Gillette Business Licenses: No General License, Chapter 10 Fees $25 to $250, Contractor Application $75 to $500 and a $5,000 Bond

October 29, 2026

Searching for a gillette wy business license usually turns up one surprise right away: Gillette does not issue a general business license. You will not pay the city a flat fee just to open a company. What you need depends on what you sell, how you sell it, whether you do contract work on buildings, and whether you plan to serve alcohol. This guide walks through the filings and licenses in the order most new owners reach them, using the fees and deadlines published by the State of Wyoming and the City of Gillette.

How Business Licensing Works in Gillette

Wyoming has no general statewide business license. Your first filing goes to the Wyoming Secretary of State, Business Division, which registers your entity. If you make taxable sales, you also need a sales and use tax license from the Wyoming Department of Revenue, Excise Tax Division. After that, you add the licenses and permits your activity requires. Those are often issued by the city clerk where you operate, which for a Gillette business means the City of Gillette.

Counties issue no business licenses. Only cities and towns can. Gillette has about 34,000 residents, and Campbell County has 48,145 (Census 2025).

Materials and Information You Need

• Your proposed business name, checked on the WyoBiz filing search
• A Wyoming registered agent with a physical street address, including any suite number
• A written description of your business, expected sales, and whether you sell taxable goods or services
• Your Gillette business location and owner contact details
• For contractors: a $5,000 bond, Wyoming workers' compensation and unemployment letters, and a Secretary of State good standing record
• For mobile food vendors: proof of your food service permit application, your sales tax permit application, and written property-owner consent
• A payment method, since filing fees vary by license

Step 1: Register Your Entity With the Secretary of State

If you form an LLC or corporation, start here. Check your name on the WyoBiz filing search before anything else. An LLC name must include "Limited Liability Company" or an accepted abbreviation such as "LLC" or "L.L.C." Names beginning with the letter A must be filed on paper rather than online.

File Articles of Organization for an LLC or Articles of Incorporation for a profit corporation. Each carries a $100 filing fee. Online filings through WyoBiz are active as soon as the filing is completed. Paper filings are processed in the order received and can take up to 15 business days.

If you need time to file, a name reservation costs $60 and lasts 120 days. It is paper only, using the LLC name reservation form, with no online option.

Every Wyoming entity must keep a registered agent at all times. The agent can be a Wyoming resident or an authorized business entity with a physical street address in Wyoming. A drop box does not qualify. A PO box is accepted only in addition to a physical address. Commercial registered agents pay a $50 annual registration, and appointing a new agent and office costs $5.

LLCs and corporations also owe the annual report license tax. The minimum is $60, due on the first day of the anniversary month of formation each year. You may file up to 120 days early. An entity that does not pay within 60 days of the due date is subject to administrative dissolution. This is the only recurring state entity charge for most small businesses, because Wyoming levies no corporate income tax, no personal income tax and no franchise tax. The charge can exceed $60 for entities with larger Wyoming assets: two-tenths of one mill ($.0002) of assets located and employed in Wyoming, if that is greater. For example, $300,000 or less in Wyoming assets pays $60, while $1,210,000 in Wyoming assets produces $242.

Step 2: Get a Sales and Use Tax License if You Make Taxable Sales

Businesses making taxable sales hold a sales and use tax license from the Department of Revenue. The application carries a $60 non-refundable fee. Apply through the Department of Revenue registration page.

The state sales tax rate is 4%. Counties can add their own taxes, and resort districts can add more. Gillette has no city sales tax. Campbell County's sales and use rate is 5% on the Department of Revenue rate chart effective 2026-10-01. County rates change quarterly, so check the current chart at the Department of Revenue site before you set your prices or register.

Sales tax applies to goods and to enumerated services only. Taxable items include meals and prepared food, lodging, admissions, telecom, utilities, alcohol, repair and alteration of personal property, and oil and gas well-site services. Intrastate freight is exempt, and so is food for home consumption, including most baked goods. Contractors pay tax on the materials they install. Wyoming issues no resale certificate, so the buyer gives the seller a signed certificate instead. Out-of-state sellers face a remote seller threshold of $100,000 in sales, measured by sales dollars only.

Step 3: Apply for Chapter 10 Licenses and Permits

Gillette's Chapter 10, Licenses and Permits (revised June 2025), governs the city's local licenses. Chapter 10 has no general business license. Licenses run by calendar year, and penalties reach up to $750 per violation, with each day counted as a separate violation. Confirm current fees with the City Clerk before you pay.

License or permit	Fee	Notes
Itinerant vendor or umbrella license	$50	Covers 10 days a year
Door-to-door solicitor	$50 plus $10 per participant	None
Pawnbroker	$100	None
Sexually oriented business	$250	None
Mobile food vendor	$75 per truck or unit	Requires food service and sales tax permit applications plus written property-owner consent
Special event permit	$25 application	None
Taxi or public transportation	$200 a year	None
Home occupation permit	No fee	Code Compliance: 307-686-5309

If you run a business out of your home, call Code Compliance at 307-686-5309 to ask whether a home occupation permit applies. It carries no fee, but it is still a permit to confirm before you open.

