For your convenience a form is now available to renew or obtain your 2015 General Business License through the town of Brattleboro. This license will be valid until December 31, 2015! You can also choose to be listed in our FREE online Business Directory when you fill out the application!
Our online application can be accessed at www.Brattleboro.org. Once there please click on the “Doing Business Here” tab. You will see a link for the 2015 Business License application. You may pay by credit/debit card online once the application is filled out. Unfortunately we are unable to accept American Express. There is a small processing fee charged for credit/debit card transactions. We accept checks or cash in our office at 230 Main Street, suite 109, or through the mail. The annual fee is $50.00
Who needs to obtain a license? Anyone providing goods and/or services in Brattleboro including home businesses and non-profit organizations.
Questions? Contact the Assessor’s office at the Municipal Center 802-251-8156
Office of Assessment
230 Main Street, Suite 109
Brattleboro, VT 05301
802-251-8156
Curious about this
Curious about this requirement. I’ve never heard of it before and I was a Chamber member for a few years. I’m an Internet-based business, but I don’t do business “in” Brattleboro. I’ll pay if it’s required, just strange than in 3 years I never heard about this.
Money making idea of previous select board
I complain annually about it. : )
A few years ago, the Selectboard was looking for revenue and decided to force all businesses in town to register with them. They attached a fee to cover the costs. It is an additional annual “tax” on small businesses that choose to locate in town. For many years, it was due in December at holiday time, reducing holiday giving for business owners by $50. Shifting it away from December is wise, but the license is still wildly overpriced.
The fee is quite ridiculous and is clearly just a way to suck money out out of circulation. There is no way that it costs the town $50 for someone to go online and fill out forms. It is impossible for it to cost that much. This is not about covering costs. It’s about taking extra money.
I can see a one time $50 fee to get started, but renewals should not cost $50 each year when business owners do the bulk of the work. The town should be paying business owners for this information. They should feel lucky to have so many businesses choose this town.
Many claims of being business-friendly, but this is a big and obvious annoyance, especially to the small business community. It is small business-hostile.
As for being listed in a free directory – it isn’t free. It costs $50! We have a free directory here at iBrattleboro. Login and add your link. No charge.
I’d like to see them, if they insist on collecting this money, give it back out to small businesses. Right now it just goes toward general expenses.
No Friend to Small Businesses
When I was working as coordinator of the Brattleboro Time Trade about 4 years ago we – as a non profit – were required to pay this “business” license fee. I argued endlessly that not only were we not a business but the nature of a Time Trade organization is that no currency whatsoever is exchanged. We still ended up having to pay it and I’m not sure how the Time Trade (or other non profits) handle this ridiculous money grabbing procedure now.
This town is absolutely small business hostile. Between ridiculous fees, no parking and a SelectBoard that is oblivious -most of the time – to it’s constituents- I’m surprised anyone wants to do business here.
The website is unclear. It
The website is unclear. It starts off: Fill in all fields. When completed follow the instructions to submit the information and remit payment.
Then it jumps right into the penalty for paying late.
It doesn’t explain what the fee is for, anywhere.
The form is all different fonts, located on a separate website called mapsonline.net?
Charing non-profits?
So we pay the chamber $189, then I pay another $50?
What do I get from paying $50? I already paid the state to start my business.
Kind of a mess, think I’ll pass until someone explains what the money is for.
Thanks for the heads-up.
Sudden business tax
When this started a few years ago, just completely out of the blue, it was a very tight financial time for me. And after having done business in Brattleboro for 20 years to suddenly have this pop up? Frankly felt insulting, and like a cheap move for our SB to take for balancing some line item.
Well, time to pay it again – and yet I’ve seen no benefit whatsoever to my business by paying this new tax.
It's not clear... but was made clear to me!
It’s not all at clear because it does not define “business”, only business categories. Plus, why is it that ‘definitions’ is “reserved” as well as sections 40-43? Are those placeholders or something similar? Does anyone know?
The ordinance itself reads:
Article III – General Business
Section 11-36
It shall be unlawful for any entertainment provider, service provider, retailer, wholesaler, restaurant owner, lodging owner, food cart, mobile food unit, or supplier to conduct business within the Town of Brattleboro without first obtaining a General Business License therefor as provided herein.
Section 11-37 – Definitions (Reserved)
Section 11-38 – Application
The application for a general business license shall be submitted to the Assessor’s Office for approval on forms provided therefor and contain all information relevant and necessary to determine whether a general business license may be issued.
Section 11-39 – Fees
An applicant for a license under this Section shall pay an annual license fee of $50 per Business.
Sections 11-40 through 11-43 Reserved.
I was told that if even ONCE a month, something is “provided” (goods or service) then, that’s considered a business in Brattleboro. I was also told that there’s a person who only cleans house once a month, and that person has a license. This information was offered to me because I was responding in person to a letter I received from the town stating that it had been brought to the attention of the assessors office that I had an online presence (I did; a Facebook page) and because of that, I was required to buy a license (or face a fine of $100).
