Business license to play in a bar band???

My bass player just called me and told me some guy from the Dept. of Code Enforcement saw one of our band business cards on a bulletin board at the courthouse with my bass players name on it, called and informed him that the band needs to have a business license to perform.

I’ve been playing in bands for over 30 years and have never heard of any band having to have a business license.

Maybe it’s different in other states. Any other band members out there ever had to get a business license to play in a bar?

Where do you live? Are you paid for your work?

I kinda doubt the “Department of Code Enforcement” even exists. If they do, I further doubt they peruse bulletin boards, and then notify suspected violators by telephone. Think I’d start by trying to find a telephone number for this alleged department, and ask them if there’s such a requirement.

I agree with Oakminster. Call whatever municipality the court house is in and ask about this department.

Was the guy’s name Jacob Stein, by chance?

If it makes a difference, a Google search of “Department of Code Enforcement” (with quotes) yields about 10,500 hits. Relevant jurisdiction of the OP would help, of course.

I could see where a bitchy jurisdiction could demand a business licence, just like any self employed independent service type. Its not that much of a reach if you perform for a fee you kinda are a business.

He just saw your name on a bulletin board and looked up on a hunch your business license status, just on the off chance you lacked one? Sounds sketchy. Another voice of agreement with Oakminster.

Depends on the town. I have a friend who lives in a town of about 10K where the cops will call up the building inspector if the see something like a new back fence in an alley to see if permits for it were pulled. That same friends neighbor was cited for erecting a little lightweight prefab carport in their backyard, hardly even visible over the fence and assembled by 3 guys in a few hours. In that kind of environment, I could see them doing business licence and or professional licence checks for giggles.

I would also think that setting up a business licence and a DBA would be legally prudent in the event of similar band names or repelling claims to that name if you do well.

Band A named “Right back gnagtcha” no licence, no DBA.

2 years later Band B named “Right back gnagtcha” forms, gets licence and DBA.

Band B sues band A for infinging on their DBA and demands name change.

Band A probably loses in the face of offical paperwork and official status as a business of band B.

Carson City, Nv.

Ok, I just talked to my bass player. Monday he came home and found a business card in his door from a senior compliance officer from the office of Carson City business licenses and code enforcement asking Bill (MBP) to call him. Bill called him and was informed that the band would need a business license. Bill had no idea what he was talking about and the officer told him that he had seen the band business card on a bulletin board and, I have no idea why, decided to investigate.

Today, Bill got an official letter and forms from the officer to be filled out and money to be paid.

My wife, who worked as a court clerk for 20 years in Carson City, knows the officer involved, so there’s no doubt that this is real. The funny thing is, it was one of the judges who put our card up on the bulletin board. We had done a job at a judges conference. They liked us, so he said he would try to help us get gigs.

Once again, in all my years of playing in cheap bar bands, I have never heard of having to get a business license.

But, then again, the way the economy is, I can see this as a growing trend.

Watch out Tupperware parties.

Hmmm. Can’t say I appreciate the OP withholding important details like that. It’ll be a cold day in hell before I reply to another GQ thread from you.

Department of Code Enforcement are kind of police wannabes that enforce civil code like telling you that your grass is too long. (The BKT Killer was a code enforcement guy.)

I have never heard of requiring a business license to play in a band, and I started playing in bands in 1972 (Baltimore area, Ann Arbor, DC area). In fact, I’ve never heard of a “business license” at all, except for very specific types of businesses like the guys who paint my house.

The following just expands on the topic but won’t directly answer the OP.

When I played in my first band that made any real money, I went to the bank to open a business account. To open an account in the band’s name, the bank said I needed to file a DBA, which in turn would require quarterly tax estimates to the IRS, and all kinds of other stuff that we just didn’t want to get into. We were just college students doing this part-time. So I just opened a personal joint account in the names of the trumpet player and me.

Conclusion: The bank and the IRS care, but the city doesn’t care.

In Reply to Oakminster:

Ummm…sorry…

Maybe if I send you flowers???

I don’t see any little smiley face in there so I guess you might be serious. Which I don’t get. Clearly, the OP was not *withholding *anything. He just got more information later, and obviously provided it as soon as he got it. Happens all the time around here.

Thanks, CookingWithGas, that’s exactly how it played out.

Don’t quite understand myself.

Still wondering about the original question: any other bands out there that had to get a business license.

Pretty much any municipality has some kind of licence/fee/tax levied on anyone doing business in that municipality.

For my shop:

City of Fresno business licence $ varies with revenues about $250 this year.
California Resale licence: free, just have to pass the sales tax on.
California BEAR Licence (bureau of electronics and appliance repair) $175/yr

What you are referring to are contractors licences, those are in addition to the business licence.

Let us not forget that your band buying a biz license equals revenue for the muni. A guy I knew had a job for a nearby town of riding around and spot checking businesses for current licenses. You could pay him on the spot if you were in violation and get a temp certificate. Somebody probably realized they were missing out on some tax revenue and decided to cruise bulletin boards looking for just your sort of situation.

How many bands / handymen / daycare etc probably advertise in this way? Most doing so are probably really small operations and never realized they needed a license, or thought they were small enough operations to get by with it. City gets strapped for cash, somebody suggests that as everyone in the department pay attention to cards posted at restaurants etc as they are out and about, and wah-lah! – fresh new revenue pouring in for the price of a stamp and a phone call.

That had to sting! Ouch!

Code Enforcement left me a nastygram once for too many cardboard boxes on my porch. I called them up about it and explained I was saving it for my garden, and the Code Enforcement harpy told me it had to be neatly stacked. So I neatly stacked it. And then I got a nastygram because once I neatly stacked it it was easier for the wind to grab, so there was a box on my lawn and one in my flower bed when she drove by to check up on my cardboard situation. I am not in a HOA or anything, please understand - this is the city, who you’d think has enough to do with the gangs and the drug dealers, driving around checking out my cardboard.

Got one about my grass too, once.

I once had a neighbor in Las Vegas who did code enforcement. His job appeared to be wandering around at random looking for obscure code violations; things like sign placement, fence regulations, business licenses properly displayed, etc.

He did look at bulletin boards. In fact, he once cited a single mother in the apartment complex we lived in for doing business without a license when he saw her notice that she would do laundry and ironing pinned up in the laundry room.

The guy appeared to have an incredible amount of power and loved to abuse it. He was an obnoxious creep, gleefully telling stories about the trouble he caused people, puffing up with that self-conscious self-important look you see in little boys dressed in a suit and in pathological liars, if you know what I mean.

Good luck in dealing with your petty tyrant.