//Oakland, California

How to start a business in Oakland.

Oakland anchors the East Bay with a major port, a celebrated food and arts scene, and a diverse population. Here is the practical sequence to register, get your Business Tax Certificate, and open, with the official links and free help.

Starting a business in Oakland? The official steps and source links are below.

Already operating or launching with budget in place? You can also

Oakland is the heart of the East Bay, with the global trade of the Port of Oakland, a nationally known food and music scene, and a deep base of independent businesses. From Lake Merritt and Jack London Square to the Uptown and downtown cores and neighborhood districts like Temescal and Rockridge, the city has a creative, independent character that rewards businesses with a real point of view.

That character is the opportunity. Customers here support businesses they trust and discover locally. Getting open cleanly, with the right Business Tax Certificate and permits, sets the foundation. Getting found by customers comes next. This guide covers the first in detail, then points you to the second.

//The sequence

How to start a business in Oakland, step by step.

This is the order that works for most new Oakland businesses. Requirements vary by entity, location and industry, so use the city, county and state sources below to confirm what applies to yours.

1
Register the business and the name
Form an LLC or corporation with the California Secretary of State through bizfile Online, or stay a sole proprietor. If you use a name that is not your legal name, file a fictitious business name (DBA) statement with the Alameda County Clerk-Recorder within 40 days of starting business, in person with ID or by mail. It costs $40 for one name and one owner, plus $7 for each additional owner or name. Publish it starting within 45 days of filing, once a week for four weeks.
CA Secretary of State: bizfile Online Alameda County Clerk-Recorder: Fictitious Business Name
2
Get your free EIN and any seller's permit
The IRS says you generally need an EIN to hire employees or to operate a partnership or corporation. It issues the number online, immediately if approved, and never charges for it. If you sell or lease goods that would ordinarily be subject to sales tax, you also need a seller's permit from the CDTFA, which does not charge for it but may ask for a security deposit.
IRS: Get an EIN CDTFA: Seller's permit
3
Get a Zoning Clearance first
An Oakland-based business should get a Zoning Clearance before applying for a Business Tax Certificate, and the clearance goes on the application. Confirm the use is allowed at the address before you sign a lease.
City of Oakland: Apply or Renew for a Business Tax Certificate
4
Get your Oakland Business Tax Certificate
Apply online at oakland.hdlgov.com or at the Business Tax Office. The non-refundable registration fee, the state disability access fee and the recordation and technology fee are due within 30 days of the business or rental start date. A seller of wholesale or retail goods needs a California seller's permit, listed on the application with the Zoning Clearance. Once the application is processed, you are emailed the amount due and how to pay online by card, and the certificate arrives by email within 5 days, so check your spam folder. After that, business taxes are paid every year on or before March 1; tell the Business Tax Office if your renewal declaration does not arrive. Questions: btwebsupport@oaklandca.gov, (510) 238-3704.
City of Oakland: Apply or Renew for a Business Tax Certificate
5
Pull any industry permits
If you sell or serve food: Alameda County Environmental Health permits and inspects every retail food facility in the county except in Berkeley, and reviews plans for new and remodeled facilities; state law requires those plans approved before you build. For other permits, GO-Biz offers permitting and regulatory help for any size company.
Alameda County Environmental Health: Food Safety Health and Safety Code 114380 GO-Biz: Permit & Regulatory Assistance
6
Report business equipment to the Assessor
If your business property cost $100,000 or more in total, or the Alameda County Assessor asks in writing, file a business property statement for each location by April 1. A statement received after May 7 gets a 10% penalty. Small businesses can file online through e-SDR. Business Personal Property: (510) 272-3836.
Alameda County Assessor: Business Personal Property
7
Check the $800 California tax rules for your entity
Every California LLC owes the $800 annual tax, even in a year it does no business, until it is cancelled. Corporations owe an $800 minimum franchise tax, but newly incorporated or qualified corporations do not pay it in their first taxable year.
Franchise Tax Board: LLC $800 annual tax Franchise Tax Board: Corporation minimum tax
8
Use the free help that already exists
The East Bay SBDC, part of the Norcal SBDC network, offers no-fee business advising at 25800 Carlos Bee Boulevard, Hayward: (510) 885-4801. Use it before you pay a consultant.
Norcal SBDC: Find Your SBDC (free advising)

//Free Oakland checklist

Take the steps with you.

Get the Oakland business checklist with the city, county, state and federal source links in one place, plus the licensing offices of five Bay Area cities. We keep the source page dated so you can see when it was last checked.

