Do I need a license to do business in St. Johns County?

• 31 July 2023

St. Johns County requires all businesses to have a business tax receipt through the St. Johns County Tax Collector Office.

The first step to obtaining a business tax receipt is to get zoning approval for your business location. If your business is located within St. Johns County and not within the City of St. Augustine or City of St. Augustine Beach, then you will need to get zoning approval through the St. Johns County Planning and Zoning Division. Email plandept@sjcfl.us for an application for zoning approval. If you are operating your business out of a home office and live within a homeowners association, then you will need to include a letter with the zoning application that states the homeowners association approves your home-based business. See below for additional information if your business is located within the City of St. Augustine or City of St. Augustine Beach.

Once the application has been submitted and approved through St. Johns County Planning and Zoning, then the approved zoning application will need to be taken or emailed to the St. Johns County Tax Collector Office along with the completed business tax receipt application, which can be found at the following link.

To submit the business tax receipt application electronically, email cdowler@sjctax.com. To submit the business tax receipt in person, visit a Tax Collector Office location, which can be found at the following link. – https://sjctax.us/contact/

Business tax receipts through St. Johns County range in cost, depending on the business service, from $18 to $30. Also, state licensed professionals will need to provide a copy of their current State of Florida license when obtaining a business tax receipt. Businesses in sales will have to provide a sales tax number.

If your business is located within the City of St. Augustine or City of St. Augustine Beach, then zoning approval and a business tax receipt will need to be obtained from those offices. For more information, call 904-825-1065 for the City of St. Augustine or 904-471-2122 for the City of St. Augustine Beach. Once you have received zoning approval and a business tax receipt through either city, then the business tax receipt can be taken or emailed to the St. Johns County Tax Collector’s Office to also obtain a business tax receipt through the county.

For additional information about business tax receipts, call the St. Johns County Tax Collector Office at 904-209-2250 or visit the following link. –