Cleaning business license: what you need to clean houses, state by state

None of the 17 states we read asks house cleaners for a cleaning license. You get a stack of small filings instead: the name you trade under, the entity if you form an LLC, a tax account with the state, and a business license from your city or county. Only one state we found aims a registration at cleaners, and it lets residential cleaners off.

Below is what each state says on its own agency pages, 17 states so far, plus the three places where cleaning gets special treatment: California, Washington and Texas. California and Florida also have pages of their own: the California cleaning license page and the Florida cleaning license page. Where an agency page didn't answer, the table says "not confirmed".

Four small filings instead of one license

Most house cleaners hit these in this order.

First, the business name. A sole proprietor working under their own legal name generally files nothing. Use a different name and most of the states below want a "doing business as" filing, usually with the county clerk. Massachusetts, for instance, says its business certificate is not a business license.

Second, the entity. An LLC files with the state. A sole proprietorship in Georgia, Ohio, Massachusetts and California doesn't register with the state at all. What the LLC filing costs, and what it leaves out, is on the LLC guide.

Third, tax accounts. You register with the revenue department when you hire, or when your work is subject to sales tax. Whether cleaning a home is taxable depends on the state (Texas says yes; Washington handles it differently, see below; Florida taxes offices but not homes, covered on the Florida cleaning license page).

Fourth, the local business license. Cities and counties issue these, and this is where most cleaners need a piece of paper. The state pages point you to city hall or the county clerk and stop there.

Insureon's house cleaning page says most states require a general business license and business registration. ERGO NEXT's cleaning license guide says most general cleaning services don't need a professional license. Both are broker claims. The rest of this page comes from state agencies.

California: the janitorial registration and who it skips

California is the one state where we found a registration aimed at cleaners. The Labor Commissioner's janitorial registration FAQ lists who doesn't have to register, and the first example is a person or entity that only cleans residential dwellings, including private residences, condos and mobile homes.

Cross that line and the rules change. The same FAQ lists these:

• The fee is $500, paid at first registration and again at each yearly renewal.
• A covered worker is anyone working predominantly as a janitor, whether employee, independent contractor or franchisee.
• Applicants need proof of workers' comp if they have one or more employees.
• Janitorial employers must provide in-person harassment prevention training at least every two years.
• An unregistered employer faces a $100 fine for each calendar day, up to $10,000.
• A business that contracts with an unregistered janitorial employer faces a $2,000 to $10,000 fine for a first violation.

That last fine is why an office manager may ask for your registration number. Take an office account onto a route of homes (an illustration, say one dental office) and you are no longer a residential-only cleaner. The FAQ lists a janitorial provider with no employees that cleans commercial establishments, office buildings included, among those who must register. It doesn't define "predominantly", so ask the Labor Commissioner's janitorial unit whether one office among many homes makes you a covered provider. NEXT's guide notes that California janitorial businesses must register but leaves out the residential exemption.

The California cleaning license page has the penalties, the workers' comp rule and the local licenses in one place. Everything else in California is the ordinary layer. CalOSBA, the state's small business office, says sole proprietors don't file with the Secretary of State, that a fictitious business name statement goes to the county when the name doesn't contain your surname, and that most local governments require a business license from the city, or the county in unincorporated areas.

Washington: when the state license kicks in

Washington's Department of Revenue says to register and get a business license if any one of these applies:

• Gross income is $12,000 a year or more.
• You do business under a name other than your full legal name.
• You plan to hire employees within the next 90 days.
• You sell a product or service that requires collecting sales tax.
• Your business needs city, county or state endorsements.

The income line works out to about $230 a week.

Tax treatment is where Washington differs from Texas. The Department of Revenue says regular janitorial services, such as cleaning floors, walls, windows and dusting, pay service and other activities B&O tax, and retail sales tax doesn't apply. Anything outside that list counts as specialized cleaning and does carry retail sales tax. Even so, the license and the B&O account come first.

Texas: the sales tax permit for maid service

Texas has no cleaning license on the pages we could read. It does have a sales tax. The Comptroller's guide to cleaning and janitorial services says a maid, janitorial or custodial service should be collecting sales and use tax, and that tax is due on the charge to clean a home, office or other building. Local sales taxes come on top.

There's an exemption, and it's narrow. A self-employed person doing traditional household services isn't taxed only if they are an employee of the household and not a subcontractor for a third party, such as a maid service. A cleaner who subcontracts for a maid service doesn't fit that, and the page doesn't say where a self-employed cleaner with several household clients lands.

The permit itself is free, though the Comptroller says you may be asked to post a security bond. Sole proprietors using another name file an assumed name certificate with the county clerk; LLCs file their assumed name certificate with the Secretary of State, which charges $25 for it. Whether Texas has a general state business license: not confirmed.

State table: 17 states so far

Each row is what the state's own pages say applies to a sole proprietor or LLC cleaning homes. "Cost" is filled only where the page states one.

