Get a Business License

CITY OF PROVIDENCE

Visit the Department of Licensing on the first floor of City Hall to see what, if any, additional licenses or requirements you may need for the type of business you want to own/operate. 


Businesses that require licenses in Providence include:

  • Body Works Services
  • Entertainment & Amusement
  • Expansion of Premises
  • Individual Service License
  • Liquor License 
  • Restaurant and Food License
  • Service License
  • Sales and Auto

STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

Use the Business Assistant tool to learn more about required licensing. Simply answer a few questions about your business and you’ll get a list of applicable licensing and registration requirements and forms. The State requires certain businesses to obtain licenses from the Department of Business Regulation and the Department of Health, including any business interested in making retail sales (Permit to Make Sales at Retail) and Wholesaling (Wholesale License.) If you are considering opening a restaurant, nightclub, market or convenience store – also check with the Rhode Island Department of Health for any special requirements.


Businesses that require licenses through the Department of Business Regulation include:

  • Auto
  • Liquor
  • Mobile Homes
  • Real Estate
  • Unit Pricing

Businesses that require licenses through the Department of Health include: 

  • Acupuncturists
  • Adult Day Care Providers
  • Ambulatory Surgery Centers
  • Asbestos Professionals
  • Assisted Living
  • Athletic Trainers
  • Barber, Hairdresser and Cosmetologist
  • Behavioral Analysts
  • Birth Centers
  • Blood Testing Screening Programs
  • Chemical Dependency Professionals
  • Chiropractic
  • Dairy Industry Professionals
  • Deaf Interpreters
  • Dental Professionals
  • Dialysis Centers
  • Dietitians and Nutritionists
  • Drinking Water Operators
  • Electrologists
  • Electronic Nicotine-Delivery System Distributors
  • Emergency Medical Service Providers
  • Food Markets
  • Food Processors
  • Food Safety Managers
  • Freestanding Emergency Care Facility
  • Funeral Directors and Embalmers
  • Health Centers and Ambulatory Care
  • Health Plans
  • Hearing Aid Professionals
  • HIV Test Counselors
  • Home Care Providers
  • Home Nursing Care Providers
  • Hospice Providers
  • Hospitals
  • Laboratories
  • Lactation Consultants
  • Lead Professionals
  • Marriage, Family and Mental Health Therapists
  • Massage Therapists
  • Meat/ Poultry Processors
  • Medical Marijuana
  • Midwives
  • Music Therapists
  • Nurses
  • Nursing Assistants
  • Nursing Home Administrators
  • Nursing Homes
  • Nursing Service Agencies
  • Occupational Therapists
  • Optometrists and Opticians
  • Pharmacies and Pharmacy Professionals
  • Phlebotomy Stations
  • Physical Therapists
  • Physician Assistants
  • Physicians
  • Podiatrists
  • Portable x-ray machines
  • Private Well Water Professionals
  • Psychologists
  • Public Pools
  • Public Water Systems
  • Radioactive Material
  • Radiologic Technologists
  • Radon Control Professionals
  • Recreation Facilities
  • Rehabiltation Centers, Outpatient
  • Respiratory Care Professionals
  • Restaurants or other Food Services
  • School-Based Health Centers
  • Shellfish Businesses
  • Social Workers
  • Speech Language Patholgists / Audiologists
  • Surgery Centers, Freestanding
  • Tanning Facilities
  • Tattoo Artists / Body Piercers
  • Utilization Review
  • Veterinarians
  • X-ray Facilities

Certain professions also require a State license including:

  • Architect Certificate of Authorization
  • Board of Engineers Certificate of Authorization
  • Electricians
  • Elevator Service Company
  • Land Surveyor Certificate of Authorization
  • Landscape Architect Certificate of Authorization
  • Telecommunications
  • Upholstery Manufacturer
  • Upholstery Repairer/Renovator
  • Upholstery Second Hand Dealer
  • Upholstery Sterilization Permit
  • Upholstery Supply Dealer