Courthouse P.O. Box 99
30512 Prince William Street
Princess Anne, MD 21853-0279
The license year runs from May 1st through the following April 30th.
Business License Requirements
The License Department at the Circuit Court for Somerset County issues State of Maryland Traders Licenses for businesses located in Somerset County. The hours to obtain a license from the Clerk of Court is 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Applicants must register with the Central Registration Division of the Comptroller’s Office before they apply for a business license at www.marylandtaxes.com. After accessing the web site, Applicants then click on the Combined Registration Application link.
The first step is applying for your license at the Office of the Clerk, License Department. Then you must visit other offices, i.e., Assessments & Taxation, and the appropriate Finance Offices before returning your application to the Clerk's Office.
To complete the business license application, in addition to the Sales & Use Tax number and the amount of inventory in dollars (see chart below), the Applicant will need the following information: (1) full name of corporation or sole proprietor; (2) full location address and mailing address, if different; (3) EIN # (Federal Identification number) [if corporation] or Social Security number; (4) telephone number; and (5) workers’ compensation number (for those who are employers).
If the Applicant has a REGISTERED Trade Name (or fictitious name), this information must be on the application as well and the Applicant must have registered the trade name (or fictitious name) with the State Department of Assessments and Taxation or (410-767-1340).
Type of Payment
The Clerk’s Office can only accept cash, checks or money orders.
Licenses available are:
- Traders
- Construction
- Restaurant
- Plumber & Gas Fitter
- Billiard
- Vending Machines
- Cigarette and Special Retail Cigarette
- Cleaning, Dying, Pressing & Laundry
- Music Box
- Storage Warehouse
- Peddler
- Soda Water Fountain
If you have more than one business location, you are considered a chain store.
Traders license fee is based on the wholesale value of your retail inventory. Please refer to the following chart for the fees. All licenses include a $2.00 issuing fee for each type of license.
Trader's License Fees
All Counties Excluding Baltimore City
| Inventory Amount | Fee |
|---|---|
| 0 to 1,000 | 15 |
| 1,001 to 1,500 | 18 |
| 1,501 to 2,500 | 20 |
| 2,501 to 4,000 | 25 |
| 4,001 to 6,000 | 30 |
| 6,001 to 8,000 | 40 |
| 8,001 to 10,000 | 50 |
| 10,001 to 15,000 | 65 |
| 15,001 to 20,000 | 80 |
| 20,001 to 30,000 | 100 |
| 30,001 to 40,000 | 125 |
| 40,001 to 50,000 | 150 |
| 50,001 to 75,000 | 200 |
| 75,001 to 100,000 | 250 |
| 100,001 to 150,000 | 300 |
| 150,001 to 200,000 | 350 |
| 200,001 to 300,000 | 400 |
| 300,001 to 400,000 | 500 |
| 400,001 to 500,000 | 600 |
| 500,001 to 750,000 | 750 |
| 750,001 and over | 800 |
A contractor or subcontractor who holds a license under the Maryland Home Improvement Law is not required to hold a construction license issued by the Clerk of the Circuit Court.
The following web sites offer additional information on business licenses and opening a Maryland business:
- Maryland Business Resources - includes startup information and an alphabetized list of all State licenses and permits.
- Comptroller of Maryland - Business Information Services - includes tax information, business license information, and a Business Owner's Toolkit