The government website Business.gov http://www.business.gov/ has created a new search capability that will allow you to search for the business license needed to start a business at the state and county/city level.

This new search feature is very much needed. A lot of small and home-based entrepreneurs know that they have to fulfill some regulatory requirements, but they simply do not know where to begin, what do they need and who to contact. Having this type of information can ease the new entrepreneur’s confusion of what to do, and avoid costly mistakes for failure to get the necessary licenses and permits. The granularity of the data at Business.gov — from the state level to the city/county level — is what I find the most helpful as it can allow a person to know the legal and regulatory requirements from the state level as well as the county level.

At PowerHomeBiz.com, we get a lot of questions on what are the requirements of the state if they want to start a business — e.g. What do I need to starting a catering business in Los Angeles, California; or Do I need a license to operate an online store in New Mexico? — questions that can be answered with this new search capability. As a response to these types of questions, we created our State by State Guide to Starting a Business .

Now, if only they promote this search capability more intensively and let people know that it exists, then this new search capability of Business.gov would be a tremendous source of valuable information to new entrepreneurs.