Hattiesburg Business License: Privilege License, Home Occupation Limits and Local Permits
Hattiesburg Business License: Privilege License, Home Occupation Limits and Local Permits
If you searched for a Hattiesburg MS business license, the first thing to know is that Mississippi does not issue one. The state has no general business license. What Hattiesburg requires is a city privilege license, plus several registrations and local rules that depend on what you sell, where you operate and whether you work from home. This guide covers them in the order most owners need them, with the agency to call for each.
Informational content, not legal or tax advice. This article describes general requirements as of October 2026. Fees, limits and rules change, and the agencies named here have the final word. For entity choice, tax treatment, contracts or any complicated situation, consult a qualified attorney or CPA.
Mississippi has no state business license, so sort out what each filing does
Three different filings get called a license in Mississippi. They do different jobs, and you may need all three.
- Entity registration (Secretary of State). Forming an LLC or corporation registers your company with the Secretary of State. It is not permission to operate. An LLC Certificate of Formation (Form F0100) carries a $50 filing fee and is filed through the Secretary of State online filing portal.
- Sales tax permit (Department of Revenue). Businesses making retail sales register with the Department of Revenue for a sales tax permit. The permit has no fee, although a bond may be required if you have no permanent Mississippi location.
- City privilege license (Hattiesburg). This is the local license to do business inside city limits. It is the one most people mean when they search for a Hattiesburg business license.
Counties license only businesses located outside municipalities. If your business operates outside city limits, the county where you work issues the privilege license instead of the city. Confirm your address with the Tax Division before you apply.
Materials and information to gather first
Having these ready keeps the Clerk call short and can prevent a second trip.
- Your legal business name, and your Certificate of Formation or Articles of Incorporation if you formed an entity
- A registered agent with a physical Mississippi street address, if you formed an LLC or corporation
- The business street address, and whether it sits inside Hattiesburg city limits
- A plain description of what you sell or do, so the Tax Division can match you to the correct state category
- Your estimated number of employees and the value of your inventory, because the fee schedule can depend on both
- Your sales tax permit number, if you make retail sales
- For contractors, a current certificate of liability insurance and your bond paperwork
- For home businesses, a written description of the work, the number of people working at the address and the space you plan to use
- Your federal Employer Identification Number, if you have one, and a list of any other documents the Clerk requires
Step-by-step: getting your Hattiesburg privilege license
- Check your name. Search the Secretary of State business search before you commit to a name. An LLC name must include the words limited liability company, L.L.C. or LLC, and it must be distinguishable from other registered names. You can reserve a name for 180 days for $25.
- Register your entity. File the Certificate of Formation for an LLC or the Articles of Incorporation for a corporation, both at a $50 filing fee. Line up your registered agent before you file, because the agent must be in place.
- File a fictitious name if needed. If you will trade under a name other than your legal name, file a Fictitious Business Name Registration (Form F0070, $25) with the Secretary of State. Do not file it with the county.
- Register for a sales tax permit if you sell taxable goods. Apply through the Department of Revenue before your first sale. The state sales tax rate is 7%, and there is no county add-on. City sales tax levies apply only in Jackson and Tupelo, so confirm the rate with the Department of Revenue before you quote a price.
- Confirm zoning and home occupation rules. If you work from home, ask Planning first (see the next section). Doing this before you apply can prevent a denied or reversed approval.
- Call the Tax Division. Phone the City Clerk and Tax Division at 601-545-4523, or visit 200 Forrest Street, 2nd floor. Ask for the current privilege license fee for your business type, and confirm your state category, employee count and inventory figures.
- Apply and pay. Ask the Clerk how to submit the application, which payment methods they accept, and whether any form must be signed or notarized in person. Get a receipt and a copy of the license once it is issued.
- Get contractor insurance and bond in place, if applicable. See the contractor section below. Ask the Clerk whether they need to see the paperwork before issuing your license.
- Check industry licenses. Many trades need a state board license in addition to the city license. The Mississippi Small Business Development Center network can point you to the right board.
How the privilege license fee is set
Hattiesburg adopts the state Privilege Tax Code (Miss. Code 27-17) by ordinance in Chapter 14 of the city code. The amount therefore follows the state schedule for your business type and, for some types, your number of employees or inventory. This article does not list a fee for your category, because the schedule can change and the Clerk can give you the current figure. Call the Tax Division before you set a budget.
Two timing rules matter as much as the fee:
- Licenses are dated the first of the month in which they are issued.
- Each license lasts one year, so renewal falls due in the same month as the original issue date.
Home occupation limits: ask Planning, not just the Clerk
The Clerk handles the privilege license, but the limits on working from a home address sit in the city's Land Development Code. Ask Planning for the current rules on:
- How much of the home can be used for business
- How many employees, if any, may work at the address
- Customer visits, deliveries and parking
- Whether any approval or notice is required before you open
The size and employee rules are not set out here, so confirm them with Planning and get the answer in writing. A privilege license does not override zoning, so you can hold a valid license and still have a zoning problem.
Short-term rentals and food trucks have their own city pages with separate rules. Read those before you sign a lease or buy a vehicle, because those rules are not covered in this summary.
Contractors: insurance and bond
Building, pool, mechanical, plumbing and electrical contractors must show proof of annual liability insurance and file a bond with the city. Ask the Clerk for the current insurance and bond limits. The figures in older ordinance text may no longer apply, so do not guess at coverage amounts. Bring your insurance certificate to the Clerk and keep the policy active for the entire license year.
State filings that affect your business
| Filing | Agency | Cost and timing |
|---|---|---|
| LLC Certificate of Formation | Secretary of State | $50 filing fee |
| Fictitious Business Name Registration (F0070) | Secretary of State | $25 |
| LLC Annual Report (F0108) | Secretary of State | No fee; due April 15 each year and filed online |
| Corporate Annual Report (F0008) | Secretary of State | $25; due April 15 for profit corporations and May 15 for nonprofits |
| Sales tax permit | Department of Revenue | No fee |
| Privilege license | City Clerk and Tax Division | Set by the state schedule; call 601-545-4523 |
An LLC that misses its annual report can face administrative dissolution, so put the April 15 deadline on your calendar.
The franchise tax applies to corporations, not to an LLC taxed as a partnership. An LLC taxed as a corporation pays it. For tax year 2026 the rate is $0.50 per $1,000 of capital above $100,000, with a $25 minimum. It steps to $0.25 for 2027 and is repealed effective January 1, 2028. Confirm your tax treatment with a CPA.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Filing a fictitious name with the county. It goes to the Secretary of State.
- Treating your LLC formation receipt as your city license. It is an entity registration only.
- Opening a home business before Planning confirms the rules.
- Missing the renewal month. Sec. 14-5 of older ordinance text describes a penalty of the tax plus 50%, and a possible fine up to $500 or six months in jail. Confirm with the Clerk what current practice is, and do not rely on the older wording.
- Assuming a state minimum wage. Mississippi has no state minimum wage law, so federal wage rules govern most hiring decisions.
- Quoting a fee you found for another city. Hattiesburg follows its own Chapter 14 process and the Clerk's current figures.
What a finished setup should look like
When the steps are complete, you will typically have your entity registration confirmed, a sales tax permit if you sell taxable goods, a city privilege license dated the first of the month of issue, a written answer from Planning on home use and a renewal date on your calendar. The exact list depends on your business type and on whether a state board also licenses your trade, so yours may be longer or shorter. A CPA or attorney can confirm the final structure.
For planning help, the Mississippi Small Business Development Center network offers advisory support, and the Hattiesburg City Clerk and Tax Division at 601-545-4523 is the right first call for anything about the privilege license.