City of Miami Business License: BTR, Certificate of Use and the County Receipt

If you search for a "Miami business license," you will not find one document with that name. Florida has no statewide general business license. The City of Miami's version of the requirement is the Business Tax Receipt (BTR). The BTR is a local tax authorized under Chapter 205 of the Florida Statutes. It is not a competency license, and it does not certify that you are qualified to do the work. Most Miami businesses also need a Certificate of Use, which confirms that their activity is allowed at their address, and then a Miami-Dade County receipt from the Tax Collector. This guide follows that sequence in the order you will encounter it.

What the BTR is and is not

Three points shape the rest of this process. First, the BTR is a local tax. Florida's bill to repeal Chapter 205 (HB 103) died in the Senate, so the BTR remains in place as of October 2026. Second, the BTR does not approve your professional qualifications. If your work requires a state license, such as a contractor, cosmetology, real estate or restaurant license, that license comes from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR), not from the City. Third, not every Florida city or county levies a BTR. Miami does, and Miami-Dade County issues its own receipt, which is why you deal with two separate approvals.

You may also see older notices or third-party pages describing a separate City trade license. Local trade licenses for trades the state does not license ended on July 1, 2023, under HB 735 and s. 163.211. If a page tells you to buy a local trade license for a non-state trade, treat it as out of date and confirm with the City before you pay anything.

Materials and information to gather first

• Your legal business name. If you formed an LLC or corporation, use the name exactly as it appears in the Florida Division of Corporations records. Search at search.sunbiz.org.
• A fictitious name (DBA) registration, if you will trade under any name other than your legal name. Registration costs $50 and is filed with the Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations, not with the City. You must also advertise the name at least once in a newspaper in the county where your principal place of business is located, though no proof of advertisement is filed. File at the Sunbiz fictitious name page.
• The exact street address where the activity takes place, including the suite number. The Certificate of Use is tied to the physical location, so a mailing address or a virtual office address will not answer the zoning question.
• A written description of your operation. List what you sell or provide, whether customers visit the site, whether you store or ship goods, your hours, and whether employees work on site. The City uses this description to match your activity to the zoning rules for the address.
• Your lease or proof of ownership for the space, plus your landlord's contact information. Home-based businesses should bring the residential address and a plain description of any customer visits, signage or deliveries.
• Florida sales tax registration, if you will sell taxable goods or services. This is handled through the Florida Department of Revenue, which requires registration before you begin business.
• Any DBPR license your profession requires.
• Government-issued photo ID and a payment method. Confirm which payment methods the City accepts before you visit or submit.

Step-by-step: from zoning to the county receipt

1. Settle your name and entity first. Confirm the exact name you will use on applications, leases, invoices and your bank account. A mismatch between your Sunbiz name, your DBA and the name on your paperwork is one of the easiest ways to get an application sent back. Search Sunbiz for conflicts and register a DBA if you need one.
2. Check zoning before you sign a lease. Ask the landlord or the City whether your planned use is allowed at the address. Uses that bring customer traffic, food service, vehicles or storage are the ones most likely to need a closer look. A zoning problem is far cheaper to find before you sign than after you have fitted out a space.
3. Apply for the Certificate of Use. For most businesses, the Certificate of Use is the first City step. It confirms that your described activity matches the zoning for the address. Describe your activity in specific terms. A single word such as "retail" or "consulting" can invite questions, while a plain sentence that lists what you actually sell or do usually moves faster. Start from the City's BTR page at miami.gov/Business/Business-Tax-Receipt-BTR, which is run from Miami Riverside Center, 444 SW 2nd Avenue, 7th Floor. Confirm the current submission options on that page before you go.
4. Answer any zoning questions in writing. If the reviewer finds a mismatch, you will need to change the description, the proposed use or the address. Do not treat the application as approved until you receive written confirmation.
5. Receive and pay the City invoice. The City issues the BTR invoice after the Certificate of Use is approved. The amount is set by the City and appears on that invoice. Check the current fee on the City's page, and do not rely on figures from third-party sites, which are often outdated.
6. Obtain the City Business Tax Receipt. After payment posts, the City issues the BTR for the address. Check that the business name, address and classification match what you applied for. An error here is much easier to fix before you move on to the county.
7. Get the Miami-Dade County receipt from the Tax Collector. The county receipt is a separate step after the City BTR. The county receipt is required countywide, including inside the City of Miami. Confirm with the Miami-Dade County Tax Collector which documents it requires and what it costs for your business classification. Those details should be confirmed with the Tax Collector before you visit.
8. Register with the Department of Revenue if you sell taxable goods or services. Florida's state sales tax rate is 6%. Miami-Dade County adds a 1% surtax, for a combined rate of 7%. Register before your first taxable sale at the Department of Revenue registration page.
9. Confirm any DBPR license. If your profession requires a state license, DBPR issues it. Hold that license before you advertise or perform the regulated service.
10. Display your receipts and calendar renewals. Keep copies of the BTR and county receipt. Confirm with the City and the Tax Collector whether the receipts must be displayed at your location, and note that local business tax receipts run October 1 to September 30, with renewals due by September 30.

