Start your trades business · ForeLeaf: licensed, insured, and booked

The path, start to finish

Registering the business, a city or county business license, a trade license, and permits are four different things from different offices. Keep them separate and you won’t mistake one for another. The ForeLeaf Pro app walks you through the same steps for your state, business structure and city.

Register the business

A sole proprietor working under a name other than their own may need to register that name (a DBA). An LLC or corporation files with the state: the Secretary of State in Missouri and Kansas, the State Corporation Commission in Virginia. Fees and links by state below.

Get your EIN (free)

Your federal tax ID. Apply at irs.gov: if the online application is approved, the number is issued right away. Never pay a third party for this.

City or county business license

Most cities and counties set their own rules, so this depends on where you’re based and where you work. Each state’s official pointer is below.

Trade license

Depends on your trade and your city. Building trades (electrical, plumbing, HVAC, roofing and more) are often licensed. Applying pesticides for pay, lawn treatments included, can need a state pesticide license.

Permits, job by job

Permits belong to a job, not to your business. Building, electrical, plumbing, roofing and similar jobs can need one from the city or county where the job is, even when you hold every license.

Get insured

General liability is what customers and many cities ask to see. ForeLeaf reviews your certificate of insurance at onboarding.

Open a business bank account

Keep company money separate from day one: payouts, taxes, and bookkeeping all get easier.

Turn on the work

Join ForeLeaf: verification, background check, payments, your own website, the FMS office, and homeowner jobs when we go live.

Your state, at a glance

Launch-market basics with the official links. Rules change and cities differ, so confirm current requirements on each official page.

Missouri

Name check: Search the Missouri business registry.
LLC: $50 online · $105 paper. Corporation: From $58 (more if authorized shares exceed $30,000). File with the Missouri Secretary of State.
DBA (fictitious name): $7. How to register a Missouri fictitious name.
City or county business license: depends on your city. Missouri's steps for starting a business points to state professional licensing and your local city or county.
In Kansas City, Missouri only: Kansas City, MO business license, and for licensed trades, Kansas City, MO contractor licensing (business license, then a Certificate of Qualification, then the contractor license).
Pesticides: In Missouri, anyone who applies general-use pesticides (weed killer and bug spray included) in ornamental and turf (lawn), general structural or termite pest control must be licensed as a Pesticide Technician, working under the direct supervision of a Certified Commercial Applicator. Anyone using restricted-use pesticides must also be licensed. The Missouri Department of Agriculture lists which license fits your work. Missouri pesticide licensing.

Kansas

Name check: Search the Kansas business registry.
LLC: $85 online · $90 paper. Corporation: $85 online · $90 paper. Register with the Kansas Secretary of State.
Sole proprietors don’t register with the Kansas Secretary of State.
City or county business license: depends on your city and county. Kansas licenses & permits lookup.
In Johnson County only: Johnson County, KS contractor licensing (confirm with your city which licenses it requires).
Roofing: Kansas requires roofing contractors, including subcontractors and out-of-state contractors, to register with the Attorney General before doing or offering residential or commercial roofing for pay. Check the Attorney General's page for who must register and any exemptions. Kansas roofing registration.
Pesticides: Kansas requires a pesticide business license to apply pesticides (weed killer included) to someone else's property for pay. Check with the Kansas Department of Agriculture for the applicator certification it also requires. Kansas pesticide business license.

Virginia

Name check: Search the Virginia business registry.
LLC: $100, plus $50 a year. Corporation: From $75 (depends on authorized shares). File with the Virginia SCC.
DBA (fictitious name): $10. How to file a Virginia fictitious name.
City or county business license: most businesses formed in Virginia need one from the city or county where they operate. Virginia SCC: resources for new businesses.
Contractor license (DPOR): needed for construction, removal, repair or improvement of a building or structure when a job is over $1,000. The class depends on job size and your 12-month total: Class C over $1,000 and under $30,000 per job, or under $250,000 in 12 months; Class B $30,000 to under $150,000 per job, or $250,000 to under $1 million in 12 months; Class A $150,000 or more per job, or $1 million or more in 12 months. 8 hours of pre-license education. DPOR Board for Contractors.
Electrical, plumbing, HVAC: the contractor license also requires a master tradesman license. DPOR tradesman licenses.
Pesticides: Virginia requires a pesticide business license for any business that applies or recommends pesticides for pay, separate from any other business license, and the business must employ a certified commercial applicator. Virginia pesticide business license.

General guidance, not legal advice. Fees, thresholds and links were checked against the official sources on October 1, 2026. They change over time, so always confirm on the official page.

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