A Massachusetts bowling alley owner is in a dispute with the Board of Health and local government over the requirement of a food permit. The owner does not think the few food items he dispenses necessitate a permit under the FDA’s code. Naturally, the Board of Health disagrees. This all stems from the fact that he sells just a few bottled drinks from a cooler, gives away free coffee and has a water fountain.

In December, after a jury found Mr. Couture had violated the state sanitary code and an order of the Board of Health by failing to comply with the permit requirement, Worcester Housing Court Judge Diana H. Horan ordered Mr. Couture to pay a fine of $7,500 to the town.

We don’t take sides in this type of dispute. Nevertheless, the takeaway for a licensing professional is crystal clear. When it comes to licensing, the devil is always in the (frequently contentious) details. Small food items such as snacks, bottled drinks or even coffee may require a food or health permit, even if a business is not a “food business” in any meaningful sense.

We ran a LicenseSuite report in Massachusetts and found a variety of food related licenses that might apply to a recreational facility similar to the one that’s now in a dispute with the Board of Health. If you’re lacking one of these permits, you can get fined or worse. Are all of your bases covered?

The last day in January is the deadline for businesses in Bayonne, NJ to renew their licenses. That day falls on the weekend when city offices are closed, so businesses that have not yet renewed their licenses won’t be penalized with late fees until after Monday, Feb. 1. Then again, we can’t imagine why anybody would wait until the last day to renew their licenses, especially if they’re using business license renewal software that helps them manage the workflow.

Business licenses due for renewal cover pet shops; laundromats; dry cleaners; food-dispensing trucks; vending machines; restaurants, delicatessens, and other food establishments, [spokesman Joe] Ryan said. These licenses are issued by the Health Division of the Department of Municipal Services

Who has time to worry about the small details of managing a clothing store, especially when simultaneously running a mayoral campaign? Apparently it slipped off the radar of the mayor of Washington state’s capital. Olympia’s mayor failed to renew the business license of one of her downtown clothing shops for over a year, and she paid a penalty for it.

 Selby, who was elected mayor in November, addressed the issue from the dais during Tuesday’s council meeting. “Last year, I got notice to renew my Tumwater location [business license], which I did, and somehow did not receive notification or it slipped through the cracks somewhere during the busy campaign year and I did not renew my downtown Olympia license for one year,” Selby said Tuesday.

The press loves a juicy story like this, but here at Business Licenses, LLC, we sympathize. Licensing only looks easy and this type of noncompliance is therefore all too common. The reason large retail corporations seek our services is that they find it hard to prioritize the timely renewal of their business licenses when time-consuming tasks occupy their attention – tasks like, oh, to take a random example, running for mayor of one of the largest metropolitan cities in the Pacific Northwest.

The case, John T. Salazar, Commissioner of Agriculture vs. Lynn Kubic dba Willards Rodent Factory, had its start when Kubic did not renew the license for her business. Said business raises rats and mice and sells them to owners of snakes and other animals that consider rodents a part of a healthy diet. Kubic felt she did not need a license because her rats and mice were not “pet animals” covered by PACFA.

A business owner was sued for violating the law when she did not renew the license for her business of raising rats and mice in order to sell them to owners of rodent-eating animals.

She believed a business license was not necessary since her critters are not really “pet animals” which the law states that a license is required to operate the facilities that raise them. The Commissioner of Agriculture begged to differ.

If she had looked for her business licenses with LicenseSuite, she would have seen the option to select the ‘Animal Breeding’ activity and would have saved herself a lot of hassle with court fees and penalties.

January of each year means it’s time for business owners in the City of Opelika to renew their business licenses. All City of Opelika business licenses for the year 2015 expired on Dec. 31. Licenses must be renewed on or before Monday, Feb. 15, 2016. After that date, late fees and interest will be added to renewals.

As 2015 comes to an end, so do the validity of Opelika’s business licenses, permits and tax registrations. Relative to most news articles we track, this one actually goes into useful detail in describing the process that Opelika business owners must go through in order to get their business licenses renewed.

If you’re operating locations in Alabama, you should check this out! (or become a customer of ours to always be on top of all licensing laws and renewals without a worry)