COLUMBIA, S.C. — The City of Columbia's Business License Division announced it will waive renewal penalties for the month of June for customers complying with the city's new ordinance.
In September 2020, the South Carolina Legislature passed the Business License Standardization Act (Act 176) in order to streamline and codify the process for taxing all jurisdictions across the state and to make the process for obtaining a business license easier. The law went into effect on Jan. 1, 2022, and all cities and towns in South Carolina had to update their processes to conform to a standard business year period, license renewal dates, and applications.
For Columbia, the new ordinance's standardization process went from over 150 business codes to nine rate classes, and the business license renewal date moved from April 1 to April 30. The penalty for renewing a late business license is typically 5% of the cost of license renewal per month late.
For any customers who need to contact the Business License Division please call (803)-545-3345 or visit columbiasc.gov for more information.
