Starting and Owning a Local Business

The City of Hickory's Office of Business Development is committed to assisting startup and existing businesses by connecting them to partner resources and helping them navigate through the process of opening, maintaining, or expanding a business in Hickory. City staff is available to answer questions about City processes and available programs for new and existing businesses. Please contact the Business Development department staff at (828) 323-7414 or click this link to schedule an appointment or request information about starting or operating a business in Hickory.

Downtown Business Brochure US 70 Business Brochure

Download Business Startup Kit

Embark on your entrepreneurial journey with the Startup Catawba County Digital Toolkit. We’ve designed this Digital Toolkit to guide you at every step of your business journey.

How can I know more information about signs and permits for my business?

For your permit-related question, you can contact the permit center at (828) 323-7410. More information related to permits can be found here: Permit Center | City of Hickory

What kind of business entity should I establish?

When starting a business, you must decide what form of business entity to establish. Financial implications vary based on which form of business structure you use. The four most common forms of business structure are the sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation and limited liability company. Learn more about each here.

Can I apply permit online?

An online permitting system, ePermits, is now available for projects in Catawba County and the municipalities of Catawba, Claremont, Conover, Hickory, Long View, Maiden, and Newton. The accessed at epermits.catawbacountync.gov.

Permit Center

If you are ready to open a new business or are looking at making changes to your existing business location, contact the Permit Center at (828) 323-7410 to discuss what steps and permits are necessary to move forward with your plans.

Funding Resources

The City of Hickory is committed to promoting business and economic development and offers a range of incentives to new and expanding businesses.

Why Hickory?

The City of Hickory is located in the western portion of North Carolina in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, 50 miles northwest of Charlotte, 80 miles east of Asheville, and 35 miles from the Blue Ridge Parkway. The anchor city of the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton MSA (2020 population of 365,276), Hickory’s population was 43,490 according to the 2020 census.