City of Anderson Business License: How to Apply, Pay, and Renew

If you plan to operate a business inside Anderson city limits, you need a City of Anderson business license. South Carolina does not issue a statewide business license, and Anderson County does not issue a county business license either, so the city license is the local approval most owners will deal with. This guide covers the documents you need, the fee calculation, the renewal calendar, and the mistakes that send applications back to the start.

This article is informational, not legal or tax advice. Fees, rates, and deadlines change, so confirm each figure with the City of Anderson Municipal Business Center before you pay. If your ownership structure or tax situation is complicated, talk to a licensed attorney or a certified public accountant (CPA).

What You Need Before You Apply

Gather these items before you open the application. Missing documents are the most common reason for delays.

• Your legal business name and entity type: sole proprietorship, general partnership, limited liability company (LLC), or corporation.
• Your federal Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the IRS.
• The street address where the business will operate, plus the mailing address you want on file.
• A plain description of what you sell or do, so the city can assign your business classification.
• Your projected or prior-year figures, since the city uses the figure it measures for your class to calculate your fee.
• A certificate of occupancy or occupancy approval for the address (see Step 2).
• A South Carolina Retail License from the South Carolina Department of Revenue (SCDOR) if you sell tangible goods (see Step 6).
• A payment method accepted by the city's online licensing system, which runs on OpenGov.

Step-by-Step: Getting Your Anderson City License

1. Confirm your address is inside city limits. The city license applies to businesses located within the City of Anderson. Anderson County does not issue a business license, so a business in unincorporated county territory does not get a county license in its place. An address with an Anderson mailing label does not guarantee city limits, so check the parcel on a city map before you apply. Also note that searches for anderson business license return results for Anderson, Indiana and Anderson, California. Those cities have their own rules and do not apply to a South Carolina business.
2. Get your occupancy permit before the license. The city requires an occupancy permit before it issues a business license. Apply for it for the physical address where you will operate. If you work from home, use a shared space, or operate from a vehicle, ask the Business Center how it treats your location before you assume the permit is not needed. Do not pay the license fee expecting it to cover a missing occupancy approval.
3. Form your entity and secure the name (if needed). Sole proprietors and general partnerships do not file organizing documents with the Secretary of State. If you are forming an LLC or corporation, file through Business Entities Online at https://businessfilings.sc.gov/. Articles of Organization for a domestic LLC carry a $110 filing fee, and Articles of Incorporation for a domestic corporation carry a $110 fee, must be signed by a South Carolina attorney, and are filed with Form CL-1 and its $25 initial License Fee, for $135 in total. Documents filed online are typically returned within 24 to 48 business hours. An LLC must designate and keep a registered agent in South Carolina with a street address. A standard LLC files no annual report with the Secretary of State. If you need to hold a name while you finish paperwork, a name reservation costs $25 and lasts 120 days, and it cannot be renewed.
4. Get your EIN and record any trade name. Apply for an EIN with the IRS. South Carolina has no state DBA filing, and the Secretary of State does not register DBA or trade names. If you operate under a name other than your legal name, record that trade name with the city on your business license. List the same trade name on your IRS EIN application and on the SCDOR Business Tax Application. Confirm the city's recording requirements with the Business Center, because a DBA is handled at the local level.
5. Determine your classification and calculate the fee. For the 2026-27 license year, the City of Anderson's Class 1 rate is $30 on the first $2,000, plus $1.40 for each $1,000 above that amount. For example, if the city measures your figure at $100,000, the calculation reads $30 plus $1.40 times 98 thousand-dollar increments, which is $167.20. That example assumes the $1.40 rate applies to the amount above $2,000, so confirm the reading with the Business Center before you budget around it. The Class 1 amount is doubled for non-residents. Ask the Business Center whether a business located outside city limits counts as a non-resident for this purpose.
6. Apply, pay, and keep the license on display. Submit the application through the city's online system or in person at the Municipal Business Center at 601 S Main St. Pay the fee when prompted. Once the license is issued, display it at your main place of business where customers and inspectors can see it.
7. Register for the SCDOR Retail License if you sell goods. If you sell tangible goods, you need a Retail License from the SCDOR. It is a one-time, nonrefundable $50 fee per location, applied for through the Business Tax Application on MyDORWAY at https://dor.sc.gov/businesses/apply-business-tax-account/licensing-retail-license. The state sales tax rate is 6%. Complete this step before you open for sales, and keep it separate from the city license, since the two come from different agencies.
8. Check hospitality and accommodations taxes. If you sell prepared food or drinks, or rent lodging, ask the City of Anderson whether the city's hospitality tax or accommodations tax applies to you. A South Carolina Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office report for fiscal year 2023-24 lists 2% for each tax, but that is a dated figure. Confirm the current rates with the city before you price a meal, a room, or a stay.
9. Get any specialty license your trade requires. Retail food permits come from the South Carolina Department of Agriculture, not the Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC), which was split in 2024. Contractors face state thresholds: commercial contractor licenses apply to work above $10,000, and residential specialty registration applies above $500. Confirm the current thresholds and the issuing state agency before you bid on a job.

