California Business Licenses
General California Guides & Resources
These guides provide detailed, step-by-step instructions for starting a business or nonprofit, registering with state authorities, and establishing a compliant organization.
Business Resources:
Fast easy instructions and affordable support for filing your California annual report.
Get your California business license. Harbor Compliance assists with initial and renewal registrations in every state.
Get your California construction licenses. Harbor Compliance assists with initial and renewal registrations in every state.
Licensing guide for energy industry registrations and licenses in California. Find detailed application, renewal, and reporting requirements.
If you are looking to obtain a finance license in California, Harbor Compliance can help.
Total cost, time, and step-by-step instructions to form a limited liability company in California. Do it yourself or purchase our formation service.
Total cost, time, and step-by-step instructions on how to incorporate in California. Do it yourself or purchase our incorporation service.
California Business Licensing Guides and Information.
Total time, cost, and paperwork to start your business in California today! Our affordable formation services are state-specific.
Nonprofit Resources:
How to Start a Nonprofit Organization
Total cost, time, and how to start a nonprofit in California. Instruction and services to assist with your non-profit formation.
Comprehensive solutions (and free resources) to help manage your fundraising, tax exemption, license renewals, and other nonprofit compliance activities in California, and across the US.
California Business Licenses for Regulated Industries
Our licensing guides provide a wealth of information including requirements, filing instructions, fees, timelines to licensure, and more for a range of industries and activities.
California Corporate Filings
These web pages provide detailed information on state filings required to form an entity, register a name, gain authority to operate, maintain good standing, and more.
- Dissolve California Corporation LLC Nonprofit
- Foreign California Corporation
- Foreign California LLC
- How to File California Articles of Incorporation
- Moving Your Company's Domicile to California
- Obtain California Certified Copies
- Reinstate California Corporation LLC Nonprofit
- Start a California 501(c)(3)
California Tax Filings
Find the information you need to register for state taxes or seek tax exemptions.
- California Employer (Payroll & Withholding Tax) Registration Service
- California Sales & Use Tax Registration Service
- California Sales Tax Exemption
- California Tax Clearance Certificate
- California Tax Exemption
California State Licensing Agencies
Below is a listing of the state-level licensing agencies within California that a business should check for business license requirements.
- Architects Board
- Attorney General - Registry of Charities and Fundraisers
- Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists
- Board of Accountancy
- Bureau of Security and Investigative Services
- Council For Interior Design Certification (CCIDC)
- Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control
- Department of Consumer Affairs - Bureau of Household Goods and Services (BHGS)
- Department of Consumer Affairs - Bureau of Real Estate
- Department of Consumer Affairs - Bureau of Real Estate Appraisers (BREA)
- Department of Consumer Affairs - Contractors State License Board (CSLB)
- Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI)
- Department of Food and Agriculture - Division of Measurement Standards
- Department of Forestry & Fire Protection - Licensed Timber Operator (LTO) Program
- Department of Housing and Community Development - Division of Codes and Standards - Occupational Licensing Program
- Department of Industrial Relations - Asbestos and Carcinogen Unit
- Department of Industrial Relations - Division of Labor Standards Enforcement
- Department of Industrial Relations - Division of Workers' Compensation
- Department of Industrial Relations - Electrician Certification Program
- Department of Industrial Relations - Elevator Unit
- Department of Industrial Relations- Public Works
- Department of Insurance
- Department of Public Health - Division of Radiation Safety and Environmental Management - Radiologic Health Branch
- Department of Public Health - Food and Drug Branch
- Department of Public Health Childhood Lean Poisoning Branch
- Department of Social Services - Community Care Licensing Division - Home Care Services Bureau
- Department of Tax and Fee Administration
- Employment Development Department
- Franchise Tax Board
- Landscape Architects Technical Committee
- Office of the Attorney General - Bureau of Gambling Control
- Public Utilities Commission
- Secretary of State - Business Programs Division
- State Board of Equalization
- State Board of Pharmacy
California Local Business Licences
Below is a listing of the local jurisdictions within California that a business should check for local business license requirements.
