common Business Registration on the state's SilverFlume portal before you start (City of Fernley: Business License Applications).

Fernley sorts licenses by what you do, and that is the part most guides skip:

  • Commercial business: for businesses located in the city, including commercial property rentals.
  • Home occupation: for residential property, subject to the city's development code. The fee is $75.
  • Handyman, in-home child care and residential rentals: separate licenses. Rentals apply to landlords of 4 or more units. Child care applicants need a fingerprint background check, which the city says can take 30 days or more.
  • Out of town: for a business that works or provides services inside Fernley without being physically located there. A contractor based in Dayton or Reno who works in Fernley should ask about this one.
  • Liquor, solicitor and peddler licenses: separate, with fingerprinting. A business license does not authorize door-to-door solicitation.

Fees: a $25 application fee applies to all new businesses, plus an annual fee. For a commercial business the annual fee depends on gross receipts: $100 up to $250,000, $275 from $250,000 to $400,000, and $300 plus $1 for every $10,000 above $400,000. Some categories (industrial, warehouse, manufacturing, distribution) are priced per square foot instead. The city's fee page says these fees took effect January 2, 2019, so check the amount with the Clerk's Office before you pay (City of Fernley: Fees and Payment Methods; the governing ordinances are on the City of Fernley: Business License Regulations page).

Yerington Business License

The City of Yerington requires a business license application to be submitted to City Hall, 14 East Goldfield Avenue, before you conduct business within city limits; call 775-463-3511 (City of Yerington: Business Licenses). Print the Yerington business license application from the city's site. The city's page does not give a fee amount, a processing time or a renewal date, so ask City Hall for all three. Yerington is also where the county Clerk/Treasurer sits, so check which office your address falls under before you drive to either one.

Step-by-Step: Licensing a Business in Lyon County

Step 1: Form Your Entity and Get the State License

File your formation documents and pay the state fees above. Reserving a name is optional; the Secretary of State charges $25 for 90 days (Nevada Secretary of State: name reservation).

Step 2: Register With the Department of Taxation

Do this if you sell taxable goods. Keep the stamped registration form and the compliance letter, because both local offices ask for them.

Step 3: Check Zoning Before You Sign a Lease

The county tells commercial applicants to check zoning with the planning department first. In Fernley, home occupation limits are in the city's development code.

Step 4: Apply to Your Local Office

Use the county Clerk/Treasurer for Dayton and unincorporated areas, the Fernley City Clerk inside Fernley, or Yerington City Hall inside Yerington. Bring your state registration, your Taxation documents and your location details.

Step 5: File a Fictitious Firm Name if You Need One

Only if you trade under a name other than your own and are not a Nevada-registered entity using its registered name.

Step 6: Book Inspections

Health for food businesses; building and fire for commercial locations. Keep the county form on site for the inspectors to sign off if you are licensed by the county.

Step 7: Renew

The state annual list and license renewal come due each year by the last day of your formation month. A county license is billed in June and due July 1. Fernley and Yerington do not state renewal dates on the pages we read, so put them in the calendar when the office tells you.

Costs at a Glance

ItemCostSource and notes
Name reservation (optional)$25 for 90 daysNevada Secretary of State: name reservation, Wayback snapshot September 26, 2026
LLC articles of organization$75NRS chapter 86, NRS 86.561
Initial list and annual list (LLC)$150 eachNRS 86.263
State business license$200 a year ($500 for corporations)NRS chapter 76, NRS 76.100 and 76.130
Expedited state filingOptional, extraNRS 225.140 caps it at $125 for most special service, $500 within 2 hours and $1,000 within 1 hour; the Secretary of State sets the actual fee
Sales tax permit$15 per locationNevada Department of Taxation
Lyon County licenseSet by owners and employees; billed June, due July 1Fee schedule on the county application form (Lyon County FAQ)
Fernley new-business application$25, plus annual feeCity of Fernley: Fees and Payment Methods, as of January 2, 2019
Fernley annual fee$75 home occupation; $100 commercial up to $250,000 gross receiptsSame page; larger tiers listed above
Yerington licenseNot publishedAsk City Hall (City of Yerington)

For an LLC in year one the state fees alone are $425, before any local license, registered agent service or sales tax permit. Recurring state fees are $350 a year. A registered agent service is priced by the provider, not by the state.

Next Steps

Do the state license first, then call the office that matches your address and ask what the web pages leave open: the Yerington fee, the Fernley and Yerington renewal dates and, if you are inside a city, whether the county license also applies. Free advising is available from the Nevada Small Business Development Center.

Important Disclaimer

This guide is informational only and does not constitute legal, tax or professional business advice. Local fees and rules change. The Lyon County fee and the Yerington fee are not published on the pages we read, and Fernley's published fee schedule is dated January 2, 2019, so confirm every local amount with the office before you file. If your business involves alcohol, food service, child care or professional licensing, talk to a Nevada attorney or CPA.

Sources

Keep exploring: related Nevada guides