Coconut Creek, FL Local Taxes & Fees: Business Tax Classification (2026)
Key Facts
- Multiple categories
- Each category applied for and taxed separately
- Unlisted businesses
- Taxed like similar uses, decided by development services director
- Expiration
- Last day of September each year
- Proration
- Full tax Oct. 1 to Apr. 1; one-half Apr. 1 to Sept. 30
- Transfer fee
- 10 percent of annual tax, minimum $3, maximum $25
- New application fee
- $25 nonrefundable
Summary
In the City of Coconut Creek, Florida, every business is taxed by the classification listed in the section 18-37 schedule, and a location running several categories pays each one separately. A business the schedule does not name pays a tax based on similar uses set by the development services director, and receipts expire each September 30.
If more than one (1) category of business is simultaneously operated from the same location, each category of business shall be applied for and taxed separately, including the payment of each respective business tax. If businesses are specifically listed in section 18-37, they will be taxed individually. Accessory uses will be charged per the total gross square footage. Uses as defined as accessory in section 18-1 shall not require additional tax receipts but shall be included as part of the principal use. ... Every business, occupation, profession or exhibition, whether substantial, fixed, or temporary, engaged in by any person in a building or on land in accordance with zoning regulations anywhere within the city, not specifically designated in section 18-37, shall pay a business tax based upon similar uses as determined by the development services director or their designee. ... (a)Generally. The amounts assessed against the various occupants, businesses and professions within the city are hereby fixed as follows:
Full Breakdown
Section 18-22 requires a City business tax receipt from anyone who maintains a permanent business location or branch office in Coconut Creek to run a business, profession or occupation, and from operators without a local office who transact business in interstate commerce where the United States Constitution allows the tax. The classification itself comes from section 18-37, a numbered schedule that runs from 001000 abstracting to 225000 weight clinic. Amounts range widely: $102.10 for a home based business, $127.61 for animal grooming or an automotive repair shop, $255.24 for antique stores, $638.13 for astrologers and similar practitioners, $1276.27 for pawnbrokers and $1,595.31 for auction companies.
Merchants, classification 137000, are sorted by floor area, and the applicant files a sworn affidavit of square footage. The scale starts at $127.61 under 2,000 square feet, reaches $255.24 at 5,001 to 10,000, $957.16 at 75,001 to 100,000 and $1021.02 above 100,000. Professionals under 179000 are taxed per person, not per firm, and each individual needs a receipt for each classification desired; section 18-1 calls it a personal license that is not transferable.
Three rules decide which lines apply to a site. Under section 18-31, a location running more than one category applies for and is taxed on each separately, and businesses named in the schedule are taxed individually. Accessory uses, as defined in section 18-1, add no extra receipt and fold into the principal use. Under section 18-34, a business the schedule does not name pays a tax based on similar uses, as determined by the development services director or designee. Before issuing any receipt, the director confirms zoning conformity under section 18-24(b), and a nonrefundable $25 fee accompanies each new application. A receipt obtained October 1 through April 1 carries the full annual tax, and one obtained April 1 through September 30 carries one-half of the actual tax. Transfers to a new location or a new owner cost 10 percent of the annual tax, with a floor of $3 and a ceiling of $25.
Violations & Fines
Under section 18-30, a receipt not renewed by October 1 is delinquent and draws a 10 percent penalty for October plus 5 percent for each later month, capped at 25 percent of the tax. Operating with no receipt adds a 25 percent penalty on the tax due. A person who does not pay within 150 days of the initial notice faces civil action and a penalty of up to $250 plus costs and attorneys' fees. Section 18-33 makes failing to display the receipt a violation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What if my business is not named in the Coconut Creek schedule?
Do I need one receipt or several if I run two businesses at one address?
How is the tax prorated if I open mid-year?
How is a retail store's tax amount decided?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Coconut Creek
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Coconut Creek to another location·View the Florida local taxes & fees overview
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