Buncombe County · county seat Asheville
Buncombe County business formation: LLCs, corporations and assumed names in Asheville and beyond
Breweries and craft food makers, outdoor-recreation outfitters, artists and makers in the River Arts District, and tourism businesses rebuilding after Hurricane Helene. Your company is filed once with the NC Secretary of State ($125); a trade name is recorded with the Buncombe County Register of Deeds for $26.
Heads up: we are an independent company that prepares and submits North Carolina filings for owners. We are not the North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State and we do not give legal advice. Every state and county charge passes through at the exact amount billed, and anyone can file directly with the Business Registration Division for no service fee.
Heads up: we are an independent company that prepares and submits North Carolina filings for owners. We are not the North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State and we do not give legal advice. Every state and county charge passes through at the exact amount billed, and anyone can file directly with the Business Registration Division for no service fee.
Your local license in Buncombe County
Asheville has no general business license, but its short-term rental and homestay rules are among the strictest in the state, so a vacation-rental LLC needs a zoning answer before it buys property.
Cities we see most
Asheville · Black Mountain · Weaverville · Woodfin · Montreat · Biltmore Forest
City guides: Asheville business license
What Buncombe owners should know
- Makers who sell at markets in several counties need only one assumed name certificate; list the other counties on it.
- Check Asheville's short-term rental zoning before forming a property LLC for a rental.
- Sales at craft fairs still require NC Department of Revenue sales tax registration.
Worked example: A River Arts District potter and partner selling online and at markets under a studio name
Entity: North Carolina LLC (G.S. Chapter 57D)
| Corp USA Starter package | $149 |
| NC Secretary of State filing fee | $125 |
| Assumed business name certificate (county recording fee) | $26 |
| Day-one total | $300 |
Next year: a $200 annual report (plus $3 online) due April 15. North Carolina cities no longer sell general privilege licenses, so there is no city business license line here; trade permits and zoning approvals are separate.
Heads up: we are an independent company that prepares and submits North Carolina filings for owners. We are not the North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State and we do not give legal advice. Every state and county charge passes through at the exact amount billed, and anyone can file directly with the Business Registration Division for no service fee.
Recording a Buncombe County assumed business name
If you will trade under a name other than the exact legal name, North Carolina requires an assumed business name certificate filed with the Register of Deeds in a county where you do business (G.S. 66-71.4). One filing covers the whole state. Buncombe records assumed business name certificates in its recording section at the standard $26 fee.
- Buncombe County Register of Deeds
- 205 College Street, Asheville, NC 28801
Heads up: we are an independent company that prepares and submits North Carolina filings for owners. We are not the North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State and we do not give legal advice. Every state and county charge passes through at the exact amount billed, and anyone can file directly with the Business Registration Division for no service fee.
Buncombe questions
Does an LLC protect a vacation rental from zoning violations?
No. The LLC changes who owns the property, not what local zoning allows.
Source