How much does it cost to open a gym in Vermont?

$15,633 in state fees the agencies state, across 4 of the 8 licenses, permits and registrations; 4 are free. Rent, build-out and equipment come on top.

What the state publishes for a gym in Vermont

Drafted from the agencies’ own pages; some rows still wait to be confirmed. Open the official page before you pay anything.

Stated state fees
$15,633initial fees across 4 of 8 items
Free items
4no fee as the agency publishes it
Set elsewhere
0by the city, the county or a provider
Items in all
8in the order to get them

Initial fees as each agency states them, summed; renewals are not included. Where a fee depends on size or sales the range is the lowest to the highest stated. Members see each row’s fee, its renewal and the official page.

  1. Set up the business

    ItemAgencyFee
    Articles of organization (LLC) and the annual reportVermont Secretary of StatePremium only
    Assumed business name registration (DBA)Vermont Secretary of StatePremium only
    Employer Identification Number (EIN)Internal Revenue ServiceFree
  2. Register for tax

    ItemAgencyFee
    Vermont business tax account: sales and use tax, meals and rooms tax, withholdingVermont Department of TaxesFree
    No general business licenseVermont Secretary of StateFree
  3. Approve the space

    ItemAgencyFee
    Zoning permit, and the Division of Fire Safety construction permit and certificate of occupancyYour town’s zoning administratorPremium only
  4. Get the permits for your kind of business

    ItemAgencyFee
    No health club registration; membership contracts under the Consumer Protection ActVermont Attorney GeneralFree
  5. Before the first hire

    ItemAgencyFee
    Unemployment insurance account, child care contribution, new hire reporting and workers’ compensationVermont Department of LaborPremium only

What comes on top of the fees

The state publishes its fees; the space sets the rest. These work it out from your own numbers.

  • Rent the business can carryMonthly sales, or seats and average check, to the base rent that fits a healthy occupancy share.Rent-to-sales calculator
  • The real cost of a NNN leaseBase rent plus CAM, property taxes and insurance, each month.NNN lease calculator
  • The steps in orderThe same items as a walk-through you tick off, with progress saved to your account.How to open

Fees are shown to members as published. Create an account.

Sources and dates

Secretary of State fee schedule (11 V.S.A. 4023 and 4033) and LLC and annual report pages; Secretary of State assumed name page and fee schedule (11 V.S.A. 1621 and 1625); IRS EIN page; Department of Taxes meals and rooms tax and business registration pages; Secretary of State Business Services Division pages; municipal ordinances; Division of Fire Safety construction permit application and the Vermont Fire and Building Safety Code; 24 V.S.A. chapter 117 (municipal zoning); 9 V.S.A. chapter 63 (Consumer Protection Act), including 9 V.S.A. 2454a (automatic renewal of consumer contracts); Attorney General consumer protection pages; Department of Labor unemployment tax rate and 2026 taxable wage base pages; Department of Taxes child care contribution page (Act 76 of 2023); Department of Labor workers’ compensation and new hire reporting pages. Fees are as published by each agency on the date checked; cities and counties add their own.

Questions about the cost.