Business license to sell at craft fairs.
Selling art or crafts at fairs can involve three separate papers: a business license or registration from the state, county or city, a sales tax permit or one-time event tax license, and, for food, a health permit. Ask the organizer which they require, then check your local agency.
Updated
Business license, sales tax permit, temporary permit.
These get mixed up because the names overlap. A business license lets you operate in a city, county or state. A sales tax permit registers you with the tax agency so you can collect and pay sales tax. A temporary vendor permit is a short-term version of the tax permit, issued for one event or a few days, for sellers who do not have a permanent account.
Our glossary has short definitions of each: the vendor license, the sales tax permit and the temporary sales tax permit.
- Business license: ask your city or county, and the state if it has one.
- Sales tax permit: ask your state tax agency.
- Temporary permit: ask the tax agency or the event organizer for the one-event option.
What it looks like in DC, Maryland and Virginia.
Maryland: the Comptroller says a Trader's License from the Clerk of the Circuit Court goes together with a sales tax account, and shows can accept an Exhibitor's Affidavit from some exhibitors. Vendors without a permanent license who sell at one-time events can get a temporary sales and use tax license that lasts thirty days.
Virginia: there is no general state business license. Counties, cities and towns set their own business license fee and tax, which is usually handled by the Commissioner of the Revenue. At the state level, vendors without a sales tax account report event sales to Virginia Tax on the ST-50, and regular event sellers register for an account.
DC: the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP) says anyone doing business in DC must be licensed for the activity, applied for online. For a licensed special event, DC law lets the Mayor authorize vending without a basic business license, so ask whether the event covers you. Event vendors register for sales tax with the Office of Tax and Revenue and file the special event return.
How to find the rule for your town.
Start with the event: the vendor page or the organizer will say what they collect. Then check the three layers in order. Search your county or city website for business license, then your state tax agency for the sales tax permit, then the health department if you sell food.
- Our state hubs list the agencies and links we read: /permits.
- Ask the agency by phone when two pages disagree. They often do.
- Keep your licenses, permits and insurance certificates on file and reuse them across applications.
If you sell art, prints or crafts.
Selling your own artwork is still a sale, and most states tax it. Some places treat a sale by the artist differently from a sale by a reseller, and some exempt certain goods. Do not assume a small or occasional sales level exempts you. Maryland, for example, treats flea market and craft show sales as taxable, and Virginia says fairs and flea markets are not occasional sales.
- Apply to markets and events on bzar and pay booth fees by card.
Not legal or tax advice.
This guide summarizes official sources and is not legal or tax advice. Rules, limits and fees change; confirm with the agency before you sell.
Common questions.
Do I need a business license to sell at a craft fair?
Often some form of business registration is needed, but it varies by place, and some events cover vendors under their own license. Ask the organizer, then your city, county or state.
What is a temporary vendor permit?
A short-term permit, usually a tax permit for one event or a short period, for vendors who do not have a permanent sales tax account.
Do I need a sales tax permit to sell art?
In most states, yes, because sales of art and crafts are taxable. Your state tax agency can tell you how to register.
Is a business license the same as a sales tax permit?
No. A business license lets you operate locally, while a sales tax permit registers you to collect tax. You may need both.
Where do I apply for a business license?
Start with your city or county website. Some states also issue licenses, and in DC the application is online through the DLCP business portal.
Keep reading.
Sources.
Facts on this page come from these sources, checked on 2026-10-11. Details change; tell us at hello@bzar.app if something here is out of date.
- https://www.marylandcomptroller.gov/businesses/new-business/business-licenses.html
- https://services.marylandcomptroller.gov/taxes?id=kb_article_view&sysparm_article=KB0010107
- https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title58.1/chapter37/section58.1-3703/
- https://www.tax.virginia.gov/register-business-virginia
- https://www.tax.virginia.gov/sites/default/files/taxforms/retail-sales-and-use/any/st-50-any.pdf
- https://dlcp.dc.gov/service/business-licensing-division
- https://otr.cfo.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/otr/page_content/attachments/2025%20FR800SE%20instructions%20v1.0%20_Final_08262024.pdf
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