State Law Reference: Cities of the Third Class authorized to license, regulate, etc., certain businesses, and occupations, § 94.110, RSMo.
[R.O. 1992 § 605.010; Ord. No. 4562 § 1, 5-19-1975; Ord. No. 23-13755, 4-17-2023]
A. 
It shall be unlawful for any person, either directly or indirectly, to conduct any business, trade, vocation, calling or occupation in whole or in part for which a license or permit is required by this Code without the license or permit so required having been first procured and thereafter kept in effect after all such times as required by this Code or Chapter.
B. 
Any license issued by the Business License Clerk pursuant to the provisions of this Chapter may be revoked by the City for any of the following reasons:
1. 
Any failure to comply with or any violation of any provisions of this Chapter, or any other ordinance of the City regulating the business, occupation or activity licensed, or the Statutes of the State of Missouri by any licensee; or
2. 
Violation of the terms and conditions upon which the license was issued; or
3. 
Failure of the licensee to pay any tax or obligation due to the City; or
4. 
Any misrepresentation or false statement in the application for a license required herein; or
5. 
Failure to display the license required herein.
C. 
Upon a complaint made to the Business License Clerk by the City Administrator, City Counselor, or other appropriate City Official stating that cause exists for the revocation of a business license, any business license issued by the City pursuant to this Chapter may be revoked by the following procedure:
1. 
The City Clerk shall set a hearing to consider the question of revocation;
2. 
At least ten (10) days prior to the date of the hearing, a written notice shall be mailed to the licensee at his/her last known address as shown in the records of the City advising the licensee of the date, time, and place of the hearing and reasons for considering revocation of the license;
3. 
At the hearing set by the City Clerk, the licensee shall have an opportunity to be heard by the Business License Clerk and the Business License Clerk shall consider all evidence relevant to grounds for revocation of the license;
4. 
Upon conclusion of the hearing, if the Business License Clerk determines, by a preponderance of the evidence, that grounds for revocation of the license exists, the Business License Clerk shall revoke the business license.
D. 
Revocation of any license shall be in addition to any other penalty or penalties which may be imposed pursuant to these provisions.
E. 
Reinstatement of the license shall occur only in the event that any and all violations are rectified and/or obligations are met.
[R.O. 1992 § 605.020; Ord. No. 4562 § 2, 5-19-1975]
A. 
Except as may be required by this Code, a person shall be deemed to be in a business or engaged in a non-profit enterprise within the meaning of Section 605.010 when he/she does one (1) act of:
1. 
Selling any goods or services;
2. 
Soliciting business or offering goods or services for sale or hire;
3. 
Using any vehicle or any premises in the City for business purposes.
[R.O. 1992 § 605.030; Ord. No. 4562 § 3, 5-19-1975]
The City License Officer shall make an initial determination of whether or not any particular business activity, occupation, solicitation or service shall be embraced within the provisions of this Code. Such determination shall be reasonably made based upon the generally accepted concept of each such activity, occupation, solicitation or service with regard and the intention of the General Assembly in the Amendment of Section 94.110, RSMo., and other applicable Sections of the Revised Statutes of Missouri; except as may be provided otherwise in this Code, such determination by the City License Officer shall be final and binding on all persons affected thereby unless and until such determination is held invalid by a court of competent jurisdiction.
A. 
No person following for a livelihood the profession or calling of minister of the gospel, duly accredited Christian Science practitioner, teacher, professor in a college, priest, lawyer, certified public accountant, dentist, chiropractor, optometrist, chiropodist, or physician or surgeon in this City shall be taxed or made liable to pay any municipal or other corporation tax or license fee of any description whatever for the privilege of following or carrying on such profession or calling, and after December 31, 2003, no investment funds service corporation as defined in Section 143.451, RSMo., may be required to pay any such license fee in excess of twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000.00) annually, any law, ordinance or Charter to the contrary notwithstanding.
B. 
