Kennebunkport Maine Business License: STR License $325 or $575 With Cap and Waitlist, Victualer $150 and Liquor $225
Kennebunkport Maine Business License: STR License $325 or $575 With Cap and Waitlist, Victualer $150 and Liquor $225
If you are opening a business in Kennebunkport, the first thing to understand is that there is no single town business license. Maine has no general statewide business license, and Kennebunkport does not issue a general town license. Licensing works by activity. The town licenses specific activities under its ordinances, and each fee is set locally. The Town Clerk's page lists three business licenses: liquor, special amusement and victualer. Short-term rentals are handled separately through the Planning and Development office under Ch. 129 of the town ordinances.
This guide walks through how to work out which Kennebunkport Maine business license you need, what to gather, the order to apply in, and the mistakes that cause delays.
License Fees at a Glance
| License | Who needs it | Town fee | Where you start |
|---|---|---|---|
| Short-term rental (STR) | Each dwelling unit rented on a short-term basis | $325 for three bedrooms or fewer; $575 for four or more. These were set by the Select Board in 2021, so confirm the current amount with the town. | Application portal, Planning and Development office |
| Victualer | Anyone preparing and serving food to the public, including restaurants, takeout and bed and breakfast inns | $150 a year | Town Office |
| Liquor | Selling or serving alcohol on the premises | $225 town fee, plus advertising | State application through the Bureau of Alcoholic Beverages and Lottery Operations, then the town |
| Special amusement | Amusement activity filed with your annual liquor application | $150 | Filed with the annual liquor application |
Materials and Information You Need
- Your legal business structure. If you are a sole proprietor or general partnership, you will need identification and a sworn assumed-name certificate if you use a trade name. If you are an LLC or corporation, you need your Secretary of State filing confirmation.
- The property address where the business will operate, plus the owner's name and contact details.
- A site sketch or floor plan showing the rooms, seating areas, kitchen and bar, if applicable.
- For a short-term rental: the bedroom count for each dwelling unit and a list of units you plan to rent.
- For a food business: a menu or written description of what you will prepare and serve, and whether food is eaten on site, taken out or delivered.
- For a liquor license: the owner and manager details the state application requires, plus the premises description.
- A Maine sales tax permit number if you will collect sales tax. Apply through Maine Revenue Services.
- A calendar that accounts for the town's meeting schedule and deadlines, covered in the steps below.
Step 1: Match Your Activity to a License
Before you file anything, list every activity the business will perform. A restaurant that serves beer and wine, for example, may need a victualer license and a liquor license. A rental owner who prepares breakfast for guests may need to check both short-term rental and victualer requirements. Call the Town Office at 207-967-4243 (6 Elm Street) and describe the business in plain terms. Ask which licenses apply and which ordinance governs each one.
If you are unsure which state permits or licenses apply to your trade, the free Business Answers licensing assistant at maine.gov/businessanswers can help identify them. Maine does not license general contractors or HVAC work at the state level, so those trades will not appear on a town license list.
Step 2: Form Your Entity or File an Assumed Name
Registering an entity or an assumed name is a filing, not a license, but the town will ask for it. Maine does not accept online filing of formation documents. Certificate of Formation (Form MLLC-6) for an LLC costs $175, and Articles of Incorporation (Form MBCA-6) for a corporation cost $145. Both are fillable PDFs that you print and mail or deliver with payment to the Secretary of State.
Every Maine LLC and corporation must maintain a registered agent with a physical street address in Maine. A P.O. box is not enough. If you want to use a trade name, an LLC or corporation files a Statement of Intention to do Business under an Assumed Name (Form ASUM-5) for $125 with the Secretary of State. A sole proprietor or general partnership files a sworn assumed-name certificate with the Kennebunkport municipal clerk instead, and the clerk's fee is set by the town, so confirm it with the clerk before you file.
Use the Secretary of State's Division of Corporations page for current forms. Expedited handling is available for $50 (24-hour service) or $100 (immediate service), but availability depends on staffing at the time of your request.
Step 3: Get Your Sales Tax Permit
Maine's general sales tax rate is 5.5%. Prepared food and on-premises liquor are taxed at 8%, and lodging is taxed at 9%. Short-term rental hosts must collect the lodging rate, so register early. Apply through Maine Revenue Services at revenue.maine.gov.
Check whether your services are taxable. Maine's list of taxable services is closed, and lawn care, towing, handyman work and junk removal are not on it.
Step 4: Apply for the Victualer License
The victualer license costs $150 a year and covers anyone preparing and serving food to the public. The license runs June 1 to May 31. Renewals are approved by the Select Board at a May meeting, so submit your renewal before that meeting to avoid a gap in coverage.
