Does an Ohio LLC need a separate license to sell at weekend markets?

LLC registration just creates the business entity. It's not a license to sell. You'll likely need a vendor's license (transient or regular) through the Ohio Department of Taxation. Weekend markets can be tricky depending on whether you're selling your own handmade goods vs. resale.

lol at 'the state website is vague.' That's Ohio's official motto.

Not an expert, but I've done craft fairs with my LLC for two years. I got a vendor's license from the county auditor, not the state. I think it depends if you're selling food vs. non-food too. If it's just handmade crafts, it was pretty straightforward.

juniper_moon is right. Also, if you're selling food, theree might be health department permits. And some markets require their own vendor application. But the basic state requirement is the vendor's license. The temporary/transient one is for occasional events.

Yep, county auditor is where I got mine too. I should've said that. And the health dept thing depends heavily on what you're selling. If it's baked goods, cottage food rules might apply. Weekend markets often have someone on-site from the health dept checking.

Transient vendor license is 75 bucks I think? Or it was. But you have to know the specific event dates. If you're doing markets every weekend, a regular vendor's license might be better.

Careful, transient Vendor licenses are for temporary events but some counties won't let you use them for recurring weekend markets. The county auditor might push you toward the the regular vendor's license if the market happens every weekend. So you're looking at a yearly license + possibly the transient thing? I'd just call the county auditor and ask. They're usually pretty helpful despite what you'd think.

Also, Ohio has a thing where if it's your own handmade goods and under a certain amount, you might not need the vendor license at all? I remember reading something like that but I couldn't find it again. Maybe I'm thinking of another state.

shelby_doesnt_know if you find that, please post it. I'd love to tell the tax man I'm exempt because I read it on a forum once.

Thanks, everyone. I'll call the county auditor tomorrow and ask about the difference between transient and regular vendor licenses and whether it matters if my stuff is handmade vs resale. The cottage food thing is a whole separate rabbit hole I'm not ready for yet.

The sales tax filing is the part that gets people. You have to file even if you owe zero. Forgot one month and got a letter. So whatever license you get, set a calendar reminder.