Businesses primarily engaged in providing local messenger and delivery services of small items within a single metropolitan area or within an urban center.
Matched in the Census NAICS:
Restaurant meals order and delivery services (i.e., independent order and delivery services)
Grocery delivery services (i.e., independent service from grocery store)
Local letter and parcel delivery services (except as part of intercity courier network, U.S. Postal Service)
Businesses primarily engaged in providing food services to patrons who order and are served while seated (i.e., waiter/waitress service) and pay after eating.
Matched in the Census NAICS:
Brew pub restaurants, primarily serving meals, full service
Businesses primarily engaged in providing air, surface, or combined mode courier and express delivery services of parcels, but not operating under a universal service obligation.
Matched in the Census NAICS:
Local letter and parcel delivery services as part of intercity courier network
Express delivery services (except establishments operating under a universal service obligation)
Express delivery services, except establishments operating under a universal service obligation
Businesses primarily engaged in providing food services (except snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars) where patrons generally order or select items and pay before eating.
Matched in the Census NAICS:
Pizza delivery shops
Carryout restaurants
Delicatessen restaurants
Pick the code for the work that brings in most of your revenue.
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How to use the NAICS code lookup
1Describe what you doUse the words a customer would: “commercial lawn mowing”, not “green services company”.
2Compare the best matchesEach code shows the Census lines that matched and its SBA size limit. Open a code page to read its full definition.
3Pick a primary codeChoose the code for the work that brings in most of your revenue, then list the others in SAM.gov.
Example: a roofing company. “commercial roofing” → 238160 Roofing Contractors, SBA limit $19 million in average annual revenue.
The North American Industry Classification System gives every type of business a six-digit code. Federal agencies put one NAICS code on each solicitation, and SAM.gov registration asks for yours.
Why your NAICS code matters for bids
The code on a solicitation sets the SBA size standard for that bid, so it decides whether you can compete for small-business set-asides.
Questions
How do I find my NAICS code?
Describe your main activity in a few words (what you do, not what you are called), for example “commercial lawn mowing” or “office cleaning”. Open the code pages of the best matches and pick the one whose definition and examples fit what brings in most of your revenue.
Can a business have more than one NAICS code?
Yes. In your SAM.gov registration you can list every NAICS code you work in and mark one as your primary code.
Which NAICS code is used for a government bid?
The one on the solicitation. Federal agencies assign one NAICS code to each solicitation, and the SBA size standard of that code decides whether you count as a small business for that bid.
Is this the official NAICS search?
No. PublicBeam is independent. It searches the official 2022 NAICS files of the U.S. Census Bureau, which also has its own search at census.gov/naics.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2022 NAICS (public domain). PublicBeam is independent and not affiliated with the Census Bureau or any agency. Always check the NAICS code in the official notice before you bid.