Starting a service business in Kansas

Form your business in Kansas

File Articles of Organization (Form DL) with the Kansas Secretary of State under K.S.A. 17-7673. The fee is $85 online or $90 on paper, as listed on the Secretary of State's form revised February 2026 and current in October 2026. Online filing is through the Secretary of State's register-a-business page; if you file online, do not also mail the paper form.

Ongoing state filings

Kansas LLCs file an information report every two years. Per the Secretary of State, a business formed in an even year files in each following even year, and one formed in an odd year files in odd years; for-profit businesses are due by April 15. The fee for an LLC is $90 online or $110 on paper, as listed on the Secretary of State's form revised January 2026. After the due date there is a three-month delinquency period, and a business that still has not filed forfeits until it reinstates.

Using a business name (DBA)

We could not find a general trade name or DBA filing among the Kansas Secretary of State's business forms. Before you letter a truck or print cards under a name that is not your legal name, ask the Secretary of State's Business Services Division (785-296-4564) and your county clerk whether any filing applies, and search the business database so you do not pick a name another company already uses. Forming an LLC puts its legal name on record with the state.

Not sure whether you need an LLC at all? Read LLC vs sole proprietor for contractors, then get your free EIN from the IRS.

Licensing for service trades

Kansas has a statewide registration for roofers: under K.S.A. 50-6,123, no one may act as a roofing contractor without a registration certificate from the Attorney General, and an unregistered roofer cannot use the Kansas courts to collect on that work. If you apply pesticides or fertilizer with herbicides for pay, the Kansas Department of Agriculture requires a pesticide business license, and for each category the business works in, at least one employee must hold a commercial applicator certification. For electrical, plumbing, HVAC and general building work, ask the city or county building department where each job is located what it requires before you bid.

• Kansas Attorney General: Roofing registration: Roofing contractor registration certificates
• Kansas Department of Agriculture: Pesticide business: Pesticide business licenses and commercial applicator certification

Workers' compensation

Kansas sets a payroll threshold instead of a head count. The Department of Labor says an employer in a non-agricultural business with more than $20,000 in gross annual payroll must secure workers' comp coverage for employees and report work accidents. Under K.S.A. 44-505, wages paid to family members related by marriage or blood do not count toward the $20,000, and a new employer with no prior payroll looks at its reasonable estimate for the current year. Once you cross the line, buy a policy before the next payroll.

More on coverage: business insurance for contractors.

Sales tax on services

Kansas taxes more labor than most states, with big exceptions. The Department of Revenue's Publication KS-1525 says the state rate is 6.5% plus local taxes, and labor to repair, service or maintain property is generally taxable, even when it is attached to a building, such as fixing a restaurant's oven. Labor on a residence (original construction, remodeling, repair or replacement) is exempt, and that includes yards, garages, sidewalks and driveways serving the home. For lawn work, the department lists mowing, trimming, edging, aerating, dethatching, raking, lawn cleanup, tree and stump removal and snow removal as not taxable under any circumstance, while applying pesticides, herbicides or fertilizer to residential lawns is taxable. Register for a sales tax account through the Department of Revenue if you sell taxable services or goods.

Recording business calls in Kansas

Kansas is one-party consent. K.S.A. 21-6101(a)(1) makes it a breach of privacy to intercept a phone message unless its sender or receiver agrees, so either side of the call can consent. Separate parts of the same statute bar hidden recording devices in private places. Kansas businesses whose customers sometimes call from all-party states can check our guide to recording business calls.

See our guide to recording business calls before you turn on call recording or an AI receptionist.

How the seasons shape the work

Spring hail and tornado season is the defining event for Kansas service work, sending roofers, gutter crews and tree services into the hardest-hit towns, which is why the state requires roofers to register. Summers are hot and windy, with heavy air conditioning and irrigation demand in the east and drier conditions in the west. Winters bring ice storms and occasional heavy snow, and since snow removal is not taxed, plowing is simple to invoice.

Same job, different tax: home or business

Because residential labor is exempt and commercial repair labor is generally taxable under Publication KS-1525, the same repair can be taxable at a restaurant and exempt at a house. Storm work splits the same way: the publication treats rebuilding a commercial building after fire, flood, tornado, lightning or an 80 mph windstorm as exempt original construction (with a notarized affidavit from the owner), but repairing commercial hail, rain or ordinary wind damage is taxable. Repairs to a residence are exempt whatever caused the damage.

Roofing after storms

The Kansas Roofing Registration Act (K.S.A. 50-6,121 through 50-6,138) is part of the state's consumer protection law and is administered by the Attorney General. Register before you knock on doors after a hailstorm, since acting as a roofing contractor without a certificate brings civil penalties under K.S.A. 50-6,123.

Then set up the back end that gets you hired

The paperwork makes you legal. Customers still have to find you, reach you and pay you. Before your first job, set up a business phone number, email on your own domain, a Google Business Profile, a simple website, and a way to send quotes and take card payments. The launch checklist lays out the order.

Kansas questions