Ask MRSC - Business Licensing & Regulation
Below are selected “Ask MRSC” questions we have received from local governments throughout Washington State related to business licensing and regulation. Click on any question to see the answer.
These questions are for educational purposes only. All questions and answers have been edited and adapted for posting to the MRSC website, and all identifying information has been removed.
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What is a county’s authority to require and issue business licenses in unincorporated areas?
Reviewed: October 2022
As we note in MRSC’s Revenue Guide for Washington Counties (see footnote 56 in p.173), counties do not have the same authority as cities to require general business licenses, and there is no single county statute addressing business licensing. However, counties do have authority to require licenses and charge fees for certain specific businesses or activities within unincorporated areas – for example, gambling (RCW 9.46.295) (RCW 9.46.110), massage therapists (RCW 36.32.122), retail liquor (RCW 67.14.040), public dances and other public recreational or entertainment activities (RCW 67.12.021), and pool halls, billiard halls, and bowling alleys (RCW 67.12.110).