Tips that save time

• Start the zoning question early. If you can, ask about the Certificate of Use before you commit to a lease, a build-out or a signed contract with a supplier.
• Use one name everywhere. Match your Sunbiz name, DBA, BTR application, bank account and website footer.
• Ask for processing times before you set an opening date. This guide does not state how long the City takes to process a Certificate of Use or issue a BTR, so confirm that with the City before you plan around it.
• Keep a file. Save every application, confirmation, invoice and receipt as a PDF. You will need them for renewals, bank onboarding and any future address change.
• Get advising help if you need it. The Florida SBDC Network at floridasbdc.org provides business advising, which can help you organize your documents before you apply.

Tips for Latin America trade and Spanish-speaking founders

Many Miami businesses serve customers, suppliers or partners across Latin America. Describe your activity precisely on the Certificate of Use. If your business imports, exports or sells to customers outside the United States, the BTR is only the local tax step. Any additional federal or other requirements for that activity should be checked separately with a qualified professional.

If you prefer to work in Spanish, ask the City and the Tax Collector before you visit whether staff can assist in Spanish and whether forms are available in Spanish. Bring a bilingual person you trust to the appointment, so you understand each line before you sign. Keep one bilingual copy of your business description so that you, the reviewer and any translator use the same terms. Do not rely on an informal translation for a document you are signing.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Treating the BTR as a state license. The BTR is a local tax receipt. It does not replace a DBPR license or any other state approval your profession needs.
• Signing a lease before the zoning check. If the planned use does not match the zoning, you may be stuck with a space you cannot use for the business.
• Assuming the City BTR covers the county receipt. Plan for both, and confirm the county requirement with the Tax Collector.
• Using a name that does not match your registrations. A DBA that is not registered, or a legal name that differs from the one on your invoices, creates avoidable problems.
• Describing the business too vaguely. A general description can lead to follow-up questions and delays.
• Selling before sales tax registration. If you sell taxable goods or services, register with the Department of Revenue before your first sale.
• Relying on old trade license notices. Local trade licenses for non-state trades ended on July 1, 2023. Confirm any new requirement with the City first.
• Trusting third-party fee figures. Fees change. Use the City, County and state pages as your reference.

What you should have when you finish

If you complete the steps in order, your business should generally end up with a Certificate of Use approval, a paid City Business Tax Receipt and a Miami-Dade County receipt. Depending on your business, it may also include a fictitious name registration, a Florida sales tax registration and a DBPR license. Working through the sequence this way may help you avoid the most common reasons applications are returned for correction, although the City, the County and the state make the final decisions on each item.

Confirm these details with the agencies

• The current BTR fee and the payment methods accepted by the City.
• The processing time for the Certificate of Use and the BTR.
• The Miami-Dade County receipt fee for your business classification and its required documents.
• Renewal dates and any display requirements for the City BTR and the county receipt.
• Whether your activity needs any DBPR license.

Call or visit the City's BTR office and the Tax Collector before you commit to a lease or opening date. Ask each office to confirm the answer in writing.

Disclaimer: This article is informational only. It is not legal, tax or zoning advice. Requirements, fees and agency procedures change. Confirm current rules with the City of Miami, the Miami-Dade County Tax Collector and the Florida agencies named here before you act. For complex situations, including entity structure, multi-location operations, import and export activity, or a lease with unusual terms, talk to a qualified attorney or CPA.