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Business Licensing

Is your business license status INACTIVE?

This means the business license is INACTIVE for one or more statutory reasons and all business activity under this business license must cease.

To be entitled to an Alaska Business License and the privilege to engage in business activity in this state you must be compliant with Corporation and Professional Licensing statutes and regulations, where applicable.

To find out why your business license is inactive, check the following:

1. Check your expiration date:

If your business license is expired less than two years you may renew and pay for the lapsed year(s):

If it has been more than 9 months and less than two years since your business license expired then you must renew hardcopy. Normal processing time is 10-15 business days. During heavy business license renewal periods (October – February) processing time may be delayed.

  • Renew ONLINE
    If it has been 9 months or less since your business license expired then you may renew online and immediately print your renewed business license.
  • Renew HARDCOPY
    Standard processing time from March–September is 10–15 business days. During heavy business licesning filing season (October–February), the processing time will be delayed.

If your business license is expired more than two years you will need to purchase a new business license.

  • New ONLINE
    Purchase your new business license online and immediately print your new business license.
  • New HARDCOPY
    Standard processing time from March–September is 10–15 business days. During heavy business licesning filing season (October–February), the processing time will be delayed.

NOTE: A business license is considered "lapsed" when there is a gap between the expiration date of the business license and the date the business license is renewed.

2. Check the status of your entity (i.e., INC, LLC, LLP, Non-Profit, etc.), if the business license is owned by an entity:

Per Business Licensing Statutes AS 43.70.020(d) a business subject to provisions of a regulatory nature must (mandatory) comply with those regulations before being entitled to a business license and the privilege to engage in business activity under AS 43.70.020(a).

Regulatory nature means such as, but not limited to, the following:

In addition, under AS 43.70.020(d) a business license may expire/inactivate at the same time as an entity registration or professional license.

This means the status of a professional license and/or entity registration may directly impact the status of the associated business license.

If your business license is owned by an entity, then check the status of your entity:

To re-activate your business license: after the owning entity is once again compliant and back in Good Standing with the Corporations Section then submit Business License: Request to RE-ACTIVATE (form 08-4743) to the Business Licensing Section.

3. Check the status of your professional license, if any of your business activities (per NAICS Codes) require a professional license:

Per Business Licensing Statutes AS 43.70.020(d) a business subject to provisions of a regulatory nature must (mandatory) comply with those regulations before being entitled to a business license and the privilege to engage in business activity under AS 43.70.020(a).

Regulatory nature means such as, but not limited to, the following:

In addition, under AS 43.70.020(d) a business license may expire/inactivate at the same time as an entity registration or professional license.

This means the status of a professional license and/or entity registration may directly impact the status of the associated business license.

If your business license has an NAICS code that requires a professional license, then check the status of the professional license associated with your business license:

Search Professional Licenses

To re-activate your business license: after the associated professional license is once again current and compliant with the Professional Licensing Section then submit Business License: Request to RE-ACTIVATE (form 08-4743) to the Business Licensing Section.

This Division does not provide legal advice. The information contained within these webpages is provided for your convenience and is not to be interpreted as legal advice. It is your responsibility to know what your registering, reporting and filing requirements are based on your specific business activities. Not knowing what is expected of you may not preclude you from the legal obligation to meet these requirements and compliance with the law. You are encouraged to seek the advice of a professional, such as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and/or Attorney if you need additional assistance.

Contact Us

When contacting this office, please direct your questions to the appropriate Section: Corporations, Professional Licensing, or Business Licensing. Each Section specializes in its own requirements per Alaska statutes and regulations.

Professional Licensing Section
Email: License@Alaska.Gov

Corporations Section
Email: Corporations@Alaska.Gov

Business Licensing Section
Email: BusinessLicense@Alaska.Gov