Carthage · Upper Cumberland
Starting a business in Smith County.
Where to go, what it costs, and what is particular to Smith rather than true everywhere. The rules are Tennessee’s; the office, the hours and the number of licences are local.
Where you go
Smith County Clerk
Clifa Norris
122 Turner High Circle, Suite 101, Carthage, TN 37030
Open: Mon to Fri, 8am to 4pm
What it costs in Smith
$30inside those city limits
$15 to the county clerk, and another $15 to the city if you are inside Carthage, Gordonsville, South Carthage. 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: tn.gov lists 615-735-2294 for the clerk; that is the county's main switchboard. The clerk's own line is 615-735-9833.
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 Smith-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 Smith 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 Carthage; there is a person who will talk to you about Carthage.
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 If you find something out of date, tell us and we will fix it.