Staunton VA Business License: 2026 Rates, Wholesale Tiers and How Waynesboro and Augusta County Compare

October 29, 2026

If you sell, contract, or provide services in Staunton, Virginia, you will likely need a local business license. Virginia has no general statewide business license. The State Corporation Commission (SCC) forms your entity but issues no license. The license most businesses deal with is the Business, Professional and Occupational License (BPOL), a local license tax under Va. Code 58.1-3700 et seq. Not every Virginia locality levies a general license, because Va. Code 58.1-3704 lets a locality levy none, so never assume a neighboring city or county works the same way. Staunton administers its tax through the Commissioner of the Revenue.

Staunton's License and Rates

Staunton has about 26,800 people, which places it in the 25,000 to 50,000 population band. In that band, state law does not allow a tax on gross receipts under $50,000. The city has used a small minimum license fee, so confirm the current minimum and the flat tier with the Commissioner of the Revenue before you budget.

Above that threshold, the license is a rate per $100 of gross receipts. The rates below are as reported from the city code. Confirm them on the city's current license form, because the city can change them.

Business category	Rate per $100 of gross receipts
Contractors	0.16
Retail	0.20
Financial, real estate and professional services	0.40
Repair, personal, business and unlisted services	0.36

The 0.40 professional rate is not Virginia's maximum. The state maximum for this category is 0.58, so Staunton's professional rate sits below the ceiling. Consider a professional firm with $200,000 in gross receipts. At 0.40 it pays about $800. At 0.58, the rate reported in Winchester, Harrisonburg, Salem and Roanoke County, it would pay $1,160. Verify each of those localities' rates before relying on that comparison.

Wholesale tiers

Wholesale licenses are taxed on purchases, not on sales, in three tiers:

• $100 flat on purchases up to $10,000.
• $100 plus 0.50 per $100 of purchases above $10,000, up to $50,000.
• $300 plus 0.12 per $100 of purchases above $50,000.

Take a wholesaler with $75,000 in purchases. The first $50,000 produces the $300 base. The $25,000 above that is 250 units of $100, and at 0.12 per unit it adds $30. The total is $330. Confirm the tier math with the Commissioner before you file, because the tiers are the figures that most often trip up wholesalers.

Staunton's meals tax is reported at 7 percent, so confirm that rate too. Ask the Commissioner for the current lodging and personal property rates, since this guide does not state them.

Steps to Get Licensed in Staunton

1. Get zoning and occupancy clearance first. Start with the Zoning Administrator at Staunton City Hall. If you plan to work from home, the city sets the home occupation rules, so check them with the city before you assume your address qualifies.
2. Apply with the Commissioner of the Revenue. The office is at 116 W Beverley St, Staunton, Virginia. The phone number is 540-332-3829. Virginia law expects you to apply before you begin business, and the city asks for your application within 30 days of starting.
3. Report gross receipts by category. Your rate depends on the category your business falls into. If you have several revenue streams, such as contracting and retail, ask the Commissioner how each one is classified before you file.
4. Register for meals and transient occupancy taxes at licensing if either applies to your business.
5. Handle your state filings. If you operate under a trade name, file an Assumed Name Certificate with the SCC Clerk's Office for $10. It is not filed with the circuit court. If you form an LLC, the Articles of Organization (Form LLC1011) cost $100. You can reserve a name for $10 for 120 days.

Some trades also need a state license, which is separate from the local BPOL. State boards such as DPOR, the Department of Health Professions, VDACS and ABC license regulated trades and professions. Contractors should note the state classes that took effect on 2025-07-01: Class C for contracts over $1,000 to under $30,000, Class B for $30,000 to under $150,000, and Class A for $150,000 or more.

Deadlines

• Initial application: within 30 days of starting business, as the city requests.
• Renewal: on or before March 1 each year.
• Late filing or payment: state law allows a 10 percent penalty. If the filing and the payment are both late, only the filing penalty applies. Ask the Commissioner how the city applies this and whether interest is charged, because interest is not automatic.
• Business tangible personal property return: check the return date and the rate with the Commissioner. Do not rely on a date from another locality.
• LLC annual registration fee: $50 paid to the SCC. Virginia LLCs file no annual report. The fee is due the last day of the 12th month after the month the LLC was organized, and every year after. A late payment adds a $25 penalty, and the LLC is canceled at the end of the third month after the due date.

Staunton's economic development office can tell you about local programs, so ask them directly what is available before you assume any incentive applies.

How Staunton, Waynesboro and Augusta County Compare

Staunton, Virginia and Waynesboro, Virginia are separate cities. Both lie inside Augusta County's footprint, but each is a separate jurisdiction with its own license. A license from one does not cover the other, and Augusta County, VA levies its own license tax. Waynesboro has about 23,951 people, which is under 25,000, so no gross receipts floor applies there. Augusta County has about 78,940 people. The figures below are as reported, and each one needs verification with the named office.

Item	Staunton, VA	Waynesboro, VA	Augusta County, VA
Population	About 26,800	23,951	78,940
Contractors	0.16 per $100 (verify)	0.16 per $100, with $30 on gross receipts up to $18,750 (verify)	Check the county rate schedule
Retail	0.20 per $100 (verify)	0.20 per $100, with $30 on gross receipts up to $15,000 (verify)	Check the county rate schedule
Professional services	0.40 per $100 (verify)	0.58 per $100, with $30 on gross receipts up to $5,172 (verify)	Check the county rate schedule
Service and repair	0.36 per $100 (verify)	0.36 per $100 (verify)	Check the county rate schedule
Renewal	On or before March 1	Verify with the Waynesboro Commissioner of the Revenue	Reported as March 1 (verify)
Home occupation	Check with the city	Permit reported at $50 from Building and Zoning (verify)	Check with the county
Alcohol sales	ABC license plus local license	ABC license plus local license	ABC license plus local license
Business personal property and machinery and tools	Check with the Commissioner	Check with the Commissioner	Reported at $2.15 per $100 (verify)

The professional rate shows the biggest difference. Waynesboro's reported rate of 0.58 is the state maximum. Using the same $200,000 firm, that is about $1,160 in Waynesboro compared with about $800 in Staunton. The gap is not a reason to choose a location by itself, but it is a real cost for a professional firm that can serve clients in either city.

Official Resources

• State Corporation Commission, Clerk's Office: https://www.scc.virginia.gov/businesses/
• SCC Clerk's Information System (online filing and business search): https://cis.scc.virginia.gov/
• Virginia Department of Taxation (Virginia Tax): https://www.tax.virginia.gov/
• Virginia Small Business Development Center network: https://www.virginiasbdc.org/

This content is informational, not legal or tax advice. Rates, tiers and deadlines change, and some figures above are reported rather than confirmed. Before you file, confirm each number with the Staunton Commissioner of the Revenue, the Waynesboro Commissioner of the Revenue, or the Augusta County office. For complex situations, such as wholesale and retail operations together, multiple locations, or choosing an entity structure, consult a qualified Virginia attorney or CPA.