Legal Question in Business Law in New York

Re: Personal business permits

It depends on the product or service, so you have to be more specific.

Mike.

Re: Personal business permits

"Business permit" is an incredibly vague term. I assume that you're asking whether you should formally form a business entity, but there are many, many other interpretations possible for that term.

As to formation of a business entity:

Income has absolutely nothing to do with this.

Depending on your city/town/village and county local regulations, you may need at least a Certificate of Doing Business (commonly called a "DBA") before you open your doors. This involves a trip to your County Clerk's Office, $25 fee and a form that you can fill out and pay for right there.

However, depending on your business, you may need better protection of personal assets than is provided by a DBA.

Be sure you understand the importance of an Employer ID number (which you get from the IRS' website, www.irs.gov) BEFORE you open your business's doors.

Bottom line: Talk with a lawyer BEFORE you open your business's doors. You're welcome to give my office a call, or contact someone who is more local to you; your county's bar association or the NYS Bar Association (www.nysba.org) are good sources for referrals.

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