Amnesty offered to unlicensed businesses

An amnesty program for businesses operating without a license in Washoe County has brought exactly two businesses out of the woodwork in nearly a month of operation.

While county officials don't know the number of businesses that are operating without a license, they suspect it's something more than two.

Part of their certainty stems from this fact: Even if a business already is licensed in a city such as Reno or Sparks, it needs a county license if it's conducting business in unincorporated areas.

That applies to companies such as plumbers who complete work at the homes of people who live in unincorporated areas, said Bob Webb, planning manager in the county's department of community development.

What about a firm that makes sales calls in unincorporated areas then closes the deal at an office in Reno or Sparks? The requirement for a business licenses probably doesn't apply in that case,Webb said, but he said there are plenty of gray areas.

Businesses wondering if they need a county license can call 328-3733 to discuss their situations.

There's no gray area, however, about firms that are located in unincorporated areas of the county.

They need a county license whether they're based in a commercial building or a private home.

The county plans to ferret out those businesses with programs that might include coordination with the county assessor's office to obtain information from business personal property declarations.

As an alternative, the county might hire a private firm to track down unlicensed firms.

In the meantime, the county will provide amnesty to companies that step forward through May 31.

They won't face penalty fees if they apply for a license or renew a license that's been expired 30 days or more.

The penalty fees without the amnesty? For a business renewing a license, the penalty is 25 percent of the renewal fee for a renewal that's 30-60 days late and 50 percent for a renewal that's 60-90 days late.

After 90 days, the license is automatically cancelled.

License fees range from $55 for a company with an annual gross of $25,000 or less to $655 for a company doing more than $5 million in annual revenues.

Those fees will increase on April 2 by $5 in the smallest category to $55 in the largest.

The task force that recommended the price increases also recommended the three-month amnesty.

Included on the task force were representatives of the Association of General Contractors, Incline Village/Crystal Bay Chamber of Commerce, Nevada Petroleum Marketers & Convenience Store Association, Nevada Taxpayers Association, Retail Association of Nevada, and Reno-Sparks Chamber of Commerce.

Webb said businesses that don't know whether they're located in unincorporated Washoe County rather than one of its cities can call the department of community development at 328- 6100.

They'll need to provide a street address or an assessor's parcel number.

Business people interested in learning more about the requirement for business licenses can get information at the county's Web site www.co.washoe.nv.us.

The data is under the Community Development Department section of the site.