7 items, in order: certificate of formation (llc) and the annual llc tax, trade name (dba) registration, employer identification number (ein), state business license, gross receipts tax and withholding registration, city or town business license and zoning approval, state fire marshal plan review and certificate of occupancy, and 1 more.
How to open a business in Delaware
7 licenses, permits and registrations, in the order to get them, each with the agency, the fee and the official page.
What licenses do you need to open a business in Delaware? 7, in the order to get them
These are the steps every business in Delaware takes. A license specific to your kind of business comes from the agency that regulates it; if one of the twenty named businesses is close to yours, its page lists those too.
Every row checked against its agency’s page; the latest on Oct 21, 2026.
Step 1 of 4Set up the business. Now: Certificate of formation (LLC) and the annual LLC tax
0 of 7 items done. Each step opens when the one before it is complete. Progress stays on this device. Log in to save it to your account and pick it up anywhere.
Set up the business0 of 3
File online or through a registered agent; every Delaware LLC names a registered agent with a Delaware street address. The $300 payment due June 1, 2026 covered 2025 and the first $400 payment falls due June 1, 2027. A late payment adds a $200 penalty plus 1.5% interest a month, and three unpaid years cancel the certificate.
- Fee
- Premium only
- Renewal
- Premium only
- Official page
- corp.delaware.gov
Checked Oct 21, 2026
Register for taxOpens after step 1
Approve the spaceOpens after step 2
Before the first hireOpens after step 3
Then pick the place
- The free location checkWho lives and works around an address, the businesses already there and the traffic on its road, from public records.
- The full reportWhether the rules allow a business at that address, the rent it supports, what has opened and closed nearby, and the questions to settle before signing.
Have an address in mind?
Check the address freeNo account. The business check reads public records at the address itself.
Sources and dates
Division of Corporations fee schedule and LLC tax pages; 6 Del. C. 18-1107 as amended by House Bill 400 (85 Del. Laws c. 273); One Stop trade name pages and FAQ; 6 Del. C. chapter 31 as amended by House Bill 40 and Senate Bill 291; IRS EIN page; Division of Revenue tax tips for general retailers and restaurant retailers; 30 Del. C. chapters 23 and 29; One Stop registration pages; City of Wilmington business license application and 2023 fee ordinance; municipal codes; State Fire Marshal tenant fit-out, renovation and occupancy change application; New Castle County certificate of use requirements; county and municipal codes; Department of Labor employer services pages (2026 taxable wage base and merit rate table); Delaware Paid Leave FAQ; Office of Workers’ Compensation employer knowledge base (19 Del. C. 2306); Division of Child Support Services employer pages. Fees are as published by each agency on the date checked; cities add their own.