//San Francisco, California

How to start a business in San Francisco.

San Francisco is a combined city and county, with its own registration process and a sophisticated, demanding customer base. Here is the practical sequence to register, permit, and open, with the official links and where to get free help.

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

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

San Francisco packs a global technology and finance economy, a massive tourism draw, and a dense neighborhood small-business culture into one compact city. From the Financial District and SoMa to the Ferry Building, the Embarcadero, Union Square, Golden Gate Park, and the waterfront ballpark, it is a concentrated business environment, and an expensive one, which raises the bar on doing things right from the start.

Because San Francisco is both a city and a county, it handles its own registration, name filing, and health permits. Getting those right is the first step. Getting found by customers in a costly, competitive market is the second. This guide covers the first in detail, then points you to the second at the end.

Raising venture money for a startup? See our directory of venture capital firms in San Francisco and the Bay Area.

//The sequence

How to start a business in San Francisco, step by step.

This is the order that works for most new San Francisco 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 with the city
Form an LLC or corporation with the California Secretary of State through bizfile Online first, or stay a sole proprietor. Then register with the Office of the Treasurer & Tax Collector within 30 days of starting. Every person engaging in business in San Francisco registers, taxable or not, including anyone who keeps a fixed place of business in the city, works or solicits there on any part of seven days in a tax year, or owns or leases business property there. Apply online, then sign the application through DocuSign within 15 days or it is deleted. You get a Business Account Number (BAN), which the County Clerk and the health permit application ask for.
CA Secretary of State: bizfile Online San Francisco Treasurer & Tax Collector: Register a Business
2
File your business name, if you use one
If you use a name that is not your legal name, file a fictitious business name (DBA) statement with the Office of the County Clerk, City Hall, Room 160, within 40 days of starting business: in person with a government photo ID, or by mail with a self-addressed stamped envelope. Include a copy of your Business Registration Certificate or Temporary Verification of Registration. It costs $69, plus $17 for each additional name or registrant at the same location. Publish it in a San Francisco court-approved newspaper, starting within 45 days of filing, then file the proof of publication ($11) within 45 days after the fourth publication. (415) 554-4950.
San Francisco County Clerk: Fictitious Business Name
3
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
4
Pay the registration fee and renew every February
The 2026-27 fee depends on San Francisco gross receipts (or payroll): $55 up to $100,000, $95 up to $250,000, $160 up to $500,000, and more above that, each plus the $4 state fee. A qualifying new business or new location may pay nothing the first year under the city's First Year Free program; the application asks. Registration runs April 1 to March 31 and is renewed every year by the last day of February on the Annual Business Registration and Tax Form. The certificate is mailed after payment and must be displayed at your place of business.
San Francisco Treasurer & Tax Collector: Register a Business San Francisco Treasurer & Tax Collector: Renew Business Registration
5
Confirm zoning and pull any industry permits
Confirm the use is allowed at the address with the city's planning department before you sign a lease. If you sell or serve food: Every restaurant, bar, market and other retail food business needs a permit from the San Francisco Department of Public Health; apply at least 1 month before opening, with your Business Account Number and Location ID Number, and have at least one certified food safety manager. A new owner needs a new permit: (415) 252-3800. For other permits, GO-Biz offers permitting and regulatory help for any size company.
San Francisco Department of Public Health: Food Health Permit GO-Biz: Permit & Regulatory Assistance
6
Report business equipment to the Assessor
The Assessor-Recorder expects a business property statement from every new business, anyone sent a Notice of Requirement to File, and anyone with taxable business property costing $100,000 or more in San Francisco on January 1. It is due April 1; not filed by May 7, the Assessor estimates the value and adds a 10% penalty. E-file with the Entity ID and PIN on your annual notice, or email askBPP@sfgov.org for a statement.
San Francisco Assessor-Recorder: Business Property Statement
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 San Francisco SBDC, part of the Norcal SBDC network, offers no-fee business advising at City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, Room 140: (415) 937-7232. Use it before you pay a consultant.
Norcal SBDC: Find Your SBDC (free advising)

//Free San Francisco checklist

Take the steps with you.

Get the San Francisco 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 San Francisco?

San Francisco does not call it a license. Every person engaging in business in the city, taxable or not, must register with the Office of the Treasurer & Tax Collector within 30 days of starting, display the Business Registration Certificate at the place of business, and renew it every year by the last day of February.

Source: San Francisco Treasurer & Tax Collector, Register a Business

How much does San Francisco business registration cost?

For the year from April 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027, it depends on your San Francisco gross receipts (or payroll): $55 up to $100,000, $95 up to $250,000, $160 up to $500,000, and more above that, each plus the $4 state fee. A qualifying new business or new location may pay nothing the first year under First Year Free.

Source: San Francisco Treasurer & Tax Collector, Register a Business

Where do I file a DBA in San Francisco?

With the Office of the County Clerk at City Hall, Room 160, if you use a name that is not your legal name: in person with a government photo ID, or by mail. Include a copy of your Business Registration Certificate. It costs $69, plus $17 for each additional name or registrant at the same location, and $11 to file the affidavit of publication. Publish it in a San Francisco court-approved newspaper.

Sources: San Francisco County Clerk, File a Fictitious Business Name; Fees for County Clerk Services

How do I open a restaurant in San Francisco?

Beyond your San Francisco business registration, every restaurant, bar, market and other retail food business needs a permit from the San Francisco Department of Public Health. Apply at least 1 month before opening, with your Business Account Number and Location ID Number, and have at least one certified food safety manager. A new owner needs a new permit: (415) 252-3800.

Source: San Francisco Department of Public Health, Food Health Permit

Does a new San Francisco business file a business property statement?

Yes. The Assessor-Recorder expects one from every new business, as well as anyone sent a Notice of Requirement to File and anyone with taxable business property costing $100,000 or more in the city on January 1. It is due April 1; not filed by May 7, the Assessor estimates the value and adds a 10% penalty. Property assessed under $4,000 is exempt.

Source: San Francisco Assessor-Recorder, File your business property statement

Where can I get free help starting my business?

The San Francisco SBDC, part of the Norcal SBDC network, offers no-fee business advising at City Hall, Room 140: (415) 937-7232. 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 San Francisco 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.

San Francisco Treasurer & Tax Collector: Register a Business
Every business engaging in business in San Francisco registers within 30 days of starting and renews by the last day of February.
San Francisco Treasurer & Tax Collector: Renew Business Registration
Registration runs April 1 to March 31; renewal is due the last day of February, on the Annual Business Registration and Tax Form.
San Francisco County Clerk: Fictitious Business Name
$69 to file, in person or by mail, with your Business Registration Certificate. City Hall, Room 160, (415) 554-4950.
San Francisco Department of Public Health: Food Health Permit
Apply at least 1 month before you open a restaurant, bar, market or other food business. (415) 252-3800.
San Francisco Assessor-Recorder: Business Property Statement
New businesses and anyone with $100,000 or more in business property file by April 1; a 10% penalty applies after May 7.
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.