A new business in Union County clears at least four separate government checkpoints before it can legally open: registering its name, checking whether a state privilege tax applies, passing a zoning and permit review, and confirming whether any of North Carolina's hundreds of occupational licenses apply to it, according to the Union County Register of Deeds and the North Carolina Secretary of State.
None of those steps are handled by one office, and which office matters most depends on the address. A shop opening in Monroe or Waxhaw answers to a different permitting desk than one opening in unincorporated Union County, per the county's own development-services page.
What has to happen before a business name is official?
Any Union County business operating under a name other than the owner's own legal name has to file an assumed business name, commonly called a DBA, with the county. The Union County Register of Deeds lists the filing fee for an assumed name at $26 and directs applicants to the North Carolina Secretary of State's Start a Business resources for the required forms, according to the Register of Deeds' published FAQ.
That filing is a naming formality, not a green light to operate. It does not substitute for the zoning approval, building permits, or state licensing checks described below, and the county does not process it as a business license.
Does a Union County business still need a privilege license?
For most businesses, no state privilege license currently applies. The North Carolina Department of Revenue confirms that the state privilege tax on attorneys and other professionals ended July 1, 2024, under state legislation, and that only loan agencies, pawnbrokers, and check-cashing companies remain subject to a state privilege license today, per NCDOR's current guidance.
That does not mean every business is license-free. The North Carolina Secretary of State's office is explicit that there is no single, universal business license in the state: more than 700 separate regulatory, state-issued, and occupational licenses and permits exist, and which ones apply depends entirely on the type of business, according to the Secretary of State's licensing guidance. A restaurant, a salon, and a home-repair contractor in the same Union County strip mall can face entirely different state requirements.
Business owners who are unsure which of those licenses apply to them are directed to Business Link North Carolina, a free consultation service the Secretary of State's office lists for helping business owners identify their specific state and local obligations.
Who reviews zoning and building permits — and does it depend on the address?
It does. Union County's Building Code Enforcement division handles permitting for most unincorporated parts of the county, but that authority explicitly excludes Monroe and Waxhaw, which run their own permitting processes, according to the county's development-services page. A business locating inside either town limit is not routed through the county's system at all.
Where the county does have jurisdiction, its Planning Department separately administers zoning rules and stormwater standards, and applicants are directed to submit project sketches, site plans, and permit applications through the county's online Evolve platform rather than in person, per the same page. The county describes development and subdivision review as a structured, multi-step process rather than a single sign-off.
Fee schedules for Building Code Enforcement and Planning Department reviews are set to change on a fixed date: the current schedules run through July 31, 2026, with a new fee schedule taking effect August 1, 2026, according to the county's development-services page. The page does not list a standard approval timeline.
Where the process actually happens
| Step | Who handles it | What's confirmed |
|---|---|---|
| Register a business name (DBA) | Union County Register of Deeds | $26 filing fee; forms via the NC Secretary of State |
| Check for a state privilege license | NC Department of Revenue | Applies only to loan agencies, pawnbrokers, check-cashers as of July 1, 2024 |
| Identify other required state licenses | NC Secretary of State / Business Link NC | Over 700 possible licenses depending on business type; free BLNC consultation |
| Zoning, site plan, and building permits | Union County Planning & Building Code Enforcement, or Monroe's or Waxhaw's own offices | County fee schedule changes August 1, 2026; no standard timeline published |
Why the overlap matters for a new Union County business
The county's own guidance and the state's own guidance both point business owners toward outside help rather than a single checklist. The Register of Deeds sends DBA filers to a state resource; the Secretary of State sends license questions to Business Link North Carolina; the county sends permit applicants to a separate online portal maintained by the Planning Department and Building Code Enforcement. None of the three offices consolidates the others' requirements into one form.
For a business opening in Monroe or Waxhaw specifically, the county's own permitting page is the wrong door entirely — those towns are carved out of Union County's Building Code Enforcement jurisdiction, per the county's development-services page, and route permits through their own municipal offices instead.
The practical result, based on what each office's own published guidance says, is that no Union County business can assume one registration covers it. A name filing, a state license check, and a zoning or building review are three separate processes run by three separate authorities, and which permitting office applies changes depending on whether the address sits inside Monroe, inside Waxhaw, or in the unincorporated county between them.
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