Step 4: Meet Contractor Licensing Requirements

Wyoming has no state contractor, plumber or HVAC license. Contractors are licensed city by city, so Gillette's rules control your local work. The city requires a contractor license regardless of project size or whether a permit is pulled. The license runs for one year.

Contractor class	Application fee
A	$500
B	$300
R	$150
D	$150
F	$75
C	$75

Each class carries its own application fee, so confirm with the City Clerk which class covers your trade before you file. Your application also needs a $5,000 bond, Wyoming workers' compensation and unemployment letters, and a Secretary of State good standing record. Wyoming's workers' compensation is a state fund run by the Department of Workforce Services. It is compulsory only in listed extrahazardous industries, and sole proprietors, partners, officers and LLC members are excluded unless they elect coverage. If you are a single owner with no employees, confirm with the Department of Workforce Services what letter the city will accept. Electrical trades are licensed by the state, so check which electrical credential applies to you with the Department of Fire Prevention and Electrical Safety.

Step 5: Liquor Licenses if You Serve Alcohol

Retail liquor licenses are population-quota licenses issued by cities, towns and counties. The City of Gillette fee sheet, which is undated, lists:

• Retail: $1,500, plus $500 for drive-up service
• Bar and grill: $1,200
• Restaurant: $3,000
• Microbrewery: $500
• Club: $425
• Resort: $3,000

Bar and grill licenses are capped at 14 since 2023-07-01, rising to 19 from 2028-07-01. The cap is based on the 2020 census count of 33,403. Ask the Clerk for the current open count. The fee sheet says bar and grill ownership is transferable, but W.S. 12-4-413(e) states that a bar and grill license cannot be sold, transferred or assigned. Plan around the statute, and confirm with the City Clerk or an attorney.

Step 6: Register an Optional Trade Name

Registering a trade name is optional in Wyoming. The filing goes to the Secretary of State's Business Division statewide, not to a county clerk. Fees are $100 to register for a 10-year term, $50 to renew, $25 to assign and $10 to cancel. Trade name filings are mail only and must be notarized. Use the Application for Registration of Trade Name. A trade name reservation is a separate filing at $30 for 120 days.

Step 7: Review Homemade Food Rules

Wyoming's Food Freedom Act, W.S. 11-49, lets home producers sell homemade food directly to informed end consumers without a state license, up to annual caps. Confirm the current caps with the Wyoming Department of Agriculture, Consumer Health Services, before you sell. Mobile food vendors in Gillette fall under the Chapter 10 mobile food vendor license covered in Step 3.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Searching for a Gillette general business license. None exists, so your task is identifying which specific licenses your activity needs.
• Listing a drop box as your registered agent address. Wyoming requires a physical street address.
• Filing an LLC name without "Limited Liability Company" or an accepted abbreviation, or choosing a name that is not available on the WyoBiz search.
• Missing the annual report. The $60 minimum is due the first day of your anniversary month, and non-payment within 60 days can lead to administrative dissolution.
• Filing a trade name with a county clerk. It goes to the Secretary of State.
• Assuming contractor licensing depends on project size. Gillette requires it regardless.
• Looking for a city sales tax. Gillette has none, and county rates change quarterly.
• Expecting a state resale certificate. Wyoming issues none, so the buyer signs a certificate for the seller.
• Ignoring Chapter 10 deadlines. Penalties reach $750 per violation, and each day is a separate violation.

Expected Results

Working through these steps may help you open a Gillette business with the right filings in place. Online WyoBiz entity filings take effect as soon as they are completed, so a well-prepared LLC may be active on the day you file. Review times for Chapter 10 licenses, contractor applications and liquor licenses vary, so ask the City Clerk for current timelines before you sign a lease or a contract. Your results depend on your business type, activities and location. This guide does not guarantee approval by any agency.

Official Resources and Local Help

• Wyoming Secretary of State: https://sos.wyo.gov/
• WyoBiz filing search: https://wyobiz.wyo.gov/Business/FilingSearch.aspx
• Department of Revenue, Excise Tax Division: https://excise-tax-div.wyo.gov/
• U.S. Small Business Administration, Wyoming: https://www.sba.gov/district/wyoming
• Wyoming SBDC Network: https://www.wyomingsbdc.org/. P.J. Burns is the SBDC regional director for Campbell, Crook, Johnson, Sheridan and Weston counties.
• Gillette business licensing: contact the City Clerk's Office in Gillette

Disclaimer

This article is informational content, not legal or tax advice. Licensing rules, fees and tax rates change. Confirm current requirements with the Wyoming Secretary of State, the Wyoming Department of Revenue and the City of Gillette before you file. For complex situations, such as multi-member ownership, liquor licensing, contractor work across several cities or tax planning, consult a qualified attorney or certified public accountant.