Licences and permits
The permissions a business needs before it can trade, each one tied to the law that creates it and to the body that issues it. We point at GOV.UK for fees and forms, and never copy them.
30 of 426 licences for Retail: manufacturing and wholesale
Choose from all 48 activities
A
Authorisation for dry cleaning (Scotland)
You need an authorisation if you run a dry cleaning facility that uses solvents in Scotland.
Scottish Government · Scotland
Authorisations for industrial activities (Scotland)
Your business may need an authorisation if it operates certain types of installations in Scotland that could cause emissions to land, water or air.
Scottish Government · Scotland
Authorisations for petrol vapour recovery (Scotland)
You may need an authorisation to operate an installation for the unloading of petrol into stationary storage tanks or motor vehicle refuelling activities at …
Scottish Government · Scotland
C
Child work permit (England and Wales)
To employ a child in the UK, you may need to get a work permit from your local authority
Your council · England and Wales
Commercial energy assessor accreditation (Scotland)
Commercial assessors in Scotland must be accredited by an organisation approved by the the Scottish government
Scottish Government · Scotland
Cooling tower notification
Cooling tower notification for commercial site owners
Your council · England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland
D
G
H
Hazardous waste movement notice (Northern Ireland)
You need to pre-notify the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) 72 hours in advance if you want to move hazardous waste
Northern Ireland Executive · Northern Ireland
Holiday resort exemption from Sunday trading (Northern Ireland)
You need a licence to get an exemption from Sunday Trading laws in Northern Ireland
Your council · Northern Ireland
I
L
Licence to possess or sell drug precursor chemicals
You need a licence from the Home Office to possess or sell drug precursor chemicals
Home Office · England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland
Local authority environmental permits (England and Wales)
Permit to carry out Part A(2) or Part B activities or run a Part A(2) or Part B installation or mobile plant.
Your council · England and Wales
M
Market operators licence (Scotland)
You need a market operators licence if you run a private market (including car boot sales, craft fairs and fêtes) in Scotland
Your council · Scotland
Market stall licence
To run a market stall as a trader, you need either a temporary ('casual') or permanent licence from the local council.
Your council · England and Wales
N
Non-domestic energy assessor accreditation (Northern Ireland)
You must be part of an accreditation scheme to operate as a non-domestic energy assessor in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland Executive · Northern Ireland
Non-nuclear radioactive substances regulation (England)
Permits for different groups of radioactive substances users known as the ‘non-nuclear sector’.
Environment Agency · England
O
P
PCB holding registration (Scotland)
You need to register annually with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) if you have equipment containing Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs). These are covered under …
Scottish Government · Scotland
Pollution data reporting (Northern Ireland)
You need to report your business's annual pollution releases in Northern Ireland if it's regulated by a Part A pollution prevention and control permit
Northern Ireland Executive · Northern Ireland
Pollution prevention and control permit Part A and B (Northern Ireland)
If you carry out activities listed in Schedule 1 of the Pollution Prevention and Control (Industrial Emissions) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2013 you need a …
Northern Ireland Executive · Northern Ireland
Pollution Prevention and Control Permit Part C (Northern Ireland)
You need a Pollution Prevention and Control (PPC) permit if you operate a plant or installation that emits pollutants to air in Northern Ireland
Your council · Northern Ireland
S
Scottish Pollution Release Inventory (Scotland)
You need to report your annual emission releases to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency if you are a business regulated by a pollution and …
Scottish Government · Scotland
Sex shop licence (Scotland)
Contact your council for a licence if you want to run a sex shop in Scotland
Your council · Scotland
Solvent emissions - EASR authorisations (Scotland)
You may need a registration or permit if you run a business in Scotland that uses organic solvents
Scottish Government · Scotland
Street trader's licence (Scotland)
You may need a licence from the local council to work as a street trader in Scotland.
Your council · Scotland
W
Weighbridge operator certificate
Contact your council for a certificate of competence to operate a chargeable weighbridge
Your council · England, Wales and Scotland
Weighbridge operator's certificate (Northern Ireland)
You need a certificate of competence to operate a public weighbridge for which a charge is made in Northern Ireland
Your council · Northern Ireland
Wool Marketing Board registration
You need to register with the British Wool Marketing Board (BWMB) if you produce wool with 4 or more sheep
DEFRA · England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland
Where GOV.UK lists a licence separately for each nation, it appears here once with a link to each nation's version. They are separate licences in law, often resting on different legislation.
We have not yet mapped an enabling instrument for 2 licences on this list. That is a gap in our graph, not a statement about the law, and those pages say so rather than guessing.
Checking approvals more broadly?
A licence is one of several things you may need before your first day of trading. The pre-trading quick check walks the registrations, insurances and approvals alongside it.
Not sure which of these apply to you?
Our guides on finding a licence and dealing with your local council walk through the questions that decide it.