New victualer licenses require a public hearing before the Select Board. The hearing is billed on top of the $150 fee, so ask the Town Office for the current hearing cost before you budget. Plan for the hearing to add time to your opening schedule.
A food operation may also need a state license from the Health Inspection Program within the Department of Health and Human Services, which licenses eating places. Confirm with that program whether your operation is covered and what it costs. The town license does not replace it.
Step 5: Apply for the Liquor License
Liquor licensing has two parts. First, you file the State application with the Bureau of Alcoholic Beverages and Lottery Operations. Second, you apply to the town for the local license, which carries a $225 town fee plus advertising costs. The town's advertising cost is separate, so ask the Town Office for the current figure.
The Select Board meets on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month. New liquor licenses require a public hearing, so build that step into your timeline. Ask the Town Office which meeting date matches your hearing request and when the application must be in.
Step 6: File the Special Amusement License
The special amusement license costs $150 and is filed with your annual liquor application. If you plan any entertainment alongside alcohol service, add it to the same filing so you do not need a second trip to the Town Office.
Step 7: Apply for a Short-Term Rental License
Short-term rentals require a license for each dwelling unit, issued for the calendar year. The Select Board adds new licenses each year using a formula based on the number of dwellings in town, which creates a cap and a waitlist. Properties on Goose Rocks Beach are exempt from the overall cap.
The 2027 application portal opens October 1, 2026 at 8:00 a.m. and closes December 31, 2026 at 12:00 p.m. Because today is October 28, 2026, the window is open now, but it closes at noon on December 31, so do not wait until the last day. Fees set in 2021 were $325 for three bedrooms or fewer and $575 for four or more. Confirm the current amount with the town before you submit.
If your property is not exempt and the cap has been reached, you will be placed on the waitlist. Ask the Planning and Development office how the waitlist is ordered and how long it typically takes.
Inspection requirements follow the ordinance. Confirm the inspection schedule with Planning before you list the property, because an inspection that is not complete can hold up approval.
Step 8: Calendar Your Renewals and Filings
Build a single calendar with these dates: the Maine annual report due June 1 each year ($85 for an LLC, with the first report due between January 1 and June 1 of the year after formation), the victualer renewal cycle that ends May 31, the May Select Board meeting, the liquor application timing, and the short-term rental portal deadline for the following year. Missing one of these can cost you a license year.
Tips for a Faster Approval
- Call the Town Office before you file to confirm which forms and fees apply to your exact activity.
- Submit the short-term rental application during the window, not on the final day.
- Ask for the public hearing date early, since the Select Board meets only on the second and fourth Thursdays.
- Keep copies of every filing, payment and confirmation for your records.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Assuming there is one town business license. Kennebunkport licenses by activity, so one business may need several licenses.
- Using a P.O. box as the registered agent address. An LLC or corporation needs a physical Maine street address.
- Treating the 2021 fees as current. The $325 and $575 short-term rental amounts were set in 2021. Confirm the current number before you pay.
- Skipping the state step for liquor. The town license follows the State application, so starting with the town alone will stall your file.
- Forgetting the public hearing cost. New victualer licenses are billed on top of the $150 fee.
- Missing the June 1 annual report. The $85 annual report is due June 1 each year.
- Assuming your service is not taxable. Confirm your activity against the closed list of taxable services before you decide whether to register for sales tax.
What to Expect After You Apply
A complete, accurate application is intended to move through the town's process with fewer requests for corrections. Public hearings and Select Board votes set the pace for victualer, liquor and new short-term rental approvals, so timing depends on the meeting calendar more than on the filing itself. Renewals tend to follow the same cycle each year, which makes them easier to plan once you have the first approval in hand. The Secretary of State's corporate filing pages read on 2026-10-28 state 2 to 7 business days, but earlier snapshots said much longer, so check the current figure on the agency page before you plan around it.
Official Contacts
- Kennebunkport Town Office: 6 Elm Street, 207-967-4243
- Maine Secretary of State, Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions: maine.gov/sos/corporations-commissions
- Maine Revenue Services: maine.gov/revenue
- Business Answers licensing assistant: maine.gov/businessanswers
- Maine Small Business Development Centers: mainesbdc.org
Important Disclaimer
This article is informational only. It is not legal or tax advice. Fees, deadlines and processes change, and the figures here reflect research completed on the dates noted. Confirm every amount and deadline with the agency or town office named. If your situation involves a complex entity structure, a multi-property portfolio, liquor service or tax questions, speak with a qualified attorney or certified public accountant before you file.