Fee Summary

The table below lists the figures covered in this guide. Items marked with a check note are not settled figures in this article, so confirm them with the named agency.

Item	Amount	Where to confirm or pay
City Class 1 license, 2026-27 license year	$30 on the first $2,000, plus $1.40 per $1,000	City of Anderson Municipal Business Center, 601 S Main St
Non-resident Class 1 license	Doubled	Confirm the non-resident definition with the Business Center
Occupancy permit	Check with the city	City of Anderson Municipal Business Center
Hospitality tax	2% per a FY2023-24 report, check with the city	City of Anderson
Accommodations tax	2% per a FY2023-24 report, check with the city	City of Anderson
SCDOR Retail License	$50 one-time, per location	https://dor.sc.gov/
LLC Articles of Organization	$110	https://businessfilings.sc.gov/
Corporation Articles of Incorporation	$110, plus the $25 Form CL-1 License Fee ($135 total)	https://businessfilings.sc.gov/
Name reservation	$25, lasts 120 days, nonrenewable	https://businessfilings.sc.gov/

Renewals and the April 30 Deadline

City of Anderson business licenses renew on an April 30 deadline. The current cycle is the 2026-27 license year. The city's website still carries some calendar-year wording, so do not set your renewal date from that text. Ask the Business Center to confirm the exact start date of the license year. Local renewals in many South Carolina jurisdictions run through localblrenewal.com, so ask the Business Center whether Anderson renewals use that site or the city's OpenGov portal. Put the April 30 deadline on your calendar at least a month ahead, because the city will not necessarily send a reminder you can rely on.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Applying for the license before the occupancy permit. The permit comes first, so the license application stalls without it.
• Looking for a county license. Anderson County does not issue one, so the city license is the local approval to pursue.
• Treating Secretary of State registration as a business license. The state directs owners to apply for a local license with the county or city, so SOS registration does not replace it.
• Using a trade name without recording it. South Carolina has no state DBA filing, so the local record and the EIN and SCDOR listings are the places to get it right.
• Calendaring the renewal from old wording. Confirm the April 30 deadline and the 2026-27 license year directly with the Business Center.
• Guessing the classification. The class determines the fee, so describe your business accurately and ask the Business Center to confirm it.
• Looking to DHEC for a food permit. Retail food permits now come from the South Carolina Department of Agriculture.
• Searching for the wrong Anderson. Filter results to South Carolina sources, or you may read rules from Indiana or California.

What to Expect After You Apply

Most applicants can expect the occupancy review and the license processing to take some time, so avoid setting an opening date until the license is in hand. Online state filings are typically returned within 24 to 48 business hours, but this guide does not list a published turnaround time for the city. Ask the Business Center for its current processing time. If your application is complete and accurate, the process may move more smoothly. If it is missing the occupancy permit, the classification, or the SCDOR Retail License, expect a delay while you supply the missing item.

Where to Get Help

The South Carolina Small Business Development Centers (SC SBDC) at https://www.scsbdc.com/ offer free business advising across the state, and the SBA district page at https://www.sba.gov/district/south-carolina lists local resources. For state filings, use the Secretary of State at https://businessfilings.sc.gov/ and the SCDOR at https://dor.sc.gov/. For the city license itself, the Municipal Business Center at 601 S Main St is the authority to confirm your fee, class, occupancy permit, and renewal dates.

This article is general information about South Carolina and City of Anderson licensing. It is not legal or tax advice. Consult a qualified attorney or CPA for decisions about your entity, taxes, or licensing obligations.