SPRINGDALE — City entrepreneurs should soon be able to apply online for a business license.

City departments are concluding tests on the procedures to make sure everything is working correctly, said Mark Gutte, information technology director.

"We're trying to make it easier for the public," Gutte said. "Hopefully, this could reduce the number of stops" for those applying for licenses.

Springdale requires a license of anyone doing business in the city. Rogers and Fayetteville also require business licenses. Bentonville does not.

The online procedure would require an applicant to request a license through the city's website, Gutte said. The application would be routed through the departments that must approve a license. If all requirements are met, the new license would be mailed to the business owner, he said.

The current procedure requires an applicant to come to the city clerk's office, then go to planning, call or go to building inspection and return to the clerk's office when inspections are completed.

Cary Campbell recently applied at the city clerk's office for a business license for Shirley's, a bar on 48th Street, after a management change.

"Everything was quick after I got all the papers I needed," Campbell said. "I kept having to go back and get another."

Applicants have to have a state sales and use tax number and also a permit from the state Health Department, if the business requires one.

Campbell would have used the online application, he said.

"Absolutely," Campbell said. "It takes a lot of time to run a business. Applying online probably would have cut my trips from four to one."

Plans call for the online application to go to the clerk's office, said Denise Pearce, city clerk, where the sales tax number will be recorded. It will then be forwarded to the planning department where checks will be made to see if the zoning matches the business. The planning staff will also check to see if the property has the correct number of parking spaces, Pearce said.

The application is to then go to building inspection, said Mike Chamlee, director. The applicant will be called to set up a time for an inspection. An inspector from the Fire Department will go at the same time, Chamlee said.

"We would check for building code violations, and fire would check for fire regulations," Chamlee said.

Any problems would have to be fixed, said Capt. David Kissinger, Fire Department public information officer.

"If it's a major violation, it would have to be corrected before we sign off," Kissinger said. "If it's minor, we can sign off then and go back later to make sure the corrections were made."

Problems come up most often when there is a change of business in an older building, Kissinger said.

If all requirements are met, a license should be mailed out in about two days, Pearce said.

The cost of a business license is $40 per year plus $2.50 per employee up to 25. Any additional employee is $1 per year. The maximum cost is $300, Pearce said. The payment for online applications will be accepted online or by mailing a check, Gutte said.

Most types of business licenses in Rogers start at $50, according to the city website. Applications cannot be made online.

Fayetteville charges $35 per year for a new, non-home-based business, according to its website. An online application is discounted to $32.

Springdale officials hope to have the online system up soon, Gutte said.

"We're shooting for a week or two," Gutte said. "Hopefully we won't find any big problems in our system."

NW News on 02/27/2014