Business licenses (in the US) have nothing to do with personal liability.  That&#x27;s what LLCs and other structures are for.  A &#x27;business license&#x27; just gives you the ability to run a business without being shut down for, well, running a business without a license, as tautological as that sounds.<p>Presumably the idea behind business licensing at the local level is that commercial entities require extra service from the government with regard to code enforcement, city planning, fire&#x2F;police protection, and so on, and the license fees help pay for those services.  Discriminating against anyone for pretty much any reason would be grounds for a lawsuit against the municipality or county.