South Jordan Business License: Current Fees, How to Apply and How to Renew

Who issues a South Jordan business license

South Jordan City issues its own license, and it is tied to the address on the application. A shop on Redwood Road in South Jordan needs a South Jordan license even if the same owner runs a second shop in another city. The city's FAQ says that moving to a new address inside South Jordan means a new application, and the Business Licenses page says licenses are non-transferable under City Code 5.04.100. Check the city on your lease, because ZIP codes in this part of the county cross city lines.

Daybreak is inside South Jordan city limits, according to Daybreak's own site, so a Daybreak storefront or home business uses the same city license and the same portal as anyone else in South Jordan. For how the other cities compare, see our Salt Lake City business license guide, which also explains why Salt Lake County has no single license. The city's contact point is South Jordan City Hall at 1600 W Towne Center Drive, phone 801-446-HELP.

South Jordan business license fees (effective July 1, 2026)

These amounts come from the city's Business Licensing Fees sheet, dated effective July 1, 2026. Staff assign the final fee after you submit the application, so the number in your fee email is the one that counts.

What a first year costs, worked out

A consultant renting an office on Towne Center Drive pays $338 for the general commercial license. The sheet adds a credit card processing fee of 2.95 percent of the fee charged, which comes to about $10 on $338, so plan on roughly $348 if you pay by card. The second year is $100.

A new restaurant is a different bill. The sheet lists a restaurant license at $634 new and $394 to renew. Selling alcohol is licensed separately: the sheet lists an alcohol license at $132 new and $25 to renew, with a full service restaurant line at $277 new and $168 to renew and a bar line at $671 new and $562 to renew. Ask the city which lines apply to your menu before you budget.

Larger categories climb fast. The sheet lists a hotel at $2,705 new, a department store between 15,000 and 80,000 square feet at $2,232, and a big box store over 80,000 square feet at $3,316. Assisted living and nursing licenses are $338 plus $45 per bed. The sheet has no per-employee line, though the portal asks for your employee count and the city says to include the owners in it, so confirm the final amount in the fee email.

How to apply, step by step

The city's procedure page puts state and county items first, then the city application. In order:

• Register the business name. File with the Utah Division of Corporations. The city's application guide says the name must be registered there, with one exception: you may use your own name as the business name. Our Salt Lake City guide lists the state filing fees.
• Get an EIN. The city's procedure page says sole proprietors with no employees may use a Social Security number instead.
• Get a Utah sales tax number if it applies. The city points to the state registration or Form TC-69.
• Line up outside approvals. If your trade is regulated, check with the Utah Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing. If you prepare food, the city sends you to the Salt Lake County Health Department at 385-468-4100. Mobile food vendors upload a vehicle registration and a county health permit, and the Fire Marshal does a fire inspection.
• Create a portal account. You cannot apply or renew until you register in the South Jordan CityView portal.
• Start the application. Sign in and choose Apply for a Business License. The city's guide says to pick "Business - Commercial/Retail" for any business not run from a residential address and "Business - Home Occupation" for one that is.
• Submit, then pay when the fee email arrives. Staff review the application and assign fees. You pay in the portal by credit or debit card or bank account, and the application then goes to the city departments that must approve it.
• Print your own license. The city does not mail a copy. When the license is issued you get an email and print it from the portal under My Items, My Business License Items, Documents & Images.

How long approval takes, and why you cannot open early

The city FAQ says that after payment the application goes to each required department and approval usually takes 2 to 5 days, though it can vary. Outside approvals, such as the health department or the state child care licensing office, run on their own clocks, and the city tells you to contact those agencies yourself.

Do not open while you wait. The FAQ cites City Code 5.04.020, which bars doing business without a license, continuing after a license lapses, and using a name other than the licensed one. It states that operating without a valid license is a class B misdemeanor. If the city denies your application, the FAQ says you can appeal under City Code 5.04.220.

Home business: when you need a license and what the rules are

Not every home business needs a South Jordan license. The city says one is required only if the business provides in-home child or adult care or preschool, has customers or clients coming to the home, or is required to hold a city license by another government agency. A freelance designer who meets clients on Zoom does not need one. A music teacher who has students come to the house does. Any exempt home business can still apply for the optional Home Occupation Business License, which is $126 new and $25 to renew.

Every home occupation application needs two documents: a floorplan worksheet showing the home's square footage and the area used for the business, and a signed Home Occupation Ordinance Agreement. Upload them in the portal or email them to [email protected]. The city says home occupations are accessory uses in residential and agricultural zones and must not significantly affect the neighborhood. The rules sit in Chapter 5.38 of the municipal code, so read that chapter before you plan signs, deliveries or employees.

Home daycares and preschools have extra requirements. A daycare needs its Utah Department of Health child care license and a count of children with ages, including your own. A preschool runs weekdays only, with at most 2 sessions a day and 12 students per session. Both need a fire inspection from the South Jordan Fire Department, which the city says covers two separate exits, a portable fire extinguisher on each level occupied by children, and a quarterly evacuation drill.

South Jordan business license renewal and late fees

Most licenses last one year from the date they are issued. City Code 5.04.210, as cited in the city FAQ, lets you renew no sooner than 30 days before expiration and no later than the expiration date. You can renew online, by phone through the City Information Center, by mail, or in person at City Hall. Online, sign in to the portal, open My Items, then My Business License Items, then Pay Fees, and enter your employee count.

The city's FAQ says you still owe the late fee if no renewal notice reached you, because keeping the license valid is on the business. The fee sheet sets late fees as a share of the base fee: 25 percent from 1 to 31 days after the due date, 50 percent from 31 to 60 days, and 100 percent from 61 to 90 days. After 90 days the account is closed. If your renewal payment times out, the city's guide says the fee locks until the system resets overnight, so start early rather than on the last day.

South Jordan business license lookup

The city does not appear to offer a search box where you type a business name and get its license status. It offers two other tools. The Business Licenses page links a city map titled "Find out who has a business license in your area," which shows license holders by location. The city also posts a monthly PDF called New Business Licenses Issued; the latest on the page today is August 2026.

To verify a specific business, such as a contractor you are about to hire, ask to see its printed license, since every licensee prints their own from the portal, or call 801-446-HELP. For state-regulated trades, the Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing is the separate source. If you own equipment, you may also owe county tax, covered in our business personal property tax guide.

After the license: getting found in South Jordan

A license does not bring customers. Claim your Google Business Profile with the same name and address as the license, and see our South Jordan city page for what residents there are reading about.

We publish The Salt Lake Valley, a free newsletter with about 2,400 subscribers across Salt Lake County, and we sell ads in it, so weigh this accordingly. A Local Directory listing is $49 a month and a featured event is $59 per event, both on our menu today. A new South Jordan shop announcing its opening is what our ad plans are built for.