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Steps for Starting a
Business in St. Lucie County All business owners using a name
other than their legal personal name (mostly sole proprietorships), properly
registered corporate name, partnership, trademark or service mark, must register
a fictitious name with the state. For information contact: Department of State,
Division Corporation (850) 245-6052. www.sunbiz.org Florida Requires state licensing or state licensing or certificate of competency for many professionals and occupations. Many require special training and prior examinant (850) 487-1395. www.myfloridalicense.com All businesses, with exception of most sole proprietorships, must submit Form SS-4 to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and receive a Federal Employer Identification Number that registers a business with the government. This registration is required even though a business may not have employees. For information contact: IRS (Atlanta, GA) 1-866-816-2065 (general information), 1-800-829-3676 (forms distribution center). http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/fss4.pdf Taxes on your business and other federal or state reporting requirements will depend on the nature of the business, its forms of legal structure and whether or not there are employees. Some of these are: Federal Corporation Income Tax and Unemployment Tax 1-866-816-2065; Florida Corporate Income Tax, Intangible Personal Property Tax, Sales and Use Tax, and Unemployment Tax 1-800-352-3671; Florida New Hire Reporting 1-888-854-4791; Workers Compensation (850) 921-6966; and County Tangible Personal Property (239) 339-6140 General Guidelines: There are four different jurisdictions in St. Lucie County requiring an occupational license for a business - St. Lucie Village; The City of Fort Pierce; The City of Port St. Lucie and the unincorporated area of St. Lucie County. Each Jurisdiction has a Building or Planning and Zoning Department that will determine the Zoning compliance for the location of the business prior to the issuance of an occupational license. Step 1: Determine in which jurisdiction your business will be physically located. Step 2: Apply for the zoning use compliance permit within the jurisdiction of your business: St. Lucie Village: Town Hall, 2841 Old Dixie Highway, Diane Orme, Clerk, Phone: 772-466-6900 Fort Pierce City Hall: 101 N. US 1, Phone: 772-460-2200 Port St. Lucie City Hall: Building A, 121 SW Port St. Lucie BLVD., Phone: 772-871-5212 http://www.cityofpsl.com/planning_zoning/index.html St. Lucie County Building and Zoning: 2300 Virginia Avenue, Fort Pierce, Phone: 772-462-1553 http://www.stlucieco.gov/public_works/permitting.htm Once you have applied, an inspector will visit the location to ensure proper zoning requirements have been met. After the inspection has been successfully completed, the application will be notified to pick up the Zoning Compliance Form. Step 3: Take your completed Zoning Compliance Form to the Licensing Department within your jurisdiction. St. Lucie Village: Town Hall, 2841 Old Dixie Highway, Diane Orme, Clerk, Phone 772-466-6900 Fort Pierce City Hall: 100 N. US 1, Phone: 772-460-2200 Ext.372 Port St. Lucie City Hall: Building B, 121 SW Port St. Lucie Blvd., Phone: 772-871-5132 St. Lucie County: STEP 4: Upon obtaining a CITY ISSUED occupational license, you must then obtain an occupational license from the St. Lucie County Tax Collector located at 2300 Virginia Avenue, Fort Pierce, Phone: 772-462-1553, or in Port St. Lucie, 1664 SE Walton Road, Phone: 772-337-5600. Website: http://216.77.1.194/home/default.asp Whether working in the City of Fort Pierce, the City of Port St. Lucie, St. Lucie Village or in the unincorporated area of St. Lucie County, an occupational license MUST be obtained through ST. LUCIE COUNTY TAX COLLECTOR’S OFFICE. This process has an expected timeline of 3 to 5 business days from the time of application to the issuance of an occupational license. SPECIAL NOTE: An occupational license is required from each jurisdiction where you will be conducting business. It is strongly recommended that you contact your individual jurisdiction for additional information. For example, if your office is located in Port St. Lucie and you have a Port St. Lucie and St. Lucie County license, but you perform any type of service in Fort Pierce, you must obtain a license from the city of Fort Pierce too. Some licenses may require additional State agency approval. Some State licenses
do not require any additional zoning compliance approval or additional occupational
license. You may only have to register your license in the building department.
For the most current information, please contact the licensing departments at
the number provided above.
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