No person following for a livelihood the profession of insurance agent or broker, veterinarian, architect, professional engineer, land surveyor, auctioneer, or real estate broker or salesman in this City shall be taxed or made liable to pay any municipal or other corporation tax or license fee for the privilege of following or carrying on his/her profession unless that person maintains a business office within the City of Washington.
[R.O. 1992 § 605.040; Ord. No. 4562 § 4, 5-19-1975]
The local agents or other representatives of non-residents who are doing business or engaged in non-profit enterprises in this City shall be personally responsible for compliance, of principal and of the businesses and enterprises they represent, with applicable provisions of this Code.
[R.O. 1992 § 605.050; Ord. No. 4562 § 5, 5-19-1975; Ord. No. 25-14181, 9-22-2025]
A. 
Except as may be provided otherwise by this Code, no license shall be required by any person for any mere delivery of any person or property purchased or acquired from such person at his/her regular place of business outside the City where no intent by such person is shown to exist to pervade the provisions of this Code.
B. 
No person:
1. 
Selling any goods or services;
2. 
Soliciting business or offering goods or services for sale or hire; or
3. 
Using any vehicle or any premises in the City for business purposes for a period of less than ten (10) days in a calendar year shall be required to obtain a business license.
[Ord. No. 23-13755, 4-17-2023]
A. 
All applications for the licenses required herein shall be made to the City Clerk on appropriate forms provided for that purpose by the City. All licenses issued by the Business License Clerk shall be in such form as is provided by the Business License Clerk; provided, however, that such license shall bear the signature of the Mayor of the City Council and the Business License Clerk, the date of issuance thereof and the date of expiration, as well as any additional information that may be required by the Business License Clerk.
B. 
Each applicant for a business license under this Chapter where such business will be selling goods at retail shall submit a statement from the Missouri Department of Revenue pursuant to Section 144.083.4, RSMo., stating no tax is due, which statement is a prerequisite to the issuance or renewal of a City business license. The statement required by this Section shall be dated within ninety (90) days of submission of the business license application or renewal application.
[R.O. 1992 § 605.070; Ord. No. 4562 § 7, 5-19-1975]
A person engaged in two (2) or more businesses at the same location shall be required to obtain a separate license for conducting each of such businesses but, when eligible, shall be issued one (1) license which shall specify on its face all of such businesses. The license fee shall be in addition to any other applicable tax or fee required by any other Chapter of this Code.
[R.O. 1992 § 605.080; Ord. No. 4562 § 8, 5-19-1975]
When a licensee places himself/herself in a new status, the City License Officer shall issue a supplemental license and such additional insignia as may be required.
[R.O. 1992 § 605.090; Ord. No. 4562 § 9, 5-19-1975; Ord. No. 23-13755, 4-17-2023]
A duplicate license shall be issued by the Business License Clerk to replace any license, or such permit previously issued and which has been lost, stolen, defaced or destroyed.
[R.O. 1992 § 605.100; Ord. No. 4562 § 10, 5-19-1975]
Each licensee under this Chapter who conducts business on or from licensed premises shall post and maintain such license upon the licensed premises in a place where it may be seen at all times.
[R.O. 1992 § 605.110; Ord. No. 4562 § 11, 5-19-1975]
Every licensee under this Chapter who has no licensed business premises shall carry his/her license on his/her person and shall display it to the City Officer having authority to enforce this Chapter and the persons with whom he/she transacts or seeks to transact business at their request.
[R.O. 1992 § 605.120; Ord. No. 4562 § 12, 5-19-1975]
Taxes and fees required by this Chapter to be paid by any person shall be payable to the City Officer who shall issue a proper receipt to each person making any such payment.
[R.O. 1992 § 605.130; Ord. No. 4562 § 13, 5-19-1975]
No license under provision of this Chapter shall be granted for a longer or shorter term than the time specified authorizing a license tax be levied and collected, and each license shall terminate one (1) day, two (2) days or one (1) year, as the case may be, from the day on which the same is issued, provided that the term for all annual licenses shall be on July 1 in each year.
