Opening a Business in Olivette
The City
of Olivette welcomes you as a new business in our community. Central location
and easy access to the interstates as well as a stable real estate base make
this community a desirable place to locate. The city has excellent Police
/ Fire Protection, and Code Enforcement. The city has an excellent park system
and the Public Works Department handles maintenance of all the parks and municipal
properties.
The following is being produced to
help you the future business owner in Olivette obtain the proper business
license to do business in Olivette. There is also some general information that
you may find helpful.
All of the land within Olivette is
zoned for certain uses. They may be Residential, Commercial, or Light
Industrial. It is always a good idea before committing to a certain location
that you ascertain whether your proposed use is a permissible use in the
location that you are interested in. You can contact the Building Department at
993-0252 for information on the zoning of a particular parcel.
Occupancy permits are required of
every business to be located in a location in Olivette regardless of the zoning
district. Occupancy permits are not issued until all requirements of the Zoning
Ordinance and Property Maintenance Code have been met. For example if a
particular use requires a Special Permit it must be obtained prior to the
Occupancy permit being issued. Some uses such, as restaurants require approval
from St. Louis County prior to opening.
There are many different categories
of business licenses however they can be broken into 3 main categories.
Merchants License is the license one must obtain if they are selling goods, wares
including software or merchandise or the providing of entertainment, lodging,
recreational, or sports facilities at any store, stand, hotel, arena, theatre
or other place occupied for that purpose in the City of Olivette. If you
collect sales tax you must receive a merchant’s license. The fee for a merchant
is 1/10 of 1% of the amount of sales made in the last calendar year less sales
tax collected and sales made outside of Missouri. There is a $50 dollar minimum
fee on this type of license.
Manufacturers License is the license for those that hold or purchase personal property for
the purpose of adding to the value thereof by any process of manufacturing,
refining, or by the combination of different materials. The fee for a
manufacturer is 1/10 of 1% of the amount of sales made in the last calendar
year less sales tax collected. There is a $50 dollar minimum fee on this type
of license.
Service Occupations is generally any business, trading, pursuit, occupation, or enterprise,
excluding merchants and manufacturers. Typical service type uses would be
contractors, consultants, shoe repair, architects, etc. There are a variety of
other service type uses and some of these categories are assessed an annual fee
on a quantity basis such as warehouse which is .02 cents per square foot of
total floor area with a $100 minimum yearly fee. A complete list is included
with this reference material for your assistance in assessing your annual fees.
IMPORTANT
Many businesses may be subject to more than one license per year. Many service
type uses also sell goods or merchandise and subsequently collect sales tax.
These uses require additional merchants’ license as well.
The
following is a step by step sequence to obtaining your business license to
operate in the City of Olivette.
Make application for
occupancy. Apply for occupancy by completing the application for Occupancy
available at the Building Department, 1200 North Price, Olivette, Mo. 63132 or
call 993-0252 to have one sent to you. A copy is included with this packet for
your convenience.
Arrange for an
inspection of the area to be used for the business. This may be done by calling
993-0252. The charges for an inspection are $40 for the initial inspection and
$10 for any reinspection necessary.
Complete the appropriate
business license application form and submit it or them along with the
application for occupancy. The building inspector will refer the documents
along with the appropriate charges to City Hall. The business license will be
issued upon completion and approval of the occupancy permit and will be issued
by City Hall personnel.
All businesses operating
in the City of Olivette upon making application and prior to issuance of any
license are required to submit a copy of their Articles of Incorporation. These
articles are to contain not only the description of the business but all
officers and agents.
Does your
business sell of goods or merchandise? If so, and if you have a state sales tax
number you must apply for the Merchants’ License.
Does your business manufacture any
goods such as clothing or furniture or any similar type of end use product? If
so then you must fill out the Manufacturing License application.
Does your business operate a service
type use such as contracting, building services, painting, insurance dry
cleaner etc.? If so you need to fill out the Service License application.
Does your business have different
aspects of the business that may entail a service type use yet you have a state
sales tax number and also sell products? You will need to have a Merchants’
License and Service License.
If you
have any questions as to the appropriate business license application please
call.