County / Parish
- Alameda County
- Alpine County
- Amador County
- Butte County
- Calaveras County
- Colusa County
- Contra Costa County
- Del Norte County
- El Dorado County
- Fresno County
- Glenn County
- Humboldt County
- Imperial County
- Inyo County
- Kern County
- Kings County
- Lake County
- Lassen County
- Los Angeles County
- Madera County
- Marin County
- Mariposa County
- Mendocino County
- Merced County
- Modoc County
- Mono County
- Monterey County
- Napa County
- Nevada County
- Orange County
- Placer County
- Plumas County
- Riverside County
- Sacramento County
- San Benito County
- San Bernardino County
- San Diego County
- San Francisco County
- San Joaquin County
- San Luis Obispo County
- San Mateo County
- Santa Barbara County
- Santa Clara County
- Santa Cruz County
- Shasta County
- Sierra County
- Siskiyou County
- Solano County
- Sonoma County
- Stanislaus County
- Sutter County
- Tehama County
- Trinity County
- Tulare County
- Tuolumne County
- Ventura County
- Yolo County
- Yuba County
City / Borough / Municipality / Neighborhood
- Acton
- Adelanto
- Agoura Hills
- Alameda
- Alamo
- Albany
- Albion
- Alhambra
- Aliso Viejo
- Alleghany
- Alpaugh
- Alpine
- Alta
- Alta Sierra
- Altadena
- Altaville
- Alturas
- Alviso
- American Canyon
- Anaheim
- Anderson
- Angels Camp
- Angwin
- Annapolis
- Antelope
- Antioch
- Apple Valley
- Aptos
- Arbuckle
- Arcadia
- Arcata
- Arden-Arcade
- Arnold
- Aromas
- Arroyo Grande
- Artesia
- Arvin
- Atascadero
- Atherton
- Atwater
- Auberry
- Auburn
- Avalon
- Avenal
- Avila Beach
- Avocado Heights
- Azusa
- Badger
- Baker
- Bakersfield
- Baldwin Park
- Bangor
- Banning
- Barstow
- Bay Point
- Baywood-Los Osos
- Beale Air Force Base
- Beaumont
- Bell
- Bell Gardens
- Bella Vista
- Bellflower
- Belmont
- Belvedere Tiburon
- Ben Lomond
- Benicia
- Berkeley
- Bethel Island
- Beverly Hills
- Big Bear
- Big Bear Lake
- Big Bend
- Big Creek
- Big Pine
- Big Sur
- Biggs
- Bishop
- Blackhawk
- Blairsden-Graeagle
- Bloomington
- Blue Jay
- Blue Lake
- Blythe
- Bodega Bay
- Bolinas
- Bonita
- Bonita Long Canyon
- Bonsall
- Boonville
- Boron
- Borrego Springs
- Boulder Creek
- Boyes Hot Springs
- Bradley
- Brawley
- Brea
- Brentwood
- Bridgeport
- Bridgeville
- Brisbane
- Brookdale
- Brooks
- Buellton
- Buena Park
- Burbank
- Burlingame
- Burney
- Burrel
- Butte City
- Buttonwillow
- Byron
- Cabazon
- Calabasas
- Calexico
- California City
- California Hot Springs
- Calimesa
- Calipatria
- Calistoga
- Calpella
- Camarillo
- Cambria
- Cameron Park
- Camino
- Camp Pendleton North
- Camp Pendleton South
- Campbell
- Campo
- Camptonville
- Canoga Park
- Canyon
- Canyon Country
- Canyon Lake
- Capistrano Beach
- Capitola
- Cardiff
- Carlsbad
- Carmel Valley
- Carmel-by-the-Sea
- Carmichael
- Carpinteria
- Carson
- Caruthers
- Castaic
- Castro Valley
- Castroville
- Cathedral City
- Cayucos
- Cazadero
- Cedar Glen
- Ceres
- Cerritos
- Challenge
- Chatsworth
- Chester
- Chicago Park
- Chico
- Chinese Camp
- Chino
- Chino Hills
- Chowchilla
- Chualar
- Chula Vista
- Citrus Heights
- City of Industry
- Claremont
- Clayton
- Clearlake
- Clearlake Oaks
- Clements
- Cloverdale
- Clovis
- Coachella
- Coalinga
- Cobb
- Coleville
- Colfax
- Coloma
- Colton
- Columbia
- Colusa
- Commerce
- Compton
- Concord
- Copperopolis
- Corcoran
- Corning
