Resource and Contact Information

Information and Resources Provided

Doing Business in Washington State:  Licenses, permits, and inspections, small business guide, taxes and reporting, and more. 

Internal Revenue Service (IRS)                   www.irs.gov                                                        (800)829-4933

Tax information for businesses including Federal Income Tax and Social Security and Medicare Taxes ; how to get an employer identification number (EIN) also know as Federal Tax Identification Number; Self-Employed Individuals Tax Center.

U.S. Small Business Administration(SBA)                                                      www.sba.gov                                                      (206)553-7310 (Seattle)

Starting and managing a business, government contracting, business counseling and training, loans, business law and regulations, business plan resources, preparing your finances, apply for HUBZone or 8(a) certification.

WA State Department of Labor and Industries (L&I)                                                          www.lni.wa.gov                                                   (800)509-9174 or (509)684-7417 (Colville)

Worker’s Compensation, insurance for businesses, workplace rights, trades and licensing rules, information and filing for self-insured employer status, file quarterly reports.

WA State Department of Revenue (DOR)                                                www.dor.wa.gov                                                 (509)327-0200 (Spokane)

Find a sales tax rate, file and pay taxes on-line, look up a business, get licensing renewal information for your business.

Spokane SCORE                          www.scorespokane.org                                        (509)353-2821

Free business counseling, workshops and other small business resources.

Tri County Economic Development District (TEDD)/Rural Opportunities Loan Fund             sites.google.com/site/tricountyeconomicdevelopment (509)684-4571 (Colville) 

TEDD operates a business incubator in Colville as well as a Revolving Loan Fund for business start-up and expansion activities.  TEDD staff has access to a multitude of resources and information for your business start-up, retention, expansion and recruitment needs. 

The Pend Oreille EDC offers business start-up, retention, expansion and recruitment information and resources. 

Northeast Washington Trends www.northeastwashingtontrends.org

Data and statistics for Stevens, Pend Oreille and Ferry County for planning purposes.

Food handling and commercial kitchen/production kitchen information. 

Chambers of Commerce Each Chamber has its own phone number; most have websites.

Chambers are excellent sources of information about the local business community and other local resources.

Libraries are a great place to conduct research, access business books and resources and many have computers and free wireless internet.

Cities and Counties www.access.wa.gov/government/local.aspx

Contact the city or the county in which you are interested in operating your business to obtain information and requirements related to business licensing, zoning, and permitting.

County-based educators work with partners in your communities to provide workshops and programs. In addition, Washington State University provides over 2,200 publications, and numerous online educational opportunities. Educational topics help small businesses and nonprofits, including grant and fund development resources and training, tourism development, and small acreage land stewardship.