Start a Cleaning Business
State-by-state guides to starting a cleaning business — business formation, licensing, insurance, tax setup, and the software stack to use.
Each state guide below walks through the full startup sequence for a cleaning business — business formation, licensing, insurance requirements, tax registration, and the software stack that fits a new operator in that state. The steps vary meaningfully by state, so each guide is written individually rather than generalized.
If you're in the research phase
Find your state in the grid below. Each guide covers what you need to do before you clean your first paying client: LLC vs sole proprietor, which licenses your state requires, what insurance minimums apply, and how to register for state and local taxes. If you're still deciding whether a cleaning business is right for you, the guides section covers the operational questions — pricing, marketing, hiring — that help you decide.
If you've already formed your business
Once you're past formation and licensing, the state guides still cover the software stack and insurance providers that fit a new operator in that state. For deeper dives into specific tool categories, the software directory reviews 21 categories. For a complete toolkit recommendation matched to your stage, the stacks section picks one tool per role.
Every state in this section is in the grid below.
State guides
Arizona Startup Guide
Use this when the low-maintenance LLC rules look simple, but city licensing, publication rules outside Maricopa/Pima, and first-employee workers comp still need a clean setup.
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California Startup Guide
Start here for the high-regulation version of the cleaning business playbook: franchise tax, city certificates, AB 5 worker classification, janitorial registration, and first-employee workers comp.
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Colorado Startup Guide
Plan around a low filing fee but real payroll obligations: FAMLI, HFWA sick leave, daily overtime, home-rule city registrations, and resort-town cleaning work.
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Florida Startup Guide
Separate residential from commercial cleaning before invoicing, then handle Sunbiz reports, local business tax receipts, workers comp thresholds, and the mid-year wage step.
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Georgia Startup Guide
A practical setup path for Georgia operators: eCorp formation, annual registration, local occupational tax certificates, the three-employee workers comp trigger, and no routine cleaning sales tax.
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Illinois Startup Guide
Use this for Illinois formation plus the local layers that matter fast: Chicago licensing, first-employee workers comp, statewide paid leave, and Chicago's separate paid-leave rules.
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Michigan Startup Guide
Start with low-cost LARA formation, then watch the details that catch cleaning crews: local income-tax cities, ESTA sick time, workers comp thresholds, and non-taxable cleaning services.
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New Jersey Startup Guide
Use this before hiring or invoicing in New Jersey, where cleaning sales tax, first-employee workers comp, TDI/FLI payroll deductions, local permits, and the ABC test all matter early.
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New York Startup Guide
Plan for the New York extras: LLC publication, sales-tax authority, taxable cleaning services, first-employee workers comp, and disability/Paid Family Leave coverage.
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North Carolina Startup Guide
A cleaner setup for operators who want straightforward formation, no routine-cleaning sales tax, fewer big-city license hurdles, and a three-employee workers comp threshold.
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Ohio Startup Guide
Use this for Ohio's unusual mix: no LLC annual reports, BWC-only workers comp, janitorial sales tax after the threshold, and municipal income-tax payroll headaches.
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Pennsylvania Startup Guide
Start here when Pennsylvania's taxable cleaning services, first-employee workers comp, Philadelphia license/BIRT rules, and new annual report all need to be set up correctly.
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Texas Startup Guide
Sort out the Texas tradeoffs: higher formation cost, commercial-cleaning sales tax, optional workers comp, DBA rules, no state income tax, and low statutory wage floor.
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Virginia Startup Guide
Use this before BPOL catches you by surprise: SCC formation, local gross-receipts tax, no cleaning sales tax, a three-worker comp threshold, and scheduled wage increases.
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Washington Startup Guide
Plan around Washington's state-run setup: UBI/BLS registration, L&I-only workers comp, B&O tax, PFML premiums, high minimum wages, and the routine-versus-specialized cleaning tax line.
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