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.

16 of 426 licences in Scotland 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

Cleaning · Environment greenhouse gas and pollution prevention · Materials, metal and mining +1 more

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

Cleaning · Environment greenhouse gas and pollution prevention · Materials, metal and mining +1 more

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

Cleaning · Environment greenhouse gas and pollution prevention · Materials, metal and mining +1 more

C

Commercial energy assessor accreditation (Scotland)

Commercial assessors in Scotland must be accredited by an organisation approved by the the Scottish government

Scottish Government · Scotland

Energy, gas and electricity · Retail: manufacturing and wholesale

Cooling tower notification

Cooling tower notification for commercial site owners

Your council · England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland

Building and construction · Chemicals and petroleum · Property and real estate +1 more

D

Domestic energy assessor accreditation (Scotland)

Get approved to work as a domestic energy assessor and produce energy performance certificates (EPCs) for houses and other residential properties.

Scottish Government · Scotland

Energy, gas and electricity · Retail: manufacturing and wholesale

G

Goods vehicle operator licences

You need a goods vehicle operator’s licence if your business uses a goods vehicle with either a gross plated weight (the maximum weight that …

Traffic Commissioners · England, Wales and Scotland

Any trade

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

Biomedical science · Healthcare · Pharmaceuticals and medicinal products +1 more

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

Events · Retail: manufacturing and wholesale · Street trading and markets

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

Energy, gas and electricity · Environment: management and waste · Retail: manufacturing and wholesale

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

Cleaning · Environment greenhouse gas and pollution prevention · Materials, metal and mining +1 more

Sex shop licence (Scotland)

Contact your council for a licence if you want to run a sex shop in Scotland

Your council · Scotland

Media and broadcasting · Retail: manufacturing and wholesale

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

Environment greenhouse gas and pollution prevention · Retail: manufacturing and wholesale

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

Retail: manufacturing and wholesale · Street trading and markets

W

Weighbridge operator certificate

Contact your council for a certificate of competence to operate a chargeable weighbridge

Your council · England, Wales and Scotland

Any trade

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

Agriculture: animals · Animal products: manufacturing and wholesale · Retail: manufacturing and wholesale

We have not yet mapped an enabling instrument for 1 licence 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.

Run the pre-trading quick check

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.

Find a licence