- Corona
- Corona Del Mar
- Coronado
- Corte Madera
- Costa Mesa
- Cotati
- Coto de Caza
- Cottonwood
- Coulterville
- Country Club
- Covelo
- Covina
- Crescent City
- Crestline
- Crockett
- Crows Landing
- Culver City
- Cupertino
- Cypress
- Daggett
- Daly City
- Dana Point
- Danville
- Davis
- Death Valley
- Deer Park
- Del Mar
- Del Monte Forest
- Del Rio
- Delano
- Delhi
- Desert Center
- Desert Hot Springs
- Desert Hot Springs
- Diablo
- Diamond Bar
- Diamond Springs
- Dinuba
- Discovery Bay
- Dixon
- Dorris
- Dos Palos
- Downey
- Downieville
- Duarte
- Dublin
- Ducor
- Dunnigan
- Dunsmuir
- Durham
- Dutch Flat
- Earlimart
- Earp
- East Irvine
- East Los Angeles
- East Palo Alto
- East Whittier
- Eastvale
- Edison
- Edwards
- Edwards Air Force Base
- El Cajon
- El Camino Village
- El Centro
- El Cerrito
- El Dorado
- El Dorado Hills
- El Granada
- El Monte
- El Segundo
- El Sobrante
- Eldridge
- Elk
- Elk Creek
- Elk Grove
- Elmira
- Elverta
- Emeryville
- Empire
- Encinitas
- Encino
- Escalon
- Escondido
- Esparto
- Etna
- Eureka
- Exeter
- Fair Oaks
- Fairfax
- Fairfield
- Fall River Mills
- Fallbrook
- Farmersville
- Farmington
- Felton
- Ferndale
- Fiddletown
- Fillmore
- Firebaugh
- Five Points
- Florence-Graham
- Florin
- Folsom
- Fontana
- Foothill Farms
- Foothill Ranch
- Forbestown
- Forest Knolls
- Forest Ranch
- Foresthill
- Forestville
- Fort Bragg
- Fort Irwin
- Fortuna
- Foster City
- Fountain Valley
- Fowler
- Frazier Park
- Freedom
- Fremont
- French Gulch
- Fresno
- Friant
- Fullerton
- Fulton
- Furnace Creek
- Galt
- Garberville
- Garden Grove
- Gardena
- Gazelle
- Georgetown
- Geyserville
- Gilroy
- Glen Ellen
- Glendale
- Glendora
- Glennville
- Gold River
- Goleta
- Gonzales
- Granada Hills
- Grand Terrace
- Granite Bay
- Grass Valley
- Graton
- Greenbrae
- Greenfield
- Greenville
- Greenwood
- Grenada
- Gridley
- Grizzly Flats
- Groveland
- Groveland-Big Oak Flat
- Grover Beach
- Guadalupe
- Gualala
- Guerneville
- Guinda
- Gustine
- Hacienda Heights
- Half Moon Bay
- Hanford
- Happy Camp
- Happy Valley
- Harbor City
- Hawaiian Gardens
- Hawthorne
- Hayfork
- Hayward
- Healdsburg
- Heber
- Helendale
- Hemet
- Herald
- Hercules
- Herlong
- Hermosa Beach
- Hesperia
- Hickman
- Hidden Meadows
- Highland
- Hillsborough
- Hilmar
- Hollister
- Holtville
- Homeland
- Homewood
- Honeydew
- Hoopa
- Hornbrook
- Hughson
- Huntington Beach
- Huntington Park
- Huron
- Hydesville
- Idyllwild
- Idyllwild-Pine Cove
- Igo
- Imperial
- Imperial Beach
- Independence
- Indian Wells
- Indio
- Inglewood
- Inverness
- Ione
- Irvine
- Irwindale
- Isla Vista
- Isleton
- Ivanhoe
- Jackson
- Jacumba Hot Springs
- Jamestown
- Jamul
- Janesville
- Jenner
- Joshua Tree
- Julian
- June Lake
- Kelseyville
- Kentfield
- Kenwood
- Kerman
- Kernville
- King City
- Kings Beach
- Kings Canyon National Park
- Kingsburg
- Klamath
- Kneeland
- Knights Landing
- Knightsen
- La Canada Flintridge
- La Crescenta-Montrose
- La Habra
- La Honda
- La Mesa
- La Mirada
- La Palma
- La Puente
- La Quinta
- La Riviera
- La Verne
- Ladera Ranch
- Lafayette
- Laguna Beach
- Laguna Hills
- Laguna Niguel
- Laguna Woods
- Lake Arrowhead
- Lake Elsinore
- Lake Forest
- Lake Hughes
- Lake Isabella
- Lake of the Pines
- Lakeport
- Lakeside
- Lakewood
- Lancaster
- Larkspur
- Lathrop
- Laton
- Lawndale
