Jackson and Teton County Wyoming Business License: $136 to $891 by Headcount, STR Permit $543 per Bedroom and a 7 Percent Sales Tax
Before you sign a lease, buy equipment or list a rental in Jackson, answer one question: are you inside the Town of Jackson limits? The Town of Jackson requires a town license for every business operating within town limits, including home-based businesses. Teton County issues no business licenses. It handles zoning, building, septic and land use for unincorporated areas. So a jackson wy business license means a Town of Jackson license, and the county handles the land use side for properties outside the Town.
This guide walks through the steps, the Town fees from Resolution 26-19 (effective 2026-10-01), the short-term rental permit, and the sales tax rates you will collect. This content is informational, not legal or tax advice. Confirm each figure with the agency named in the step, and consult a qualified attorney or CPA for complex situations such as multiple owners, property leases or several rental units.
Materials and Information You Need Before You Start
- A business name that is available on the WyoBiz filing search
- A Wyoming registered agent with a physical street address in Wyoming. A drop box is not acceptable, and a PO box works only in addition to a physical address.
- Formation documents: Articles of Organization for an LLC or Articles of Incorporation for a profit corporation
- Your Jackson business street address, including any suite number, and your landlord or property owner's details
- Your expected headcount, including part-time staff, because the Town fee depends on it
- A list of what you sell and which sales are taxable (goods, meals, lodging, admissions and certain services)
- For a rental, the number of bedrooms in each unit
- For a contractor, your Master Certificate of Qualification, which the Town requires before it issues a contractor license
- A federal EIN from the IRS, if you need one for banking or payroll
Step-by-Step: How to Get Your Jackson Business License
Step 1: Confirm Your Location Inside Town Limits
Your address decides which rules apply. Inside town limits, you need the Town license, and the Town's short-term rental and contractor rules apply to you. Outside town limits, Teton County Planning governs land use, and the Town license and Town STR rules do not apply. Call Teton County Planning to confirm zoning for your address before you file anything.
Step 2: Register Your Entity With the Wyoming Secretary of State
Wyoming has no general state business license. Your state filing is the entity registration with the Wyoming Secretary of State, Business Division. Search your name first on the WyoBiz filing search. An LLC name must include "Limited Liability Company" or an accepted abbreviation such as LLC. Names beginning with the letter A must be filed on paper, not online.
To file Articles of Organization, the filing fee is $100 and you file through WyoBiz. Online filings are active as soon as they are completed. If you need to hold a name while you gather documents, a name reservation costs $60, is paper only (no online reservation) and lasts 120 days. Corporations file Articles of Incorporation for the same $100 fee.
Step 3: Calendar Your Annual Report
The annual report is a $60 minimum annual license tax. It is due the first day of your formation anniversary month every year, and you may file it up to 120 days early. An LLC that does not pay within 60 days of the due date is subject to administrative dissolution. The $60 is a minimum. Entities with more than $300,000 in Wyoming assets pay two-tenths of one mill ($.0002) on those assets, so $1,210,000 in Wyoming assets produces $242. Wyoming has no state income tax and no franchise tax, so the annual report is the recurring state charge to track.
Step 4: Determine Your Town License Tier
Your Town fee depends on two things: whether you collect sales tax, and your employee count. Confirm with the Town clerk how part-time staff are counted before you choose a tier.
| Headcount | Sales tax collecting | Not sales tax collecting |
|---|---|---|
| Under 10 employees | $136 | $179 |
| 11 to 49 employees | $274 | $397 |
| 50 to 99 employees | $410 | $535 |
| 100 or more employees | $684 | $891 |
Other annual Town fees in the same resolution include $136 for independent contractors and agents, $139 for rentals, $139 for commercial solicitation, $36 for pawnbrokers, and $72 to $285 for expositions. Ground transportation carries a $136 or $274 base fee, $52 or $79 per vehicle, and $130 for a new operator or $66 for a renewal. Ask the clerk to confirm which base fee pairs with your operation.
Step 5: Apply for the Town License and Specialty Permits
Submit your application to the Town of Jackson clerk. Home-based businesses in town limits still need this license, so do not skip it because you work from a spare room. Signage has its own permits: $104 per sign, $417 for a master signage plan, and a $696 Basic Use Permit. Confirm with the clerk which Basic Use Permit applies to your use.
