For additional information on any of the licenses below, call (585) 428-6617 during regular business hours (Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.), or visit City Hall, 30 Church Street, Rochester, NY 14614.
Purpose: This license is required for any establishment which operates games or machines that take in money for amusement.
Fee: $325; the processing time is approximately three to four weeks.
Due: Expires on January 31 of each year; approvals or inspections by the City's Zoning office and Police and Fire Departments are required.
Purpose: This license is necessary for a business that sells or rents games and machines for amusement purposes.
Fee: $25 per machine.
Due: Expires January 31 of each year, requires approximately one week to process, and requires Police approval
Purpose: This license is required for persons or businesses keeping certain legal live animals or fowl.
Fee: $37. There is a $10 fee for replacement of a lost license.
Due: Expires June 30 of each year, and requires approximately one week to process; enforcement and inspections are done by the Police Department.
Purpose: This license is required for any company or individual who offers goods for sale to the highest bidder.
Fee: $210; a $1,000 bond is also required. There is a $10 fee for replacement of a lost license.
Due: December 31 of each year; a Police review is required.
Purpose: This license is required for a business that offers three or more billiard tables.
Fee: $250; $10 is charged to replace a lost license.
Due: Expires January 31 each year; new applicants must be approved by the Police and Fire Departments and the City's Zoning/Buildings office.
Purpose: This license is required for a business that offers bowling lanes for entertainment purposes.
Fee: For businesses with one or two alleys, the fee per alley is $10; for businesses with more than two alleys, the fee per alley is $7. There is a $10 fee for replacement of a lost license.
Due: December 31 of each year; applicants must be approved by the City's Zoning office and the Police Department.
Purpose: This license is required for any business or establishment that offers entertainment to customers for a fee, such as nightclubs.
Fee: $425 for businesses containing up to 2,400 square feet; $475 for those over 2,400 square feet.
Due: Expires January 31 of each year and requires three to four weeks to process; must be approved by the Police and Fire Departments and the City's Buildings and Zoning office.
Purpose: This license is required for any business that will be conducting a going-out-of business sale.
Fee: $500 for thirty days; $50 for an extension. Applicants must submit two copies of the inventory, a copy of the ad in the newspaper, the name of a contact person and the days and hours the sale will take place.
Purpose: This license is required for persons or businesses conducting the business of a junk dealer, which includes the buying and selling of papers, rages, old metals, glassware, and rope.
Fee: $300.
Due: Expires December 31 of each year; approximate processing time is two weeks;
Police Department approval is required.
Purpose: This license is required for an establishment that makes loans on pledged property (a collateral loan broker), offering for sale items after the time to redeem the items has expired.
Fee: $250; a $10,000 bond is required. There is a $10 fee for replacement of a lost license.
Due: Expires December 31 of each; a one-year bond is required.
Purpose: This license is required for an establishment that purchases used goods, such as antiques, jewelry, used cars, or electronic equipment, and sells them to the public
Fee: $200. There is a $10 fee for replacement of a lost license.
Due: Expires December 31 of each year; approvals by the City's Zoning office and Police and Fire Departments are required; a two to three week processing time is required.
Purpose: This license is required for an individual or business that operates an establishment involving nudity or sexually-oriented materials.
Fee: $425 for businesses containing up to 2,400 square feet; $475 for those over 2,400 square feet.
Due: Expires January 31 each year; reviews by Police, Fire, NET, and Community Development are conducted.
Purpose: This license is required for an individual if he or she works in an establishment that involves nudity or sexually-oriented materials.
Fee: $30.
Due: Expires January 31 each year; a Police Department review is required.
Purpose: This license is necessary if an individual or business is offering the sale of merchandise or services on City streets.
Fee: The application fee is $7 and will be deducted from the cost of the permit; to vend in the Center City and the Harbortown District, the fee is $750; to vend outside the Center City and the Harbortown District, the fee is $250. Employee and employer vendor tags are $24 each; to receive a three-day Solicitor License, the fee is $56. There is a $10 fee for replacement of a lost license.
Due: Expires December 31 each year; $100,000 comprehensive liability insurance coverage and sales taxpayer ID required; to vend food, a New York State Health Department permit is required.
Purpose: This license is required for any individual who will be operating a cab on the City streets.
Fee: $22. The fee for a Taxi Driver Lost License/Picture is $30 and the fee to replace a lost certificate is $10.
Due: Expires June 30 each year; approximately two weeks processing time is required. The following must be provided: documentation that establishes identity and employment eligibility, four two-inch by two and one half inch photos, and New York State Department of Motor Vehicles driver's abstract obtained within ten days of application; Police Department approval is required.
Purpose: This license is required for any individual or business to operate a taxicab business on the City streets.
Fee: The application fee is $55, and an additional $495 is due when the application is approved. The fee for a Taxicab Replacement Hack Plate is $60 and the fee to replace a lost certificate is $10.
Due: June 30 each year. The following must be provided: documentation that establishes identity and employment eligibility. All documents must be listed in the same person's or business' name. Approximately two weeks processing time is required. Police Department approval is required.
Purpose: This license is required for any individual or business that will be dispatching a minimum of ten cabs to operate in the City of Rochester.
Fee: $240. There is a $10 fee for replacement of a lost license.
Due: June 30 each year. The following must be provided: documentation that establishes identity and employment eligibility. All documents must be listed in the same person's or business' name. Approximately two weeks processing time is required. Police Department approval is required..
Towing License
Purpose: This license is required for any individual or business that will be moving a motor vehicle by another vehicle for hire.
Fee: $150. There is a $10 fee for replacement of a lost license.
Due: Expires August 31 each year; Police Department inspection and Zoning approval are required.