St. Johns County Business License: Zoning First, Then the Receipt
St. Johns County Business License: Zoning First, Then the Receipt
Search for a St. Johns County business license and you will find a term that means less than it sounds like. Florida issues no general statewide business license. What St. Johns County and its cities usually mean is the local business tax receipt, a local tax authorized under Chapter 205 of the Florida Statutes. The receipt is not a competency license. It shows you paid the local business tax for a specific address, and not every county or city levies it. In St. Johns County, order matters more than paperwork: zoning approval comes first, and the receipt is issued only after that approval.
This guide is informational content, not legal or tax advice. Fees, rates, and rules can change, so confirm every figure with the agency named before you sign a lease or pay for a filing.
Why zoning comes before the receipt
The local business tax receipt is tied to a location. Before that location can host your business, the local government has to confirm the activity fits the zoning at that address. A receipt issued for a use the zoning does not allow creates a problem you will have to fix later, usually at the worst possible time. Applying for the receipt first is the most common way people lose weeks in St. Johns County.
So start with one question: is your address inside a city limit or in unincorporated St. Johns County? The answer decides which office reviews your zoning.
Step 1: Identify who handles zoning at your address
St. Johns County has three situations that come up most often. The table below shows which office to contact for each.
| Where your business is | Zoning approval from | Business tax receipt from |
|---|---|---|
| Unincorporated St. Johns County | St. Johns County Planning and Zoning ($22 application) | St. Johns County Tax Collector ($18 to $30) |
| City of St. Augustine, including the historic district | City of St. Augustine, which handles its own zoning | St. Johns County Tax Collector (confirm), plus a city receipt for businesses in the historic district (confirm) |
| St. Augustine Beach | City of St. Augustine Beach, which handles its own zoning | St. Johns County Tax Collector (confirm whether the city also requires its own receipt) |
For unincorporated addresses, the county zoning application fee is $22. Details are on the St. Johns County Planning and Zoning page at sjcfl.us/?p=37048. If you are inside St. Augustine or St. Augustine Beach, do not send your zoning request to the county. Contact the city directly, because each city controls its own review.
Step 2: Get zoning approval for the activity
Zoning review asks what your business does at a specific address, not who you are. Describe the activity in plain terms: retail sales, office work, contractor storage, food service, or a home-based service. Use the exact street address. If you plan to lease or buy, ask zoning staff about the proposed use before you sign anything. A lease signed on a wrong assumption about permitted use is expensive to unwind. If you plan to run a business from a home, ask staff directly whether that activity needs approval at your address. Do not assume it does not.
Step 3: Pay the St. Johns County business tax receipt
Once zoning is approved, the St. Johns County Tax Collector issues the county business tax receipt. The county business tax runs $18 to $30. Confirm with the Tax Collector which amount applies to your business before you pay. While you are there, ask about renewal timing and whether a change of ownership or address requires a new receipt. Keep the receipt with your business records, because the Tax Collector's office is where you will go when a bank, landlord, or customer asks for proof that you are current.
Step 4: Register for sales tax (St. Johns County sales tax is 6.5%)
If you sell taxable goods or services, you must register as a sales and use tax dealer with the Florida Department of Revenue before you begin business. Florida's state sales tax rate is 6%. St. Johns County adds a 0.5% surtax, for a combined rate of 6.5% on taxable sales in the county. Surtax rates can change, so confirm the current rate for your address with the Department of Revenue before you set prices or open your point of sale.
Register online at floridarevenue.com/taxes/eservices/Pages/registration.aspx. The main Department of Revenue site is floridarevenue.com. Registering after you have already made taxable sales is the kind of gap that creates a bill later, so register before your first sale.
Step 5: Handle the state filings that come with the business
The state paperwork is separate from the local receipt, and you may need some of it before you can open. If you form an LLC, the Articles of Organization filing fee is $125 through Sunbiz eFile at dos.fl.gov/sunbiz/start-business/efile/fl-llc. Every Florida LLC must designate a registered agent with a physical street address in Florida. A P.O. Box does not qualify. The designation carries a $25 fee for an LLC, which is included in the $125 filing total.
The LLC annual report costs $138.75 and is filed each year between January 1 and May 1. A report received after May 1 carries a $400 late fee, for a total of $538.75. Failing to file by the third Friday in September leads to administrative dissolution. Florida has no state franchise tax and no personal income tax, but how your LLC is taxed depends on its federal classification, so confirm that with a CPA.
If you will operate under a name other than your legal name, file a fictitious name registration with the Division of Corporations at the fictitious name registration page. Registration costs $50, and renewal costs $50. The registration lasts five years, and the name must be advertised at least once in a newspaper in the county of your principal place of business, though no proof of the ad is filed. The DBA is filed statewide, not with the county.
Check whether your trade needs a state license
The Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) licenses specific professions and trades, including contractors, cosmetology, real estate, restaurants, CPAs, and engineers. If your work falls in one of those categories, the state license is separate from the local receipt. A county or city receipt never substitutes for a DBPR license, and a DBPR license never substitutes for the receipt if your locality requires one.
Where Chapter 205 stands in October 2026
The Legislature has considered repealing Chapter 205, which authorizes the local business tax receipt. The repeal bill, HB 103, died in the Senate, so the local business tax receipt remains in effect as of October 2026. A bill that dies in one session can return in another, so confirm the current rule with the Tax Collector before you rely on it for a long-term plan.
Common mistakes that cost St. Johns County applicants time
- Applying for the county receipt before zoning approval is in hand.
- Assuming one receipt covers every location. Each address where you operate needs its own review.
- Treating the local receipt as a professional license. It is a tax receipt, and a trade may also need a DBPR license.
- Using a P.O. Box as the registered agent address.
- Starting taxable sales before you register with the Department of Revenue.
- Using a business name before you have a filing acknowledgment. A name reservation with Sunbiz costs $25 and lasts 120 days.
Your St. Johns County checklist
- Confirm whether your address is inside a city limit or in unincorporated St. Johns County.
- Get zoning approval from the office that controls that address.
- Pay the St. Johns County business tax receipt ($18 to $30) through the Tax Collector, plus any city receipt that applies.
- Register for sales tax with the Department of Revenue if you sell taxable goods or services, and plan around the 6.5% combined rate.
- File your state entity paperwork, including Articles of Organization, a registered agent, and a fictitious name registration if you need one.
- Check whether your trade requires a DBPR license.
- Calendar the LLC annual report window (January 1 to May 1) and confirm your local receipt renewal date.
Official resources
- Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations (Sunbiz): dos.fl.gov/sunbiz
- Sunbiz business name search: search.sunbiz.org
- Florida Department of Revenue: floridarevenue.com
- St. Johns County Planning and Zoning: sjcfl.us/?p=37048
- Florida SBDC Network, for free or low-cost advising: floridasbdc.org
When to bring in a professional
A CPA is worth consulting on entity classification, sales tax setup, and how the surtax applies to your sales. An attorney is worth consulting when a zoning decision is contested, when a lease restricts your use, or when you plan to operate inside the St. Augustine historic district, where city rules add a layer the county does not. Bring your address, your planned activity, and your entity type to that first meeting, because those three facts decide most of the answer.
This article is informational only and is not legal or tax advice. Confirm all fees, rates, and deadlines with the agencies named above before you act.