Fayetteville Staff Swamped with License Applications

The city of Fayetteville had received 3,080 applications for business licenses by the end of the day Oct. 31, the deadline for existing businesses to apply for the new license required by city ordinance.

Cory Whorton, office manager of development services, said it’ll be at least a couple of weeks before the staff will know how many businesses are brick-and-mortar, how many are home-based and how many are Internet-based. That’s due to the sheer volume of applications that must be processed, he said.

Existing businesses in Fayetteville had until Oct. 31 to apply for a license, unless they qualified for an exemption. The licenses must be renewed annually for a $15 fee.

The city began taking applications Aug. 1.

Whorton said code enforcement officers will make random spot checks of businesses to see if their license is prominently displayed. If it’s not, the business owner will get a warning to obtain a license, and will have to pay late fees.

The rates for businesses opening Nov. 1 or later are $35 for an application submitted on paper, and $32 for an application made online. Home-based businesses will pay $22 and $20, respectively.

More information about the license requirements is available at www.accessfayetteville.org.