10 licenses, permits and registrations, in the order to get them, each with the agency, the fee and the official page, and what the Census counts of restaurants in Nevada say.
10 licenses, permits and registrations, in the order to get them
Every row checked against its agency’s page; the latest on Oct 21, 2026.
Step 1 of 6Set up the business. Now: Articles of organization (LLC), the initial list of managers and the state business license
0 of 10 items done. Each step opens when the one before it is complete. Progress stays on this device. Members keep a dated, noted plan for each saved location in the workspace.
1Set up the business0 of 3
File online through SilverFlume. The articles name a registered agent with a Nevada street address. The state business license is Nevada’s general business license and applies to sole proprietors too ($200 a year, filed with the Secretary of State); a corporation pays $500. Nevada has no state income tax and no franchise tax on an LLC; the Commerce Tax only starts above $4 million of Nevada gross revenue.
Fee
Members
Renewal
Members
Official page
Members
Checked Oct 21, 2026
Needed whenever a sole proprietor, an LLC or a corporation trades under any name other than the owner’s legal name or the registered entity name, and filed with the county clerk, not the Secretary of State. Washoe County wants the form notarized; the bank and the city or county business license office both ask for the stamped certificate.
Fee
Members
Renewal
Members
Official page
Members
Checked Oct 21, 2026
Needed to hire, to open a business bank account and for the Department of Taxation registration. Issued at once online.
Fee
Members
Renewal
Members
Official page
Members
Checked Oct 21, 2026
Register for taxOpens after step 1
Register on My Nevada Tax or through SilverFlume before the first sale; the permit is displayed at the location it covers, and a second location needs its own. Nevada has no state income tax. Once you have employees the same account files the quarterly Modified Business Tax, charged on gross wages above $50,000 a quarter (less employer-paid health premiums) at the general business rate, 1.17% since July 2023. Restaurants and bars also collect the 6.85% state rate plus the county add-on (8.375% in Clark County).
Fee
Members
Renewal
Members
Official page
Members
Checked Oct 21, 2026
The state business license from the Secretary of State does not replace the local one: every storefront also holds a license from the city it sits in, or from the county when the address is unincorporated (most of the Las Vegas Strip is unincorporated Clark County). The local application asks for the state business license, the sales tax permit, the fictitious firm name certificate and the zoning approval, and the liquor, pet shop and other regulated licenses are issued by the same office.
Fee
Members
Renewal
Members
Official page
Members
Checked Oct 21, 2026
Approve the spaceOpens after step 2
Confirm the zoning allows your use before signing; the business license is not issued until zoning clears, and a change of use needs building permits, a fire inspection and the certificate of occupancy before the health district and the liquor board will finish their approvals. Reno tells applicants for liquor and other privileged licenses to allow at least 60 days.
Fee
Members
Renewal
Members
Official page
Members
Checked Oct 21, 2026
Get the permits for your kind of businessOpens after step 3
Submit the plan review application with the menu, the floor plan and the equipment list before building out; applications filed after construction has begun pay a late fee. Full-service restaurants are high risk; bars, coffee shops and most counter service are lower risk. Pass the pre-opening inspection, then post the permit. Ask the health district for the current dollar amounts for your risk category before budgeting.
Fee
Members
Renewal
Members
Official page
Members
Checked Oct 21, 2026
At least one certified food protection manager holding an ANAB-accredited certificate for the establishment, and in Clark County every food handler also carries a health district food handler safety training card earned with an in-person test (a manager’s certificate counts in place of the card). Washoe County asks for the manager certificate as well. Keep the cards on site for the inspector.
Fee
Members
Renewal
Members
Official page
Members
Checked Oct 21, 2026
Alcohol permitsOpens after step 4
Nevada issues no state retail liquor license: the Department of Taxation licenses the supply tier (importers, wholesalers, breweries and brew pubs) and the county or city licenses the bar or restaurant, with a background investigation of every owner and a public hearing before the board or council. A tavern sells all alcohol with no food requirement; a restaurant takes a service bar license tied to meals; a wine bar fits the beer and wine room category. Las Vegas and Reno both say to allow about 60 days. The licensed premises also needs its approved zoning and distance from schools and churches.
Fee
Members
Renewal
Members
Official page
Members
Checked Oct 21, 2026
Before the first hireOpens after step 5
Workers’ compensation insurance is required for every employer with one or more employees, including part-time and family employees, from the first hire; an employer caught without it faces a fine of up to $15,000 and premium penalties. Report each new hire within 20 days. Register with DETR through SilverFlume once you pay wages.
The free location checkWho lives and works around an address, the restaurants already there and the traffic on its road, from public records.
The full reportWhether the rules allow a restaurant at that address, the rent it supports, what has opened and closed nearby, and the questions to settle before signing.
No account. The restaurant check reads public records at the address itself.
Sources and dates
Secretary of State LLC pages, fee schedule and state business license FAQ; NRS 86.561, 86.263 and 76.100; Washoe County Clerk fee schedule and fictitious firm name forms; Clark County Clerk fictitious firm name fee chart; NRS Chapter 602; IRS EIN page; Department of Taxation start and run a business pages and new business basic training; NRS 372.510 (security); NRS Chapter 363B (Modified Business Tax); Clark County Department of Business License guide; City of Reno Business Licensing FY 2026/2027 adopted fees; City of Las Vegas business license instruction sheets; Clark County Building and Fire Prevention; City of Las Vegas and City of Reno business licensing guides; local codes; Southern Nevada Health District plan review applications, 2023 Food Regulations and Environmental Health Fee Schedule; Northern Nevada Public Health food establishment permit FAQ; Southern Nevada Health District food handler and certified food safety manager FAQ; 2023 SNHD Food Regulations; Northern Nevada Public Health food regulations; Clark County Code 8.20.470 and the county’s liquor and gaming guide; City of Las Vegas alcohol licenses general information (PL231) and tavern instruction sheet; City of Reno Business Licensing FY 2026/2027 adopted fees (RMC 5.07); NRS Chapter 369; DETR employer UI information and quarterly reporting pages (2026 and 2027 taxable wage bases); Division of Industrial Relations employer brochure; U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns 2023; U.S. Census Bureau Business Dynamics Statistics. Fees are as published by each agency on the date checked; cities add their own.
Questions about opening here.
10 items, in order: articles of organization (llc), the initial list of managers and the state business license, fictitious firm name certificate (dba), employer identification number (ein), sales tax permit, security deposit and modified business tax registration, city or county business license and zoning approval and certificate of occupancy, and 4 more.
Nevada Secretary of State, The county clerk in the county where the business operates, Internal Revenue Service, Nevada Department of Taxation, Your city’s business licensing division and Your city or county planning and building departments, and 4 more.
With articles of organization (llc), the initial list of managers and the state business license (Nevada Secretary of State), then fictitious firm name certificate (dba). The steps run structure, tax, space, permits, alcohol and employer, in that order.
Yes, to sell it: tavern, restaurant service bar, or beer and wine on-premises license. The local license usually comes first.
Each item's fee, renewal cycle and official page are shown to members, as the agency published them on the date checked. Cities and counties add their own fees.
How to open a restaurant in Nevada (2026) | DoorWorthy