State	What applies	Cost stated
California	Sole proprietors don't file with the state; a fictitious name statement goes to the county if you use another name; city or county business license; janitorial registration only if you clean more than homes (above, and on the California cleaning license page)	Set by county or city; $500 janitorial registration if it applies
Texas	County clerk assumed name certificate for sole proprietors; LLCs file theirs with the Secretary of State; sales tax permit for maid service (above); general state license not confirmed	Permit free; $25 for an assumed name certificate filed with the Secretary of State
Florida	State pages say businesses may need to register with the local county, and county occupational licenses come from county government; state law lets municipalities levy a business tax; Revenue registration if you sell taxable goods or services; Revenue publication GT-800015 says cleaning a residential facility is not taxable and cleaning a nonresidential building is taxable at the 6 percent state rate plus the county's discretionary surtax, under s. 212.05; the Florida cleaning license page has the rest	Not stated
New York	Assumed name certificate with the county clerk if your business name differs from yours; the state says not all businesses need a license or permit and points to Business Express for a checklist	$25 in most counties, $100 in the five New York City counties
Pennsylvania	DCED's registration guide lists a fictitious name filing with the Department of State if you use one, a sales tax license from Revenue if you need one, and a check with your municipality for a local business license or tax account	Department of State fees: $70 fictitious name registration, $125 LLC certificate of organization; DCED says there is no fee to file for a sales tax license
Ohio	Sole proprietors don't file with the Secretary of State unless they use a trade or fictitious name; the state's startup checklist adds Department of Taxation registration, workers' comp with one or more workers, and a check with county and local government	Not stated
Illinois	Register with the Department of Revenue if you conduct business in Illinois, which the page says includes sole proprietors that withhold Illinois income tax for employees; sole proprietors using another name file an assumed name with the county clerk; contact your city or county clerk for local rules	Not stated
Georgia	Licenses come from the county and/or city; sole proprietorships aren't registered with the Secretary of State; sole proprietors may register with Revenue for business taxes	Not stated
North Carolina	The state says it has no single generic business license and lists a state privilege license among its licenses and permits; LLCs register with the Secretary of State; sole proprietors may file an assumed name certificate with the Register of Deeds; sales and use tax number from Revenue if applicable	Not stated
Michigan	Sole proprietorships file assumed names with the county clerk in each county where they operate; state and local license rules: not confirmed	Not stated
New Jersey	Sole proprietors file NJ-REG with the Division of Revenue, after getting an EIN if they have employees, and can then obtain a Business Registration Certificate, which the page ties to public contracting and state grants; LLCs file a certificate of formation first	$100 certificate of formation for a for-profit entity
Virginia	Business licenses are issued by the city or county; sole proprietors file a "dba" with the State Corporation Commission; every new business registers with Virginia Tax	Not stated
Tennessee	Register for business tax with Revenue; the county or city clerk issues a minimal activity license above $3,000 and under $100,000 in gross receipts and a standard license at $100,000 or more; you can't operate until it's issued	$15 registration fee to the clerk
Massachusetts	A basic sole proprietorship in the owner's name with no employees can start operating immediately; a business certificate goes to the city or town clerk if the name differs	Not stated
Washington	State business license through the Department of Revenue once a trigger applies (above); B&O tax on regular janitorial work	Application fee "varies" per the page
Arizona	The Corporation Commission doesn't issue business or occupational licenses; register with your city or county for tax and any city license; a trade name isn't legally required; cleaning isn't on Revenue's list of TPT activities	Not stated
Colorado	Statement of trade name with the Secretary of State if you use one; the state's checklist says to contact city hall or the county clerk for business licenses; sales tax registration is on the checklist	Not stated

We read these pages in September 2026. Several state sites blocked direct requests, so for those we read dated copies of the agency page; check the live page before you pay a fee.

What the table leaves out

City and county licenses. Almost every state above sends you to a local office, and we haven't confirmed the requirements for any specific city, including home occupation permits for a cleaner who runs the business from a spare room. A ten minute call to the clerk beats any table.

Bonds and insurance are separate. Insureon says house cleaning insurance usually isn't required by law, with workers' comp for employees and commercial auto for business vehicles as the exceptions. The state rules for workers' comp sit on the cleaning business insurance requirements page, with the client and HOA rules. None of the agency pages above mentions a cleaning bond; clients ask for one, and the janitorial bond page prices it. What it pays is on the bonded and insured page. The first office account you take is when the janitorial insurance page starts to matter.

Turno checks licenses differently than a state does. Its License badge takes LLC articles, business or license tax receipts and a certificate of good standing, and rejects a DBA filing, so a name registration won't get you the badge. The platforms guide has the details.

Before your first paid job

An order that works in most of the states above: pick the name, form an LLC if you want one, get an EIN, register with the revenue department if you hire or if your state taxes cleaning, and call the city or county clerk for the local license. After that come the papers clients ask for, the policy and the certificate. The coverage page shows what each policy pays, and the cost page shows what it runs.