Trade License Application

To, The Commissioner / Health Officer [authority_name] Date: [application_date] Subject: Application for grant of a trade licence Sir/Madam, 1. I, [applicant_name], apply for a trade licence in respect of the business described below. 2. PARTICULARS Trade name : [business_name] Address of premises : [business_address] Nature of trade : [nature_of_trade] Area of premises : [area_sqft] sq ft Date of commencement: [commencement_date] Contact : [contact_number] 3. I state that the premises are suitable for the trade proposed, that the activity will be carried on in accordance with the municipal bye-laws and all applicable law, and that I will maintain the premises in a clean and sanitary condition. 4. I undertake to display the licence at a conspicuous place in the premises, to permit inspection by the authorised officers of the corporation, and to notify any change in the particulars furnished above. 5. I enclose the prescribed fee and the documents listed below. Yours faithfully, [applicant_name] For [business_name] DOCUMENTS ENCLOSED 1. Proof of the premises — ownership document or rent agreement with the owner's no-objection 2. Latest property tax paid receipt for the premises 3. Identity and address proof of the applicant 4. Layout plan of the premises 5. Shops and Establishments registration certificate 6. No-objection certificates as applicable to the trade — fire, pollution, food safety ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── A TRADE LICENCE IS NOT THE SAME AS SHOPS AND ESTABLISHMENTS REGISTRATION People routinely believe one covers the other. They do not, and most businesses need BOTH. SHOPS AND ESTABLISHMENTS registration is a LABOUR law requirement. It regulates you as an EMPLOYER — hours, leave, wages, records. A TRADE LICENCE is a MUNICIPAL requirement. It permits the specific ACTIVITY to be carried on at those specific premises, on public health and safety grounds. Operating a trade without a licence attracts penalty and, for trades affecting public health, sealing of the premises. TRADES THAT ATTRACT ADDITIONAL LICENCES: food and beverage (FSSAI), anything involving effluent or emissions (State Pollution Control Board), anything with public assembly or cooking (fire NOC), drugs and cosmetics, weights and measures for anything sold by weight, and a liquor licence where applicable. A trade licence does not substitute for any of them. RENEWAL IS ANNUAL in most municipalities, typically due at the start of the financial year, and late renewal attracts a penalty. Diarise it — this is among the commonest compliance lapses in small businesses, because nothing prompts you until an inspection. IF YOU RENT THE PREMISES, the landlord's no-objection and a valid rent agreement are usually required, and the property tax on the premises must be current — a landlord in arrears can hold up your licence.