Generated by lexflow from the state statutes (open-us-law, government publisher text) and checked by Claude: every quoted phrase was matched word for word against the statute text, and the process passed the BPMN/DMN schemas, bpmnlint and a Petri-net soundness check. Information, not legal advice.
To start a business in Baltimore City, first register your business with the State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT) through Maryland Business Express and make sure it stays in good standing. The City's business license application asks for your SDAT number. Most businesses that sell goods also need a state trader's license from the Clerk of the Circuit Court and a Maryland sales and use tax account. Baltimore City has its own trader's license fee schedule, from $20 up to $2,125 depending on the value of your stock-in-trade. Certain regulated activities need a city business license from the Department of Consumer Protection and Business Licensing (DCPBL). Examples are amusement devices, auctioneers, pawnbrokers, late-night operations, commercial parking, street vending, and massage establishments. You can apply online, by email, or by mail. Depending on your location and use, you may also need a Use & Occupancy permit through DHCD's ePermits system and an annual Fire Prevention Permit. Food businesses need Health Department plan review and a license. Home-based businesses must follow the home-occupation rules in Zoning Code § 15-507.
Confidence 1.00: state law 1.00, local 1.00, contact 1.00. Full state model: business
| Organized for a nonprofit or charitable purpose | Owners render a licensed professional service | Number of owners | Owners want protection from the business's debts | Plans to sell shares to outside investors | Some co-owners will be passive investors only | → Business structure | → What is filed with the state, and where | → State filing fee | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| true | - | - | - | - | - | Nonstock (nonprofit) corporation | Articles of incorporation whose charter provides the corporation has no authority to issue capital stock, filed for record with the State Department of Assessments and Taxation | $100 + $20 organization and capitalization fee ($120), or $150 + $20 ($170) for a 501(c)(3), (4) or (6) nonprofit | § 5-202(a) |
| - | true | - | true | - | - | Professional corporation (a limited liability company may also render professional services; Maryland has no separate professional LLC form; architects, professional engineers, real estate licensees and veterinarians may instead use an ordinary corporation, § 5-102(a)(3)) | Articles of incorporation stating that the corporation is a professional corporation and the professional services it renders, filed for record with the State Department of Assessments and Taxation | $100 plus the organization and capitalization fee (See 1-204) | § 5-112(a) |
| - | - | - | true | true | - | Stock corporation | Articles of incorporation signed and acknowledged by one or more adult incorporators, filed for record with the State Department of Assessments and Taxation | $100 plus the organization and capitalization fee (See 1-204) | § 2-102(a) |
| - | - | >= 2 | true | - | true | Limited partnership (limited partners who stay out of control of the business are not liable for its obligations; the general partner cannot limit its liability to outsiders, so if every owner needs protection choose a limited liability company) | Certificate of limited partnership executed by all general partners, filed with the State Department of Assessments and Taxation | $100 | § 10-201(a) |
| - | - | - | true | - | - | Limited liability company (worker-owned businesses may elect in the articles to be a limited worker cooperative association) | Articles of organization filed for record with the State Department of Assessments and Taxation | $100 | § 4A-202(a) |
| - | - | 1 | false | - | - | Sole proprietorship | No formation filing; before trading under any name other than the owner's own, file a trade name certificate ($25) with the State Department of Assessments and Taxation | None | § 1-406(a) |
| - | - | >= 2 | false | - | - | General partnership | No formation filing (a partnership forms by association); the partners may register as a limited liability partnership by filing a certificate of limited liability partnership ($100) with the State Department of Assessments and Taxation | None | § 9A-202(a) |
Fees. Trader's license (Baltimore City schedule, Bus. Reg. § 17-1807(c)(3)): $20 to $2,125, based on the value of stock-in-trade. City business license application fees are paid online at pay.baltimorecity.gov, but the amounts were not listed on the DCPBL page reviewed. Use & Occupancy, Fire Prevention, and Health permit fees vary and were not verified. SDAT formation fees were not verified on the pages reviewed.