Green Bay Business Licenses: City Clerk, Brown County Health and Food Trucks

Green Bay does not issue a general business license, and Wisconsin does not issue one at the state or county level either. Nothing in Wisconsin makes your business legal in general. Instead, you hold licenses for specific activities, and each one comes from a particular agency. For most Green Bay owners that means three places: the Green Bay City Clerk for city activity licenses, Brown County Health & Human Services (Public Health) for food and certain health licenses, and the Wisconsin Department of Revenue for the seller's permit that covers sales tax. If you run a food truck, you will likely deal with all three.

This guide covers what to gather, the order to work in, and the mistakes that cost owners the most time. It is informational content, not legal or tax advice.

Which Agency Issues Which License

Sort your activity into the right agency before you apply for anything. Applying to the wrong office is one of the most common causes of delay.

Activity	Who issues it
Mobile food vendor (food trucks and carts)	Green Bay City Clerk. Expires December 31 each year (Code Sec. 10-573).
Retail food (restaurants, grocery and food sold from a fixed location)	Brown County Health & Human Services (Public Health). Confirm the county covers your address.
Liquor, operator and picnic licenses	Green Bay City Clerk
DORA (designated outdoor refreshment area)	Green Bay City Clerk
Direct seller and solicitor	Green Bay City Clerk
Massage establishment	City of Green Bay (licensed since February 1, 2024). Staff must hold a state massage therapist license.
Lodging, pools, campgrounds and body art	Brown County Health & Human Services (Public Health)
Seller's permit (sales tax)	Wisconsin Department of Revenue
Business entity (LLC or corporation)	Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions (DFI)

Materials You Need Before You Start

• Your legal business name and entity type, plus your formation documents if you have already filed them
• A physical Wisconsin address for the business and any event or commissary locations you will use
• A registered agent with a Wisconsin street address and an email address (a P.O. box will not work)
• Owner identification and contact information
• For a food truck: the vehicle make, model, VIN and plate number, plus a list of menu items and equipment
• Written permission or contracts for any commissary kitchen, parking location or event you plan to use
• A budget for fees. The known state figures are $130 for an LLC filing, $100 for a corporation filing, $25 for each annual report and $20 for a seller's permit. City and county fees must be confirmed with each office.

Step-by-Step: Getting Licensed in Green Bay

1. Form the entity, if you have not already. File Articles of Organization (Form 502) for an LLC or Articles of Incorporation (Form 2) for a corporation with DFI. The LLC filing fee is $130 and the corporation filing fee is $100. You can file online through DFI's Business Entity File Online portal. Check the name in the DFI business search first. A name reservation costs $15 and holds the name for 120 days. Every LLC and corporation must keep a registered agent with a Wisconsin street address, and the entity cannot act as its own registered agent.

2. Register a trade name if you need one. If you will sell under a name other than your legal name, you can register it with DFI for $15. Registration is optional. Sole proprietors and partnerships may also record a firm name with the county register of deeds, at a fee set by the county.

3. Get your seller's permit before your first sale. Any seller of taxable products or services needs one. You can register through the Wisconsin One Stop Business Portal at onestop.wi.gov, which handles DFI, Revenue and Workforce Development in one pass, or directly through the Department of Revenue's Business Tax Registration system. The permit costs $20 for the initial two-year period and $10 to renew every two years.

4. Confirm which health authority covers your address. Brown County Health & Human Services (Public Health) issues retail food licenses. Ashwaubenon and De Pere issue their own municipal licenses separately from Green Bay. Call or check the county's website before you sign a lease or buy equipment. Ask what plans, inspections and fees apply, because the answer changes the timeline.

5. Apply for the county food license if your operation needs one. A fixed restaurant or grocery usually starts here. For a food truck, ask Brown County whether your mobile operation needs its own county food license in addition to the city permit. Do not assume the city license covers food safety.

6. Apply for the City Clerk mobile food vendor license. This license covers food trucks and carts operating in the city. It expires December 31 each year under Code Sec. 10-573, so put the renewal on your calendar in the fall. Ask the City Clerk for the current application, fee and inspection requirements.

