The West Virginia Secretary of State’s Office and the West Virginia Division of Labor recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding to create, develop, integrate and maintain the Division’s portion of the West Virginia One Stop Business Portal – an online resource for business owners to electronically register with the State, pay fees, file annual reports and more.
The Portal is a legislative initiative spearheaded by WV Secretary of State Mac Warner to simplify and speed up government agencies’ interactions with West Virginia businesses. As a result of the effort, starting a new business or growing an existing business in West Virginia has never been easier. Business owners can easily access all services of the portal at Business4WV.gov.
As an interagency cooperative created by the West Virginia Legislature, the Division of Labor and Commissioner Mitch E. Woodrum have supported the creation of the Portal since its inception. It is the second of four state agencies to participate in the effort. In addition to the Division of Labor, the State Tax Department and Workforce West Virginia will be added to the Portal to further ensure that the process is efficient, simple and reliable for business owners and entrepreneurs.
The Division of Labor will now create its scope of work for the project, which will include the acceptance of new contractor license applications and renewals for several other licensees online at a single, one-stop location. In a seamless process, payments will go directly through the West Virginia State Treasurer’s secure online service at no added cost to users.
“Our Division has accepted renewal applications and electronic payments via our website for several years and the opportunity to add this process to the One Stop Business Portal was not a hard decision,” Commissioner Woodrum said. “We will continue to work with the Secretary of State’s web portal designers to expedite the addition of initial applications. Once implemented, it will decrease the processing time of a complete application by several days. It only makes sense that agencies should work together to cut out the unnecessary steps in obtaining and maintaining any type of required license or certification to work or do business in West Virginia.”
In addition to new contractor applications, the Division of Labor will also offer online renewal applications and fee payments for contractor licensing, crane operator certification, plumber certification, HVAC technician certification, elevator safety, boiler invoices, weights and measures labs, bedding and upholstery certification/permits, amusement rides and attractions permits, and zipline and canopy tours permits.
“The Secretary of State’s Office is pleased to announce that these essential services for our business owners through the Division of Labor will soon be added to the Portal,” Secretary Warner said. “This partnership is an example of how state government agencies are working together behind the scenes to promote economic development and make West Virginia a model for how business should be done.”
For information or assistance, West Virginia business owners and entrepreneurs can contact the WV One Stop Business Center at 304-558-8000.