[R.O. 1992 § 605.140; Ord. No. 4562 § 14, 5-19-1975]
No license issued under the provision of this Chapter shall be assigned or transferred; no money paid to the City Officer for any such license shall be refunded by this City or by any office thereof.
[R.O. 1992 § 605.150; Ord. No. 4562 § 15, 5-19-1975; Ord. No. 5621 § 1, 5-3-1982]
A. 
No license or permit provided for or required under this Code or any other ordinance of the City shall be issued by the City to any person until the City personal property tax, merchants' tax, real property tax, and all other taxes, charges, assessments, or other debts to the City, whatsoever in nature, of the applicant for such license or permit shall have first been paid.
B. 
It shall be the duty of the City Officer to establish and promulgate rules and regulations relative to an orderly method of checking unpaid personal property taxes, merchants' taxes and real property taxes in order to determine the amounts thereof due and owing to the City by any such applicant.
[R.O. 1992 § 605.160; Ord. No. 4562 § 16, 5-19-1975; Ord. No. 5143 § 1, 11-6-1978; Ord. No. 5272 § 1, 8-20-1979; Ord. No. 5350 § 1, 4-7-1980; Ord. No. 5441 § 1, 1-5-1981; Ord. No. 5666 § 1, 7-5-1982; Ord. No. 7230, 6-15-1992; Ord. No. 8132 § 1, 2-17-1997; Ord. No. 97-8242 § 1, 9-2-1997; Ord. No. 98-8315 § 1, 1-20-1998; Ord. No. 98-8439 § 1, 8-17-1998; Ord. No. 98-8440 § 1, 8-17-1998; Ord. No. 03-9368 § 1, 6-2-2003; Ord. No. 23-13755, 4-17-2023]
A. 
Pursuant to the authority granted by Section 94.110, RSMo., as amended, there is hereby levied, fixed and ordered collected an annual license fee in the amount of sixty dollars ($60.00) plus two dollars ($2.00) for each employee upon any person, either directly or indirectly, conducting in whole or in part a business, trade, vocation, calling or occupation.
B. 
Pursuant to the authority granted by Section 94.110, RSMo., as amended, there is hereby levied, fixed and ordered collected an annual license fee in the amount of one dollar ($1.00) for each employee with a minimum license fee of seventy-five dollars ($75.00) upon any person, either directly or indirectly, conducting in whole or in part a manufacturing business, trade, vocation, calling or occupation.
C. 
There is hereby levied, fixed and ordered collected an annual business license fee in the amount of two percent (2%) of the gross annual revenue produced by each outdoor advertising structure within the City of Washington, Missouri.
[R.O. 1992 § 605.170; Ord. No. 4562 § 17, 5-19-1975; Ord. No. 05-9873 § 1, 10-3-2005]
For the purpose of this Chapter, the term "employee" shall mean full-time and part-time employees and independent contractors (who, in pursuit of an independent business, undertake to perform a job or piece of work, retaining in himself/herself control of means, method and matter of accomplishing the desired result and whose principal place of business is at the same location as a licensed establishment and who operate under the business name of the licensed establishment).
[R.O. 1992 § 605.180; Ord. No. 4562 § 18, 5-19-1975; Ord. No. 19-12064, 7-15-2019; Ord. No. 25-14116, 4-21-2025]
Annual licenses are valid from July 1 through June 30 the following year. New business applications submitted after August 1 will be charged a pro-rated fee for the balance of the license period. Existing business applications submitted between August 1 and August 31 will incur a late payment penalty of fifty dollars ($50.00), applications submitted between September 1 and September 30 will incur a late payment penalty of one hundred dollars ($100.00) and applications submitted after October 1 will incur a late payment penalty of one hundred fifty dollars ($150.00), in addition to the applicable business license fee.