- Laytonville
- Le Grand
- Lebec
- Lee Vining
- Leggett
- Lemon Cove
- Lemon Grove
- Lemoore
- Lewiston
- Lincoln
- Linda
- Linden
- Lindsay
- Littlerock
- Live Oak
- Live Oak
- Livermore
- Livingston
- Lockeford
- Lodi
- Loma Linda
- Lomita
- Lompoc
- Lone Pine
- Long Beach
- Loomis
- Los Alamitos
- Los Altos
- Los Altos Hills
- Los Angeles
- Los Banos
- Los Gatos
- Los Molinos
- Los Olivos
- Los Osos
- Lost Hills
- Lower Lake
- Loyalton
- Lucas Valley-Marinwood
- Lucerne
- Lucerne Valley
- Lynwood
- Lyoth
- Mad River
- Madera
- Magalia
- Malibu
- Mammoth Lakes
- Manhattan Beach
- Manteca
- March Air Reserve Base
- Marina
- Marina del Rey
- Mariposa
- Markleeville
- Marshall
- Martinez
- Marysville
- Mather
- Maxwell
- Maywood
- McClellan Park
- McFarland
- McKinleyville
- McKittrick
- Meadow Vista
- Mecca
- Mendocino
- Mendota
- Menifee
- Menlo Park
- Mentone
- Merced
- Meridian
- Mi-Wuk Village
- Middletown
- Midway City
- Mill Valley
- Millbrae
- Millville
- Milpitas
- Mira Loma
- Miramonte
- Miranda
- Mission Hills
- Mission Viejo
- Moccasin
- Modesto
- Mojave
- Mokelumne Hill
- Monrovia
- Montague
- Montara
- Montclair
- Monte Rio
- Montebello
- Montecito
- Monterey
- Monterey Park
- Moorpark
- Moraga
- Moreno Valley
- Morgan Hill
- Morro Bay
- Moss Beach
- Moss Landing
- Mount Aukum
- Mount Baldy
- Mount Hamilton
- Mount Laguna
- Mount Shasta
- Mount Wilson
- Mountain View
- Murrieta
- Napa
- National City
- Naval Air Station Point Mugu
- Naval Construction Battalion Center Port Hueneme
- Navarro
- Needles
- Nevada City
- New Cuyama
- New Pine Creek
- Newark
- Newberry Springs
- Newbury Park
- Newcastle
- Newhall
- Newman
- Newport Beach
- Newport Coast
- Nicasio
- Nicolaus
- Nipomo
- Norco
- Norden
- North Fork
- North Highlands
- North Hills
- North Hollywood
- North San Juan
- North Tustin
- Northridge
- Norwalk
- Novato
- Nuevo
- O'Neals
- Oak Park
- Oak View
- Oakdale
- Oakhurst
- Oakland
- Oakley
- Oakville
- Occidental
- Oceano
- Oceanside
- Oildale
- Ojai
- Olancha
- Olivehurst
- Olympic Valley
- Ontario
- Orange
- Orange Cove
- Orangevale
- Orcutt
- Orinda
- Orland
- Orleans
- Oro Grande
- Orosi
- Oroville
- Oxnard
- Pacific Grove
- Pacific Palisades
- Pacifica
- Pacoima
- Paicines
- Pala
- Palm Desert
- Palm Springs
- Palmdale
- Palo Alto
- Palo Cedro
- Palomar Mountain
- Palos Verdes Peninsula
- Panorama City
- Paradise
- Paramount
- Parker Dam
- Parlier
- Pasadena
- Paskenta
- Paso Robles
- Patterson
- Pearblossom
- Pebble Beach
- Penn Valley
- Penngrove
- Penryn
- Perris
- Pescadero
- Petaluma
- Petrolia
- Phelan
- Phillipsville
- Pico Rivera
- Piedmont
- Piercy
- Pine Grove
- Pine Mountain Club
- Pine Valley
- Pinecrest
- Pinole
- Pismo Beach
- Pittsburg
- Pixley
- Placentia
- Placerville
- Planada
- Playa del Rey
- Pleasant Grove
- Pleasant Hill
- Pleasanton
- Plymouth
- Point Arena
- Point Reyes Station
- Pollock Pines
- Pomona
- Port Costa
- Port Hueneme
- Porterville
- Portola
- Portola Valley
- Poway
- Prunedale
- Quincy
- Rainbow
- Raisin City
- Ramona
- Rancho Calaveras
- Rancho Cordova
- Rancho Cucamonga
- Rancho Mirage
- Rancho Murieta
- Rancho Palos Verdes
- Rancho San Diego
- Rancho Santa Fe
- Rancho Santa Margarita
- Randsburg
- Raymond
- Red Bluff
- Redding
- Redlands
- Redondo Beach
- Redwood City
- Redwood Estates
- Redwood Valley
- Reedley