7. Add any other City Clerk licenses your activity requires. Depending on what you sell and where, you may need a liquor, operator, picnic, DORA, direct seller or solicitor license. Each has its own application, so confirm which apply before you file.

8. Check massage licensing if it applies. The city has licensed massage establishments since February 1, 2024. The ordinance is being updated for the 2026-27 license year, so confirm the current requirements with the City Clerk. Every staff member must hold a state massage therapist license.

9. Set up sales tax collection. Once your seller's permit is issued, confirm your filing schedule and which sales are taxable with the Department of Revenue, or with a CPA for complex products.

10. Get event and game-day vending rules in writing. Stadium, festival and event vending has its own requirements. Ask the City Clerk and the event organizer before the season starts, not the week of the event.

Green Bay and Brown County Sales Tax

Sales in Green Bay are taxed at a combined rate of 5.5%, which is the 5% state rate plus local tax. Brown County sales tax follows the same combined rate for addresses in the county, but confirm the exact rate for your address on the Department of Revenue's site before you set up your point of sale. You collect sales tax under your seller's permit, so the permit and the rate go together. Use the Department of Revenue's Taxpayer Access Point (tap.revenue.wi.gov/BTR/) to register and manage your account.

Food Truck Specifics

A food truck usually needs several approvals at once: the City Clerk mobile food vendor license, a seller's permit, and a county food license if Brown County requires one for your operation. Keep the vehicle, the menu and the commissary arrangement documented. Event vending is where owners most often get surprised. A permit that covers your route may not cover a game-day lot or a festival, so ask about each location separately and keep copies of any approvals in the truck.

Tips That Save Time

• Start with the state filings. The City Clerk and county will ask for your entity name, address and seller's permit information.
• Use the same business name and address on every application. Mismatches create extra back-and-forth.
• Calendar the December 31 mobile food vendor renewal and the seller's permit renewal every two years.
• Call the City Clerk and the county health office before you buy a vehicle or sign a lease, not after.
• Ask each office for its current fee schedule in writing.
• For complex setups, such as a shared kitchen across two municipalities, talk to the Wisconsin Small Business Development Center network at wisconsinsbdc.org.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Assuming Green Bay has a general business license. It licenses activities, so you apply for each one that fits your operation.
• Applying to the wrong office. Retail food goes to the county. Mobile food vendor, liquor and event-related licenses go to the City Clerk.
• Assuming Ashwaubenon and De Pere follow Green Bay's rules. Both license separately, so check their requirements directly.
• Using a P.O. box as the registered office. DFI requires a physical street location.
• Missing the December 31 renewal. An expired mobile food vendor license means you cannot legally operate until it is renewed.
• Selling before the seller's permit is issued. Sales tax applies from the first taxable sale.
• Treating event rules as optional. Get written confirmation for each location.

What to Expect

With the right licenses in place, you should be able to operate in Green Bay on a legal footing, and the process often moves faster when you file in the order above. Timelines vary by office and by the type of inspection involved. The state says online entity filings are generally accepted on receipt and must be processed within five business days, so ask each city and county office for its current estimate. Owners who prepare their documents before applying tend to have the smoothest experience, though no one can guarantee a specific approval date.

Official Resources

• DFI business entity search: https://apps.dfi.wi.gov/apps/corpsearch/Search.aspx
• DFI online filing: https://dfi.wi.gov/Pages/BusinessServices/BusinessEntities/FileOnline.aspx
• DFI trade name fees: https://dfi.wi.gov/Pages/BusinessServices/Trademarks/Fees.aspx
• Department of Revenue new business page: https://www.revenue.wi.gov/Pages/Businesses/New-Business-home.aspx
• Department of Revenue Business Tax Registration: https://tap.revenue.wi.gov/BTR/
• Wisconsin One Stop Business Portal: https://onestop.wi.gov
• Wisconsin Small Business Development Center network: https://wisconsinsbdc.org/

Disclaimer

This article is informational only and is not legal, tax or licensing advice. Requirements, fees and deadlines change, so confirm each one with the agency named before you apply. For complex situations, such as multiple locations, a shared kitchen, a liquor license or a change in entity type, consult a qualified attorney and a CPA.