A. No person, whether subject to the payment of a tax or not, shall engage in any business or activity in the city without having first obtained and being the holder of a valid and subsisting registration to do so, to be known as a business registration, issued under the provision of this chapter and without having paid the fee or tax imposed by this chapter and, in addition, having submitted the registration fee as administratively established and promulgated in writing by the director and the handling fee charged by the Washington State Business Licensing Service under RCW 19.02.075, which shall accompany the application therefor.

B. The business registration issued hereunder is separate from any license that may be required under this title, and shall be valid as long as the person to whom the same is issued continues in business, complies with the terms of this chapter and pays the fees and taxes due pursuant to the provisions of this chapter. Application for a city of Bellingham business registration shall be made to the Washington State Business Licensing Service on forms provided and pursuant to procedures adopted for that purpose.

C. “Business Licensing Service” means the office within the Washington State Department of Revenue handling the application for the city of Bellingham business registration and issuing the document to registered taxpayers to display at the respective places of business.

D. Threshold Exemption. Notwithstanding subsection (A) of this section, the following persons and businesses shall be exempt from the registration, license and/or license fee requirements as outlined in this chapter: Any person or business whose annual value of products, gross proceeds of sales, or gross income of the business in the city is equal to or less than $2,000 and who does not maintain a place of business within the city shall be exempt from the general business license requirements in this chapter. The exemption does not apply to regulatory license requirements or activities that require a special permit. [Ord. 2018-09-016 § 2; Ord. 2012-10-047 § 2; Ord. 2002-12-106].