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Small business/Brunswick County

How to start a business in Brunswick County, NC

To start a business in Brunswick County, NC: register an LLC or corporation with the North Carolina Secretary of State (an LLC costs $125 to form, and its annual report costs $200); get a free EIN from the IRS; and register for sales and use tax with the NC Department of Revenue if you sell taxable goods or services. Local license: Ask Brunswick County Planning or your town hall about zoning before you open. 2,491 new business applications were filed in Brunswick County in 2025 (U.S. Census Bureau).

Steps and offices checked Oct. 31, 2026 on each official site, linked below. Visitor figures come from each area's tourism office, with the source on every card. New business applications: U.S. Census Bureau.

2,491applications to start a business in 2025 (+120% vs. 2019)
173businesses in our local directory in Brunswick County. Is yours?
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Step by step in Brunswick County

  1. Register your business

    Register an LLC or corporation with the North Carolina Secretary of State

    An LLC costs $125 to form, and its annual report costs $200

    NC Secretary of State ›

  2. Get an EIN

    Get a free Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the IRS if you will hire or form an LLC or corporation

    Free

    IRS ›

  3. Sales tax and state registration

    Register for sales and use tax with the NC Department of Revenue if you sell taxable goods or services

    NC Department of Revenue ›

  4. Check zoning and local permits

    Ask Brunswick County Planning or your town hall about zoning before you open. Ask your town hall about zoning, signs and any permit for your type of business before you sign a lease.

    Brunswick County Permits & Development ›

  5. Get found

    Claim your free listing in our directory and your Google, Apple and Bing listings, so neighbors and visitors can find you from day one.

    Free

    How to get found ›

Some trades also need a state license (contractors, food, alcohol, health and others). Ask the free help offices below which ones apply to you. This page is general information, not legal or tax advice.

New business applications per year in Brunswick County

Applications for a federal employer number (EIN) that look like a new business, by county. The orange bar is 2025. Not every application becomes an open business.

Applications to start a business per year in Brunswick County2015: 898 applications898'152016: 873 applications'162017: 1,018 applications'172018: 1,023 applications'182019: 1,134 applications'192020: 1,321 applications'202021: 1,692 applications'212022: 1,850 applications'222023: 2,082 applications'232024: 2,035 applications'242025: 2,491 applications2,491'25

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Formation Statistics. The Census adds statistical noise to protect privacy, so small counties move more from year to year. Download: numbers.csv.

Free help near you

NC Small Business and Technology Development CenterThe SBDC network for North Carolina, with counselors in each region.
SCOREVolunteer business mentors who advise at no cost, in person or online.
U.S. Small Business AdministrationLoans, contracting and the official guide to planning, launching and growing a business.

Small Business Saturday: Saturday, November 28

The Saturday after Thanksgiving, when shoppers are asked to buy from local, independent businesses. Claim your free listing and post your offer so shoppers find it on our deals page.

Post your offer

Own a business here?

We publish short answers from local owners after an editor reviews them, in a separate "Reader reports" section.

Small business news and advice

Already open? Get a free check of your website, your chatbot or how AI finds you ›

How we build this page: steps and offices from each state and county site, checked Oct. 31, 2026 and again every January; visitor figures from the official tourism offices; business applications from the U.S. Census Bureau; listings from our own directory. Something wrong? Tell us.

Cite this data

Free to reuse in your story, report or website under CC BY 4.0. Just credit Grand Strand Dispatch with a link to this page. Downloads: numbers.csv.