Business Licensing & Operations in Whatcom County, WA (2026)
4 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 1 city in Whatcom County, Washington.
Verified from official government sources
Adult Entertainment
Whatcom County requires a sheriff-issued license before any erotic dance studio can open, with a $500 application fee, a criminal-history check on owners, and hearing-examiner review of zoning and building-code compliance. Each dancer must also hold a separate sheriff-issued license and be at least 18, under WCC Chapter 9.52.
Whatcom County Erotic Dance Studio License
Significant RestrictionsWCC § 9.52.050
Application for an erotic dance studio license shall be made to the sheriff. No erotic dance studio shall be operated without such license. ... Applications shall be accompanied by a nonrefundable fee of $500.00 where there are three or less people who have an interest in the business. There shall be an additional charge of $50.00 for each person above three in order to cover the investigation ...
Secondhand Dealers
Whatcom County requires every junk dealer and secondhand dealer operating outside an incorporated city to hold an annual license under WCC 5.36.020, the same fee mechanism that covers pawnbrokers in the same chapter. The code separately defines "junk dealer" as anyone trading in worn-out or discarded metal, rags, or machinery parts, and "secondhand dealer" as anyone buying and reselling used personal property, including used auto parts, tires and batteries.
Whatcom County Secondhand & Junk Dealer License
Some RestrictionsWhatcom County Code §§ 5.36.010(A), (C), 5.36.020
"Junk dealer" means any person, firm or corporation within the county of Whatcom and outside the boundaries of any incorporated city who collects, buys, sells, exchanges or deals in any worn out or discarded materials or loose rubbish and odds-and-ends, or articles commonly known as junk... "Secondhand dealer" means any person, firm or corporation within the county of Whatcom and outside the bo...
Pawnbrokers
Every pawnbroker doing business in unincorporated Whatcom County must hold an annual license under WCC 5.36.020 before loaning money against pawned property. County code defines a pawnbroker as anyone who loans money on the security of chattels delivered as pawns and sold when unredeemed, and ties the license fee to the county's Unified Fee Schedule rather than a fixed dollar figure in the chapter itself.
Whatcom County Pawnbroker License Rules
Some RestrictionsWhatcom County Code §§ 5.36.010(B), 5.36.020
"Pawnbroker" means any person, firm or corporation within the county of Whatcom and outside the boundaries of any incorporated city who loans money on the collateral security of chattels which are delivered as pawns and are sold when unredeemed. ... Every junk dealer, secondhand dealer, and pawnbroker, as defined in Section 5.36.010, shall pay an annual license fee as set forth in the Whatcom C...
Auto Repair on Residential Property
Whatcom County's unincorporated zoning code flatly bans automobile, truck, and heavy equipment repair, plus auto body work and painting, as a home-based business under WCC § 20.80.970(2), no matter the zoning district, parcel size, or Type I through IV classification claimed.
Whatcom County Bans Home-Based Auto Repair
Heavy RestrictionsWCC § 20.80.970(2)
The following uses and activities are prohibited as home-based businesses: mortuaries and funeral homes; live commercial entertainment; postal services; shooting ranges; coffee roasters; semitruck storage; self-service storage facilities; automobile, truck, heavy equipment repair or auto body work and painting; cannabis production, processing, or retail sales; primary manufacture of petroleum p...
Business Licensing & Operations by City in Whatcom County
1 cities in Whatcom County have their own business licensing & operations rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
All Whatcom County ordinances
See every category we cover for Whatcom County: parking, noise, fences, fires, animals, pools, and more.
Whatcom County Ordinance Hub →