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Murray runs its own business licensing office at 10 East 4800 South, separate from Salt Lake City and Salt Lake County. This guide covers what a Murray license costs, how to apply through the city's online portal, which departments sign off, and what happens if you miss a renewal.
Anyone doing business in Murray needs a Murray City business license before opening, and each location needs its own. The base fee is $100, plus $6 per employee and $10 per vehicle, plus a category fee for some businesses. Since March 30, 2026 new applications go through the city's online E360 portal, and paper applications are no longer accepted.
Murray's licensing page says anyone conducting business in Murray City must hold a valid license, and it must be issued before you open or operate. Each business location needs its own license. A license cannot be moved to a new address or sold to a new owner. Nonprofit, charitable, governmental and insurance agencies still have to get a license, though some are exempt from the fees.
Operating without a current license is a Class B misdemeanor under the city's renewal page and can bring a citation. A professional or state license does not replace the city license.
If your shop is in Salt Lake City, a different office licenses you. Our Salt Lake City business license guide covers that side and explains which valley addresses fall under which city. Murray licenses its own businesses, so check that your address is inside Murray before you start.
Murray's License Fee Schedule sets the cost by employees, vehicles and license class. Every business pays the base fee, then the per-employee and per-vehicle charges, then any category fee for its type of business. The schedule itself says its list may not be all-inclusive, so ask the office if your business is unusual.
Fees are due when you submit the application and are not refundable, even if the license is not approved. A change of address or ownership is a new application with new fees, and the city does not prorate them. The schedule gives no dollar amount for that, so call the office.
| Fee | Amount | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| Base license fee | $100 | All businesses, except those named in Murray code 5.04.210 |
| Employee fee | $6 each | Full-time and part-time employees |
| Vehicle fee | $10 each | Any vehicle used in the business, personal or company owned |
| Residential rental unit | $6 per unit | Landlords |
| Commercial rental unit | $2 per unit | Commercial landlords |
| Beauty salon or personal care | $100 | Added to the base fee |
| Barber shop | $100 | Added to the base fee |
| Spa or massage | $100 | Added to the base fee |
| Tattoo parlor | $250 | Added to the base fee |
| Tobacco retailer | $200 | Added to the base fee |
| Auto body repair or paint | $350 | Added to the base fee |
| Storage unit facility | $150 | Added to the base fee |
| Alcohol, on-premise restaurant | $500 | Added to the base fee |
Say a salon on State Street has four employees, counting part-timers, and one delivery vehicle. That is $100 base, $24 for four employees, $10 for the vehicle and $100 for the beauty salon category, which comes to $234 by the city's schedule. If you hire a fifth stylist before renewal, add $6 and tell the office.
A restaurant that serves alcohol should expect the $500 on-premise restaurant fee on top of the base, and alcohol licenses have their own page and forms on the city site. For any category not in the table, the office is the place to ask.
Murray's application page lays out the order. The city will not take an application until the state side is done, and incomplete applications are not accepted.
Three Murray offices review every new license: Zoning, Enforcement and the Fire Department. The Fire Department contacts you to schedule an on-site inspection. If more work is needed, you contact the Fire Department again for the final inspection. Depending on the business, the Building Department, the Storm Water Department and the Salt Lake County Health Department may also have to approve.
Zoning is where most delays start. The city says processing takes longer when a conditional use permit or Health Department approval is needed. Before you sign a lease, call Murray's Planning and Zoning office at (801) 270-2430 and ask whether your use is allowed at that address.
Some businesses also need a background investigation, which the city explains on its Investigations page. The city's materials do not list which types, so ask the licensing office.
Murray requires a home occupation license to run any permitted business out of a residential zone. Home occupations are an accessory use, so zoning rules apply. The city's page lists what you cannot run from home: vehicle repair, vehicle sales and painting, dental and medical offices, electronics and major appliance repair, trailer or boat repair, photo developing and photo studios, private schools, upholstering, limousine or taxi service, on-site carpentry or cabinet making and anything else that makes noise, dust or fumes, tattooing, permanent yard sales and sexually oriented businesses.
A bookkeeper or web designer working from a spare bedroom is the kind of business the rule was written for. A photographer who wants a studio in the garage is not. The full rules are in Murray City Code 17.24.050. The home occupation page lists no fee or form, so ask the licensing office what to submit and what it costs. A home day care has its own line on the fee schedule at $175.
If your home business is one of the banned types, you need a commercial address, which means zoning review for that address.
Murray licenses renew every year and do not renew automatically. The city mails a renewal notice on the first business day of the month your license expires, and the completed notice and payment must be in the office by the last business day of that month. A postmark does not count. If no notice has arrived by the 10th, call the office for a copy. Not receiving the notice does not excuse a late renewal.
Online renewal works only if nothing changed. If your employee count, vehicle count or mailing address is different, email [email protected] so the fees can be updated, or renew in person or by mail with the changes written on the notice. In-office renewals are handled from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at 10 East 4800 South. Businesses that are exempt from fees cannot renew online. A change of location, ownership, officers, members or business name needs a new application instead.
Which portal you use depends on the expiration date. The city lists a separate Tyler portal for licenses that expired January through April 2026, and the E360 portal for renewals from May 2026 on and for all new applications. First-time online users create a Citizen Self Service account. The city also warns about outside websites that take payments on Murray utility bills without authorization, so start from murray.utah.gov.
| If you pay | Penalty |
|---|---|
| Up to 30 days late | $50 |
| Up to 60 days late | $100 |
| More than 60 days late | 100 percent penalty, and you may have to reapply |
Part of Murray is served by Murray City Power, the city's own utility, at 153 West 4800 South, phone 801-264-2730. The city's electrical permit form says any change to the electric service inside the Murray City Power service area needs the utility's approval, and requests for service in that area go in with the online building permit application. If you are moving into a bare space or adding equipment, call Murray City Power early. We could not find a published commercial deposit or connection fee, so we do not quote one.
Seasonal and one-time sellers need a license too. Murray's temporary business license cannot run longer than 90 days at one location, and you cannot get a similar one more than twice in 12 months. Most temporary sales need a site plan reviewed by the Planning and Zoning Commission, and you need a letter from the property owner. Fireworks stands and Christmas tree lots pay a $200 refundable deposit for each outdoor location and need liability insurance of $100,000 and $300,000 with the city named as an insured. Murray does not license sidewalk vending carts, because zoning does not allow selling from city streets or sidewalks.
Once you are licensed, the county taxes the equipment inside your Murray shop separately. Our guide to Salt Lake County business personal property tax explains the statement the Assessor mails you.
A license lets you open. It does not bring anyone through the door. Set up your Google Business Profile first, since it is free and it is what people see when they search for a service near 4800 South.
The Salt Lake Valley newsletter has about 2,400 subscribers across Salt Lake County, and we sell sponsorships and listings. A Local Directory listing is $49 a month at the time of writing. Details are on our advertise page, and you can see how listings look in the business directory. We run those products, so weigh them against a Google Business Profile and a few flyers on cost and fit.