City Council Lowers Business License Fee for Searcy Businesses

Searcy City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to lower the business license fee for businesses in Searcy. The new fee schedule will take effect January 1, 2022.

“One of my goals as mayor is to create a community that fosters small businesses and provides the resources needed for them to be successful,” Mayor Kyle Osborne said. “Lowering the business license fee will help small businesses in a time when almost all of their other expenses are increasing.”

The initiative originally began as an effort by the Code Enforcement Department to simplify the business license fee structure. The current fee structure was originally created in 1994. In the process of simplifying, and with the support and encouragement from the mayor, the department was also able to lower the fees for most businesses.

There are approximately 1,400 business licenses issued in Searcy every year, and Director Code Enforcement Jeff Webb estimates that approximately 80% of those businesses will see a decrease in their fee.

“It’s really exciting to see the look on these business owners’ faces when they realize that not only is their fee not increasing, it’s actually decreasing,” Webb said. “Our whole department is extremely proud to be a part of this change.”

Business license fees are calculated based on the industry and size of business. For example, a restaurant having 100 seats would have previously paid $90 for their business license, now their fee will be only $25.

For more information on the new business license fee schedule, contact the Code Enforcement Department at (501) 279-1085.