Eastern Shore Business License: Northampton $30 Flat, Chincoteague 0.13, Onancock and Accomack (Verify)

Opening a business on the Eastern Shore of Virginia? Start with one question: is your address inside a town? Under Va. Code 58.1-3711, a county license does not apply inside a town that taxes the same privilege. A business inside Chincoteague, Onancock or Cape Charles, VA answers to the town. A business outside those limits answers to the county.

Virginia has no general state business license. The State Corporation Commission (SCC) forms your entity but issues no license to operate. The local license is the Business, Professional and Occupational License (BPOL) tax under Va. Code 58.1-3700 et seq., and each locality sets its own rate and deadline. Some localities levy no general license at all under Va. Code 58.1-3704, so never assume one is required. Accomack County has 33,859 people (Census 2025), Northampton County has 11,879, and the towns of Chincoteague (3,309), Onancock (1,177) and Cape Charles (1,314) sit within them.

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Northampton County VA business license

Fee: a flat $30 a year on all non-manufacturing businesses doing business in the county.
Registration: everyone registers, including businesses exempt from the fee.
Due date: March 1 or within 10 days of starting business, whichever is later.
Penalty: operating without the license can bring a fine of up to $500 (a Class 1 misdemeanor).
Tax holds: the county will not issue the license until delinquent license, personal property, meals, transient, severance and admissions taxes are paid.

Apply through the Commissioner of the Revenue, P.O. Box 65, Eastville, VA 23347, 757-678-0446. Send payments to the Treasurer at 757-678-0450. Northampton's combined sales tax is 6.3%. The county personal property tax is 3.90 per $100, and machinery and tools are 2.00 per $100. Incorporated towns in Northampton that levy their own license have their own rules, which are not covered here.

Chincoteague VA business license

Chincoteague is a town with its own license, so the county rules do not apply inside town limits.

Rate: 0.13 per $100 of prior-year gross receipts for most categories, with a minimum of $50 and a maximum of $500 a year.
New business fee: $50.
Each location: needs a separate license.
Review: Building and Zoning reviews new license applications first.
Calendar: renewal notices are mailed in January. The renewal application reporting gross receipts is due March 1. The license must be purchased and the tax paid by April 30.

Contact the Town Office at 6150 Community Drive, Chincoteague, VA, 757-336-6519. Town taxes include transient at 5%, meals at 5% and cigarettes at $0.40. Confirm the town real estate rate with the town.

Short-term rentals: the town has a draft short-term rental ordinance (committee edits posted August 2026). The draft calls for a rental license, a certificate of compliance, an annual inspection and a base fee of $200 plus $1 per night per bedroom. This is a draft, not law, and the town has not confirmed whether or when it will be adopted. Check with the town before you advertise a rental.

Onancock VA business license

Fee: $40 if you file and pay on time. The 2026 due date was April 30.
Rate: 0.18 per $100 of prior-year gross sales. The town applies the on-time discount against that rate, so confirm how the discount is calculated with the town.
Late renewal: the fee plus 0.18% of receipts.

Contact Onancock Town Hall at 15 North Street, Onancock, VA. The town publishes meals and lodging tax forms. Those rates are not confirmed here, so ask the town for them.

Accomack County VA business license

The county's own license rules, deadlines and rates are not confirmed here. Check with the Accomack County Commissioner of the Revenue before you file. Certain towns in the county apply a second set of rates. Because Accomack's population falls between 25,000 and 50,000, state law bars the county from requiring a license on gross receipts under $50,000. Confirm how that floor applies to your business.

Other Accomack County taxes you should know about:

Sales tax: 5.3%
Meals tax: 5%
Transient tax: 5% plus $2
Cigarettes: 40 cents
Personal property: 3.72 per $100

Cape Charles VA business license

Cape Charles has its own business license, administered by the Town Treasurer. The town's rates are not confirmed here, so ask the Treasurer's office directly.

Three-step checklist

Find out whether your address is inside a town, including Chincoteague, Onancock or Cape Charles.
If it is, ask that town for its business license, rate and deadline.
If it is not, use the county: the Northampton or Accomack Commissioner of the Revenue.

This page is informational only. It is not legal or tax advice. Local rates and deadlines change, so confirm each figure with the named agency before you file. For complex situations, consult a qualified attorney or CPA. Official resources: Virginia Department of Taxation (Virginia Tax) and the State Corporation Commission, Clerk's Office.