Registering a company or telling HMRC that you are self-employed does not automatically give you permission to carry out every type of trade. Many UK businesses can start without a general business licence, but particular activities, premises and products may require a licence, permit, registration or approval before the first customer is served.
The rules are spread across local councils, national regulators and industry bodies, and they can differ between England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Checking them early is far cheaper than delaying an opening or stopping trading after an inspection.
Is there a general UK business licence?
There is no single UK business licence that every sole trader or limited company must obtain. A freelance writer working from home may need no activity-specific licence, while a café, taxi operator, waste-removal firm or pet boarding business may need several permissions.
The key question is whether your location, activity, equipment, products or customers bring the business within a regulated category. The government’s Licence Finder is a useful starting point, but it may not include every authorisation. You should also check with the local authority and any regulator responsible for your sector.
Local authority licences and registrations
Food business registration
Most businesses that store, prepare, distribute or sell food must register with their local authority. This can include restaurants, home-based bakers, online food sellers, mobile catering vans, market stalls and warehouses. Registration should normally be completed at least 28 days before trading begins and is generally free.
Certain businesses handling products of animal origin may require approval rather than ordinary registration. A mobile food trader may also need permission for the trading location, so food registration alone may not be enough.
Street trading and market permits
A street trader may need a licence or consent from the council responsible for the exact location. The application can specify the site, days and hours, and the council may impose conditions or refuse unsuitable pitches. Market traders commonly need a casual or permanent market-stall licence.
Rules are local, so permission issued by one council should not be assumed to cover another area. A food van moving between towns may need food registration with its home authority plus separate trading permissions for individual pitches.
Alcohol, entertainment and late-night food
In England and Wales, premises used for the permanent sale of alcohol normally need a premises licence. The premises must usually have a designated premises supervisor who holds a personal licence. Licensable activities can also include certain entertainment and serving hot food or drink to the public between 11pm and 5am.
A temporary event may instead be covered by a Temporary Event Notice, subject to the relevant limits. Scotland and Northern Ireland have different systems, so use the rules for the nation where the premises are located.
Industry-specific permits that often catch start-ups out
Waste carrying and environmental activities
A business that transports waste may need to register as a waste carrier. This can apply when waste removal is only one part of a building, gardening, house-clearance or property-maintenance service. Businesses arranging waste movements or buying and selling waste may need broker or dealer registration.
Some operations also require an environmental permit, exemption or consent for storing, treating or disposing of waste. The responsible regulator differs across the four UK nations.
Animal-related businesses
Commercial activities involving animals are commonly licensed by local authorities. In England, this can include selling animals as pets, dog breeding, boarding cats or dogs, home boarding, dog day care and hiring out horses. A licence may still be required when the business operates from home or takes bookings online.
Equivalent requirements differ elsewhere in the UK. Allow time for inspections, premises checks and evidence of animal-welfare procedures before advertising an opening date.
Regulated professions and services
Some work can only be carried out by authorised businesses or appropriately qualified individuals. Examples include regulated financial services, gambling, private security, passenger transport, childcare, care services and certain healthcare or legal activities.
Check the relevant regulator before accepting clients or using a protected professional title. A qualification, professional membership and business authorisation are not always the same thing.
Premises, planning and signs
A trading permit does not replace planning permission. Approval may be needed for a material change of use, structural alterations, extraction equipment, outdoor seating or certain signs. A quiet desk-based business from home may cause no planning issue, but customer visits, employees, deliveries, noise or substantial storage can change the position.
Tenants should check their lease, and homeowners may need to review mortgage, insurance or restrictive-covenant terms. Building regulations, fire safety and accessibility duties can apply separately.
Requirements that are not called licences
Not every legal requirement is labelled a licence. Many organisations that process personal information electronically must pay a data protection fee to the Information Commissioner’s Office unless exempt. Businesses playing recorded music for staff or customers may need music permission. Employers also have payroll, insurance, health and safety and workplace pension duties.
A search limited to the word “licence” can therefore miss registrations, notifications, certificates and approvals with similar legal consequences.
A practical pre-opening check
Imagine a new mobile coffee business. The owner registers as a sole trader, buys a van and assumes selling can begin immediately. In practice, the business may need food registration at least 28 days before opening, street trading consent for each location, permission from a market or landowner and possibly planning approval for a permanent pitch. Selling alcohol or licensable late-night refreshments would add further requirements.
Before spending heavily, list every activity the business will perform, where it will operate and what it will sell. Search the Licence Finder, contact the council’s licensing and environmental health teams, and confirm the position in writing. Record renewal dates and conditions in a compliance calendar.
Frequently asked questions
Do online businesses need licences?
Sometimes. Selling online does not remove licensing requirements for regulated products or services. Food, alcohol, animals, finance and some professional services can remain regulated without a traditional shop.
Can I trade while an application is being processed?
Do not assume so. Some regimes require registration or approval before trading begins. Check the authority’s rules and wait for confirmation where permission must be granted first.
Does Companies House tell me which permits I need?
No. Incorporation creates the company but does not provide activity-specific permissions. Licensing must be checked separately with councils, regulators and sector bodies.
How often do licences need renewing?
It depends. Some continue indefinitely while fees are paid, whereas others expire after a fixed period or require inspection. Changes to premises, ownership or activities may also require notification or a new application.
Check permission before committing to launch
Business licences and permits in the UK are determined by what you do and where you do it, not simply by legal structure. Start with official search tools, then verify the details with your local authority and sector regulator. Completing that check before signing a lease, buying specialist equipment or announcing an opening date gives the business a safer route into legal trading.