If I were to extrapolate from what I’ve been told, then anyone selling eggs on occasion from a backyard hen, knitting hats or scarves and selling to friends and neighbors, selling part of a coin collection or making and selling a few picnic tables thru the summer months, would need to pay for a license. It’s simply not made clear enough in the ordinance to begin with.. but I was told (with nobody ever asking a single question of me) that my “level” of business was in keeping with a thousand or so other businesses who were all licensed.
Then, the next day, I received another letter, this one from the planning office, that they had received a “complaint” that I was operating a home business without a permit. Included was an application, parts of which were already filled out for me, told to complete the form, get approval from Tri-Park, then submit the form with a fee of $50 for the Planning Services dept.
What I had been doing began with selling a few pieces of furniture that belonged to my son after his marriage dissolved. He was living in his truck and his furniture was stored with me until it could be liquidated. So, I made a Facebook page, gave it a name, put a few ads on Craigs list, and started selling his stuff. Most of it was really nice.. but then as the pile dwindled, in order to continue to sell, I started to repair, refinish and repurpose. My deal was to try and maximize the value so he could get out of his truck and into some new housing. Most buyers were respectful of what I was doing.
Then, having a lot of experience in salvaging wood furniture, I decide to take up what had always been a favorite activity of mine and after raising my own money by selling a few of my own belongings (mostly furniture), I bought three very needy pieces of wood furniture to restore and repurpose. I have an on-again off-again and very seasonable hobby of finding things destined for the dump or wood pile .. This work cannot be done inside a home; and love the creative outlet of making something useful with some beautiful results. This year has been a stressful one.. and this outlet also allows me to let off some energy in a most productive way.
Well, I had to stop. 🙁 I could think of no other way to continue without having to pay $100.00 – 50 for the Permit, and 50 or a license. And then another 50 for the 2015 license. I don’t have even half that; and so don’t have any funds for a fine, either.
After putting my perspective into email, sending it off to the town officials involved.. including the Town Manager and at least one SB member, my status is still unclear except that the Town Assessor, Russell Rice, does not feel he will be including me in the list for 2015 (and he’s so far the ONLY person to have responded thoughtfully and respectfully). There’s still nothing that says I won’t be fined.. and still, to this day, nobody from the town offices has even come to see what it is I’m supposedly doing here.. the “complainant” remains unidentified who’s apparently against my seasonal hobby; once forgotten (although not tiny coins but big pieces of furniture) and I dare not pick up a sanding sponge or power tool to do any more.
Although the work I do could never rise to the level of being a full time, year round, one person endeavor, I would like to suggest that all people impacted by this “tax” come together and bring it back to the SB (my email to David Gartenstein was never answered) and ask for either a business “level” to be defined (as the IRS does) or, get rid of this small business suffocation altogether. I’d be happy to share my perspective.. and although my research came up with absolutely no defense (remember the lemon aid stands) there’s something called “common sense” .. especially in such a small town.. that needs to be recognized here. It’s not as though businesses are popping up so fast that the town can’t keep track, and if Brattleboro really wants to be considered the “one and only” then why not open the floodgates for all manner of creative, “starving artist” type businesses to have half a chance to grow into something the town could feel proud of, instead of stomping out any enthusiasm for even a flicker of creativity.
Then, after all the thoughts I’ve had on this ongoing (no solid conclusion yet) I am finding myself staring at ads and events wondering if the people involved realize they need a license.. Does the post office have one? How about the dealings that go on in area motels (latest being a coin collectors meet where people were invited to bring a table and sell some of their collection, too)? Is this ordinance being fairly applied to everyone who provides “even once a month”?
If anyone thinks they should just “ignore” this business requirement, what little research I did tells me there’s no hope for the little guy in this.. buy the license if there’s an extra $50 lying around, or suffer the inevitable consequences, or help organize a pitch to bring to the SB to get this off the books or more aptly defined.
If anyone else is interested in trying to make something good come out of this I’ve got some time to give, and what I think are some good points to make in coming up with what should define a business.. in a fair and more thoughtful manner than including every egg laying hen in town..
A Severe Common Sense Deficiency
Even the federal government (IRS) allows a person to participate in an activity as a ‘hobby’ and make a certain amount of income from it. Once your profits reach that limit then you’re considered a business and are taxed accordingly. Why Brattleboro feels it can levy a tax (which is what this license fee is) on any person who might sell a few loaves of homemade bread to a neighbor or set up a little table to get rid of some excess produce or eggs is beyond what any reasonable person would expect. What about the many bake sales that happen all over town? Or a church holding a tag sale? It’s a stupid rule to and one that was obviously made without using any common sense.
Which should surprise none of us.
Worthless For Me
I am a consultant, and about 99% of my work is outside of Brattleboro. However, I decided not to take a chance at getting “caught” not have a “license,” so I paid up. Having a listing in the business directory is worthless; with a Google search, using the keywords of my very specific field + Brattleboro did not take me to the directory. Nor did a search of my business name. Also, I have a P.O. box and never use my physical address for my business, for privacy’s sake. My clients do not need to know my physical address. The Town insists on publishing my physical address for “safety.”
"The Town insists on
“The Town insists on publishing my physical address for “safety.” That is a terrible idea. This just keeps getting better. Directories generally don’t do much anymore. I use services like Clarity and freelancer websites instead.