Basics of getting a business license in City of Sumter or Sumter County

Business owners in the City of Sumter and in Sumter County are going to start receiving their renewals this month and they are due back by April 30, according to the city's website.

The city and the county share the same online page, which is through the city's website, for information regarding business licenses.

The Business License Department serves both the city and the county, and all operational businesses within either must have a business license.

Here are some important things to note, per the city's website, if you're looking to attain a business license in either the county or the city:

1. There are two forms one must fill out and submit to the business license department at 12 W. Liberty St. in Sumter. The two forms are an application and a clearance form.

2. The type of clearance form one must fill out varies based on the nature of the business. The types of clearance forms include home-based, mobile food vendor and commercial business. Booth renters, seasonal events and peddlers do not need to fill out a clearance form.

3. The application and the appropriate clearance form are to be submitted to the business license department at the same time. One is not to be submitted and reviewed without the other.

4. The department will ask to make copies of all business owners' driver's licenses, and if the business is home-based, the address on the driver's license must match the address of the business.

5. If your business is home-based, a food truck, a seasonal event or if you are a peddler, there are additional forms to fill out and submit that can be found on the city's website.

6. The business license application does not ask the applicant about their criminal history, but each type of clearance form does. Both the city and the county have ordinances that enable the licensing official to deny someone a business license on account of a criminal conviction, but the licensing official is not required to deny someone a business license on account of a criminal conviction. According to earlier reporting from The Sumter Item, there have been no business licenses denied, revoked or suspended in either the city or the county.

7. Per the city's business license ordinance, a license may be denied if the applicant had been convicted of a crime within the past 10 years.

8. Per the county's business license ordinance, a license may be denied if the applicant had been convicted of a business-related crime within the past 10 years.

There is more information on this process on the city's website, and you can call the business license department with questions at (803) 774-1601.