//Common questions

Things we get asked first.

Do I need a business license in Oakland?

Oakland issues a Business Tax Certificate. Apply online or at the Business Tax Office; the non-refundable registration fee and the state and city fees are due within 30 days of the business or rental start date, and an Oakland-based business should get a Zoning Clearance first. Business taxes are then due every year on or before March 1.

Source: City of Oakland, Apply or Renew for a Business License or Certificate

How long does an Oakland Business Tax Certificate take?

Once your application is accepted and processed, you are emailed the amount due and how to pay online by card, and the certificate arrives by email within 5 days. Check your spam or junk folder for it.

Source: City of Oakland, Apply or Renew for a Business License or Certificate

How do I open a restaurant in Oakland?

Beyond the Oakland Business Tax Certificate and Zoning Clearance, you need a permit from Alameda County Environmental Health, which permits and inspects every retail food facility in the county except in Berkeley and reviews plans for new and remodeled facilities. State law requires those plans approved before you build.

Source: Alameda County Environmental Health, Food Safety

Where do I file a DBA for an Oakland business?

With the Alameda County Clerk-Recorder, 1106 Madison Street, Oakland, if you use a name that is not your legal name: by mail with the original, 3 copies and a self-addressed stamped envelope, or in person with valid government ID. It costs $40 for one name and one owner, plus $7 for each additional owner or name on the same statement. If the name includes Inc., LLC or similar, include a state-endorsed copy of the articles.

Source: Alameda County Clerk-Recorder, Fictitious Business Name Filing

Do I have to file a business property statement?

If your business property cost $100,000 or more in total, or the Alameda County Assessor asks in writing, yes: one statement for each location, due April 1. A statement received after May 7 gets a 10% penalty. Business Personal Property: (510) 272-3836.

Source: Alameda County Assessor, Business Personal Property

Where can I get free help starting my business?

The East Bay SBDC, part of the Norcal SBDC network, offers no-fee business advising at 25800 Carlos Bee Boulevard, Hayward: (510) 885-4801. Use it before you pay a consultant.

Source: Norcal SBDC, Find Your SBDC

//Already operating?

The marketing question starts after the filing question.

If the business is already open, or the launch is funded, tell our founders what you want to change. We will look at the business before recommending SEO, paid media, the website or anything else.

For operating businesses and funded launches with budget available to act on the plan.

//Bookmark these

Official Oakland, Alameda County, and California resources.

Every link here goes straight to a government or nonprofit source. These are the agencies that actually issue your registrations and permits, so go to them directly rather than a paid middleman.

City of Oakland: Apply or Renew for a Business Tax Certificate
Registration fee due within 30 days of starting, with a Zoning Clearance first for an Oakland location. Business tax due every March 1. (510) 238-3704.
Alameda County Clerk-Recorder: Fictitious Business Name
$40 for one name and one owner, plus $7 each extra. In person with ID or by mail, 1106 Madison Street, Oakland.
Alameda County Environmental Health: Food Safety
Permits, plan review and inspections for every retail food facility in the county except in Berkeley.
Alameda County Assessor: Business Personal Property
File if your business property cost $100,000 or more or the Assessor asks: due April 1, 10% penalty after May 7. (510) 272-3836.
Alameda County Treasurer-Tax Collector: Business License Tax
For business in unincorporated Alameda County: $20 plus the $4 state fee, renewed every January 1. (510) 670-6400.
Norcal SBDC: Find Your SBDC (free advising)
No-fee advising through the San Francisco, Silicon Valley and East Bay centers, with each center's address and phone.
CA Secretary of State: bizfile Online
Where LLCs and corporations file with the California Secretary of State.
IRS: Get an EIN
Your federal tax ID. Apply online and, if approved, the number is issued immediately. The IRS never charges a fee for an EIN.
CDTFA: Seller's permit
Required if you sell or lease goods that would ordinarily be subject to sales tax. The CDTFA does not charge for it, though it may ask for a security deposit.
Franchise Tax Board: LLC $800 annual tax
Every LLC doing business or organized in California owes the $800 annual tax, even in a year it does no business, until the LLC is cancelled.
Franchise Tax Board: Corporation minimum tax
Corporations owe an $800 minimum franchise tax, but newly incorporated or qualified corporations do not pay it in their first taxable year.
GO-Biz: Permit & Regulatory Assistance
The Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development says it will assist any size company with permitting and regulatory questions.