Liquor licenses are a separate track under the same resolution. Retail licenses are $1,500, restaurant, resort and resort hotel licenses are $3,000, bar and grill licenses are $10,500 new and $4,471 renewal, clubs are $543, and microbrewery and winery licenses are $500. The bar and grill cap is 10 licenses from 2023-07-01, rising to 14 from 2028-07-01. Count the open licenses with the clerk before you apply, because a full quota can stop your application.
Step 6: Handle Short-Term Rentals as a Separate Permit
Inside the Town, a short-term rental needs a business license plus a Basic Use Permit for STR. That permit costs $543 per bedroom to start and $543 per bedroom at each annual renewal. A three-bedroom unit therefore costs $1,629 initially, plus the license fee. Confirm with the clerk whether your STR falls under the rentals category ($139) or another category.
Outside town limits, the rules are different. Teton County prohibits short-term rentals except in listed resort areas, and the list has changed over time. Fines reach $750 per offense. Check the current list with Teton County Planning before you advertise or accept a booking.
Step 7: Open a Sales and Use Tax License If You Make Taxable Sales
If your business makes taxable sales, you need a sales and use tax license from the Wyoming Department of Revenue, Excise Tax Division. The sales tax permit application carries a $60 non-refundable fee. Use the Department of Revenue rate chart effective 2026-10-01 for these figures:
- Teton County general sales and use tax: 7%, which is the state 4% plus county tax
- Lodging in Teton County: 12%, because the county has no lodging tax of its own
- Teton Village and Grand Targhee resort districts: 9% general, 14% lodging, with Teton Village rising to 10% from 2027-01-01
Wyoming has no city sales tax, and county rates change quarterly, so date every rate you quote and recheck the chart each quarter. 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, as is food for home consumption, including most baked goods. Contractors pay tax on the materials they install. Wyoming issues no resale certificate, so your buyer gives you a signed certificate instead. Remote sellers have a $100,000 threshold based on sales only.
Step 8: Check Workers' Compensation
Wyoming's workers' compensation system is a monopolistic state fund run by the Department of Workforce Services. Coverage is compulsory only in listed extrahazardous industries, so check with the Department of Workforce Services whether your industry is listed. Sole proprietors, partners, officers and LLC members are excluded unless they elect coverage.
Step 9: Confirm Trade-Specific Licensing
Wyoming has no state contractor, plumber or HVAC license. The state licenses electrical trades through the Department of Fire Prevention and Electrical Safety. Contractors are licensed city by city. In Jackson, you need the Town license, issued after your Master Certificate of Qualification, for work inside limits. Unincorporated contractors should check with Teton County.
If you produce food at home, Wyoming's Food Freedom Act (W.S. 11-49) lets you sell homemade food directly to informed end consumers without a state license, up to annual caps. Confirm the caps with the Department of Agriculture Consumer Health Services. You still need the Town license.
Tips and Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Buying a county license. Teton County issues none. Its role is zoning, building and similar permits.
- Assuming an STR is allowed outside town limits. Teton County prohibits them except in listed resort areas.
- Miscounting headcount. A wrong tier changes your fee by hundreds of dollars.
- Skipping the home-based license. Inside town limits, it applies regardless of where you work.
- Applying for a name reservation online. The LLC reservation is paper only.
- Using only a PO box for your registered agent. You need a physical Wyoming street address.
- Quoting lodging at 7%. Teton County lodging is 12%, and resort districts run higher.
- Missing the annual report. An LLC that stays unpaid 60 days past the due date faces administrative dissolution.
- Ignoring the denied-license fee. A denied application carries a $51 processing fee, so confirm eligibility with the clerk first.
- Overlooking the liquor cap. A full bar and grill quota can block your application.
- Filing a trade name with the county. Trade names are registered statewide with the Secretary of State for $100 for a 10-year term. Filing is mail-only and must be notarized, and registering is optional.
For planning help, the Wyoming SBDC Network can connect you with advisers. Kyle Trumble is the regional director for Fremont and Teton counties. Its services are free to start, but confirm the current terms directly with the network.
Expected Results
Following these steps should leave you with a registered Wyoming entity, a Town of Jackson license matched to your headcount, and any short-term rental, liquor, signage or sales tax registrations your activity requires. Results depend on your business type, location and the agencies' review, so no outcome is guaranteed. Online Secretary of State filings become active once completed, while paper filings can take up to 15 business days. Ask the Town clerk for current processing times before you set an opening date.
Disclaimer: This article is informational only. It is not legal, tax or financial advice. Fees, rates and rules change, so verify every figure with the agency before you pay or file. For complex situations, including multiple owners, leases, liquor licensing or short-term rental portfolios, consult a qualified Wyoming attorney or CPA.