Gainesboro · Upper Cumberland
Starting a business in Jackson County.
Where to go, what it costs, and what is particular to Jackson rather than true everywhere. The rules are Tennessee’s; the office, the hours and the number of licences are local.
Where you go
Jackson County Clerk
Brandon Stafford
The office moved in September 2026 and no street address has been published yet. Other sites, including the state’s, still list the old building. Ring before you set off.
Post: PO Box 346, Gainesboro, TN 38562
Opening hours are listed differently by the county and the state, so we would rather you rang than turned up on the wrong morning.
What it costs in Jackson
$30inside those city limits
$15 to the county clerk, and another $15 to the city if you are inside Gainesboro. Two licences, two offices, one business. Outside those limits it is just the county one.
The $15 is set by state law, so it is the same in every Tennessee county. You need it once you expect more than $3,000 a year.
Worth knowing: The clerk's office moved in September 2026 and no street address has been published. Call before going. Hours are also disputed between the county and tn.gov.
Town by town
The rest of it is the same everywhere
Choosing between a sole proprietorship and an LLC, registering with the Secretary of State, sales tax, and the order to do it all in are Tennessee-wide rather than Jackson-specific. The full guide covers them, including why an LLC costs $300 rather than the hundred or so most people expect.
Read the full guideWe serve Jackson County
The Biz Foundry is a non-profit in Cookeville and coaching is free across all fourteen Upper Cumberland counties, in person or over video. There is no office in Gainesboro; there is a person who will talk to you about Gainesboro.
Book a free session →Checked against official county and state sources on September 17, 2026. If you find something out of date, tell us and we will fix it.