Post Date:10/04/2006 12:15 PMNEWS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Anne Aldrich October 3, 2006 (661) 723-6053
City Offers Amnesty to Unlicensed Businesses
Lancaster, October 3, 2006 – On November 1, 2006 the City of Lancaster will implement a special program to assist local businesses in obtaining business licenses. This program will offer businesses a 30-day amnesty period in which they can go to City Hall to obtain a business license. During this period, the City will waive any penalty fees the business has incurred during the time of operating without a license or with an expired license.
“In the past, the City has been a bit casual about enforcing violations, but it’s time we took business licensing more seriously,” said Mayor Henry Hearns, “businesses need to understand that licensing is not a penalty, but rather a protection.”
Licensing fees enable the City to control illegal street vendors that compete with local businesses by drawing a clear distinction between legitimate and illegitimate businesses. It also provides visibility to businesses since licensed businesses’ information is posted on the City website and in certain publications, and credibility by assuring customers that the business is legitimate and up to code.
The City recently hired a Business License Enforcement Officer who will work in the field to proactively enforce business licensing requirements. Beginning in November, businesses operating without a license will receive a warning letter. Upon receipt of
this letter, the business will have 30 days to bring their business license up to date, after which period it will be subject to all applicable fines and penalty fees. All unlicensed businesses may come into City Hall during the month of November to have penalty fees waived, even without a letter, if they pay their license fees in full.
It pays for unlicensed businesses to take advantage of this amnesty. For the current year, business license fees range from $80 to $255 depending on the number of employees the business has plus a $35 annual processing fee for new applications or a $20 annual processing fee for renewal applications. For a business that has been operating without a license or with an expired license, the penalty fee is 50% of the licensing fee times the number of years operating without a current license. Businesses that take advantage of the amnesty will still need to pay the processing fee and the licensing fees for each year in operation (up to a maximum of 4 years). However, all penalty fees will be waived. This could mean hundreds of dollars of savings for some businesses.
For more information, businesses can call the Business License Department at City Hall, 723-6237. Return to full list >>
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