- Represa
- Rescue
- Reseda
- Rialto
- Richgrove
- Richmond
- Richvale
- Ridgecrest
- Rio Dell
- Rio Linda
- Rio Oso
- Rio Vista
- Ripon
- Riverbank
- Riverdale
- Riverside
- Robbins
- Rocklin
- Rodeo
- Rohnert Park
- Rosamond
- Rosemead
- Rosemont
- Roseville
- Ross
- Rossmoor
- Rough and Ready
- Rowland Heights
- Sacramento
- Saint Helena
- Salida
- Salinas
- San Andreas
- San Anselmo
- San Ardo
- San Bernardino
- San Bruno
- San Carlos
- San Clemente
- San Diego
- San Dimas
- San Fernando
- San Francisco
- San Gabriel
- San Gregorio
- San Jacinto
- San Joaquin
- San Jose
- San Juan Bautista
- San Juan Capistrano
- San Leandro
- San Lorenzo
- San Lucas
- San Luis Obispo
- San Luis Rey
- San Marcos
- San Marino
- San Martin
- San Mateo
- San Miguel
- San Pablo
- San Pedro
- San Quentin
- San Rafael
- San Ramon
- San Simeon
- San Ysidro
- Sand City
- Sanger
- Santa Ana
- Santa Barbara
- Santa Clara
- Santa Clarita
- Santa Cruz
- Santa Fe Springs
- Santa Margarita
- Santa Maria
- Santa Monica
- Santa Paula
- Santa Rosa
- Santa Ynez
- Santee
- Saratoga
- Sausalito
- Scotts Valley
- Seal Beach
- Seaside
- Sebastopol
- Selma
- Sequoia National Park
- Shafter
- Shandon
- Shasta
- Shasta Lake
- Sheep Ranch
- Sherman Oaks
- Shingle Springs
- Shoshone
- Sierra Madre
- Sierraville
- Signal Hill
- Silverado
- Simi Valley
- Sloughhouse
- Smartsville
- Snelling
- Soda Springs
- Solana Beach
- Soledad
- Solvang
- Somis
- Sonoma
- Sonora
- Soquel
- South El Monte
- South Gate
- South Lake Tahoe
- South Pasadena
- South San Francisco
- South Whittier
- Spreckels
- Spring Valley
- Springville
- Squaw Valley
- Stanford
- Stanton
- Stevenson Ranch
- Stevinson
- Stinson Beach
- Stockton
- Stonyford
- Strathmore
- Studio City
- Suisun City
- Sultana
- Sun City
- Sun Valley
- Sunland-Tujunga
- Sunnyvale
- Sunol
- Sunset Beach
- Susanville
- Sutter
- Sutter Creek
- Sylmar
- Taft
- Tahoe City
- Tahoe Vista
- Tamalpais-Homestead Valley
- Tarzana
- Tehachapi
- Temecula
- Temple City
- Templeton
- Thermal
- Thornton
- Thousand Oaks
- Thousand Palms
- Three Rivers
- Tipton
- Tollhouse
- Tomales
- Topanga
- Torrance
- Trabuco Canyon
- Tracy
- Tranquillity
- Traver
- Travis Air Force Base
- Trona
- Truckee
- Tujunga
- Tulare
- Tulelake
- Tupman
- Turlock
- Tustin
- Twain Harte
- Twentynine Palms
- Twin Peaks
- Ukiah
- Union City
- Universal City
- Upland
- Upper Lake
- Vacaville
- Valencia
- Valle Vista
- Vallejo
- Valley Center
- Valley Springs
- Valley Village
- Van Nuys
- Vandenberg Air Force Base
- Venice
- Ventura
- Victorville
- Vidal
- Villa Park
- Vineyard
- Visalia
- Vista
- Wallace
- Walnut
- Walnut Creek
- Warner Springs
- Wasco
- Washington
- Waterford
- Watsonville
- Waukena
- Weaverville
- Weed
- Weldon
- Weott
- West Carson
- West Covina
- West Hills
- West Hollywood
- West Point
- West Rancho Dominguez
- West Sacramento
- Westlake Village
- Westley
- Westminster
- Westmorland
- Westwood
- Wheatland
- Whitethorn
- Whittier
- Wildomar
- Williams
- Willits
- Willow Creek
- Willowbrook
- Willows
- Wilmington
- Wilton
- Winchester
- Windsor
- Winnetka
- Winterhaven
- Winters
- Woodacre
- Woodbridge
- Woodcrest
- Woodlake
- Woodland
- Woodland Hills
- Woodside
- Wrightwood
- Yermo
- Yolo
- Yorba Linda
- Yosemite Lakes
- Yosemite Valley
- Yountville
- Yreka
- Yuba City
- Yucaipa
- Yucca Valley
