Vending Permit (Please Help Me)

**myfayt** · 02-19-2009 02:00 PM

Hi, I own 21 small candy vending machines. I recently placed my first one in a small cafe.

I know I will pay Income and Vending Tax on them, however I was curious about a "Business License". I've had one before for a home based sign business. I would go to different cities and counties and do work with a single Albemarle County business license.

There is 4 people in the area with vending routes, one has 20 machines, another 48, and one even has 300 placed through many counties. None of them have a business license, because on the irs.gov website, for getting an E.I.N. (Which you must have for a business license) my business didn't apply to everything asked. Such as do you have employees? No. Are you non-profit? No, etc.

So I went in the county office building to ask them about it, because I don't want to do anything illegal. I told her I had one placed in Greene county and she flipped. She was very very rude to me and says I must have a business license in every city and county I have a machine placed, that doesn't make any sense. I operate the business out of my home, and she is telling me I must have a business license for City of Charlottesville, County of Albemarle, County of Greene, etc. At $50.00 per license I will be completely in the red. Plus usually a business license is state wide, when I had one, it didn't say "Albemarle County" on it. It said "State of Virginia Business License".

I am hoping to hear back from the other people with routes, and how they get around not needing one, but I do think this lady was insane. Can anybody help me?

EDIT: She also said I have to go to the City and County and ask them for permission to place a machine. I find that a load of crap. It's up to the business owner (unless it's on city or county owned property such as a recreation center or something). I believe it's up to the business owner and/or landlord.

**pcbres16** · 02-19-2009 03:00 PM

Hmm... I would think that one Business license would cover all of Virgina. If not that is a load of S***. It is BS that there is SOOO much regultaion for such a small opperation for like what you are doing. But, hey if there is too much gov't to go through...you and other merchants could stage a revolution and place business at the head of county government, lol...no don't do that!!!

But I would contact the federal gov't about what questions you have.

**mthomas** · 02-19-2009 03:13 PM

She isn't exactly wrong.

In my own experiences, if you are applying for a DBA or ficiticious name, you must apply for one in each county that you have a "Nexus" in. So if you have a vending machine in a different county, you need to have a DBA filed there as well.

Based on the laws regarding DBA registration, after reading this wikipedia article, it seems like the same rules apply for a business license.

Now filing for a business entity like a corporation would cover the entire state, but business licenses most likely pertain only on a county to county basis, since a license is not the same as a creating a new entity

**myfayt** · 02-19-2009 03:26 PM

So what you mean is if I create a DBA name for myself, such as...... I dunno A-Plus Vending. Then it would cover the state and I wouldn't need a business license, correct? I notice the others with routes use a business name for themselves but none have actual business licenses, because that will really kill your profit.

I am afraid if I get the government involved with asking questions, they will watch me like a hawk or something.