//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 some of the most sophisticated buyers anywhere. Here is the practical sequence to register, permit, and open, with the official links and where to get free help.
San Francisco packs a global technology and finance economy, a massive tourism draw, and a dense neighborhood small-business culture into seven square miles. From the Financial District and SoMa to the Ferry Building, the Embarcadero, Union Square, Golden Gate Park, and the waterfront ballpark, it is one of the most concentrated business environments in the country. It is also one of the most expensive, 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.
//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. When in doubt, run your address and business type through CalGold and it will list everything that applies to you.
- 1
Register the business and the name
Form your LLC or corporation with the California Secretary of State through bizfile, or stay a sole proprietor. If you operate under a name that is not your legal name, file a fictitious business name (DBA) with the San Francisco County Clerk, then publish it within 45 days for four weeks.
- 2
Get your free EIN and any seller's permit
Get a free federal EIN from the IRS for banking and taxes. If you sell or lease physical goods, register for a free seller's permit with the CDTFA so you can collect sales tax.
- 3
Register your business with the city
Every business in San Francisco must register with the Office of the Treasurer & Tax Collector within 30 days of starting. You will get a Business Account Number, needed for other city permits, and your Business Registration Certificate must be displayed and renewed annually by the end of February.
- 4
Confirm zoning and pull any industry permits
Confirm your location is zoned for your use before you sign a lease, then check CalGold for the permits your trade needs. Any food business, restaurant, bar, or retail food location, needs a health permit from the San Francisco Department of Public Health.
- 5
Budget for the $800 California franchise tax
If you form an LLC or corporation, California charges a minimum $800 annual franchise tax through the Franchise Tax Board, owed even in a slow year. Plan for it from day one.
- 6
Use the free help that already exists
The San Francisco SBDC, part of the Norcal SBDC network, offers no-cost, confidential one-on-one advising on planning, funding, and marketing. Use it before you pay a consultant.
//Bookmark these
Official San Francisco and California resources.
Each link goes straight to the government or nonprofit source that handles it. Go to them directly rather than a paid middleman that charges for free filings.
Every business must register with the SF Treasurer & Tax Collector within 30 days of starting, then renew annually by the end of February.
Register an LLC, corporation, or partnership, or reserve a name, directly with the state.
Your free federal tax ID. The IRS issues it online in minutes. Never pay a third party for one.
Free sales-tax permit, required if you sell or lease physical goods in California.
Enter your city and business type to see every permit you need, with the agency contacts.
Most LLCs owe California's $800 minimum annual tax. Budget for it before you form one.
File a fictitious business name with the SF County Clerk, then publish it within 45 days for four weeks.
Every restaurant, bar, and retail food location needs a health permit from the SF Department of Public Health.
No-cost one-on-one advising for San Francisco businesses on planning, funding, and marketing.
No-cost, confidential business advising across Northern California, with San Francisco, Silicon Valley, and East Bay centers.
//By trade in San Francisco
Common San Francisco businesses, and the extra step each needs.
Tech, SaaS, or startup
Most need the city Business Registration plus any state license. The real early work is being found by sophisticated buyers who research for months, often before they ever contact you.
Restaurant, bar, or cafe
Beyond city registration, every food and drink location needs a health permit from the SF Department of Public Health, and bars add state ABC licensing. The build-out requirements drive your timeline, so engage early.
Retail or boutique
Get a CDTFA seller's permit to collect sales tax plus the city registration. In a high-rent market, being found in local search is what keeps a storefront full.
Professional or home-based services
Consultants and home-based businesses still register with the city. Confirm your use is allowed at your address, and lean on owned visibility since paid clicks here are expensive.
//When you are ready to be found
Getting open is step one. Getting found is step two.
Owned visibility beats rented clicks
San Francisco has some of the highest ad costs in the country. SEO and a converting site earn their keep fastest, producing well after the budget stops.
Win the quiet research
Sophisticated buyers decide before they contact you. We build the content and authority that get you shortlisted during the research you never see.
We are an Orange County agency
Mining Wells is headquartered in Orange County, CA, and we help San Francisco businesses build durable visibility and turn it into booked revenue.
Honest work, no fiction
No promised rankings, no fixed lead counts. Sophisticated buyers see through that anyway. Clear work and reporting tied to revenue, month to month.
//How we help
Marketing that turns your San Francisco business into booked revenue.
Build the owned visibility that beats ever-rising ad costs.
Positioning that cuts through a crowded, jargon-heavy market.
When paid makes sense, measured by cost per booked customer.
The regional start-a-business steps and other city guides.
Ranking when your buyer is a committee researching for months.
//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 business must register with the Office of the Treasurer & Tax Collector within 30 days of starting, get a Business Account Number, display the Business Registration Certificate, and renew it annually by the end of February.
How do I open a restaurant in San Francisco?
Beyond city registration, every restaurant, bar, and retail food location needs a health permit from the San Francisco Department of Public Health. The build-out and plan requirements shape your timeline, so engage them early, and bars add state ABC licensing.
Where do I file a DBA in San Francisco?
File a fictitious business name with the San Francisco County Clerk if you operate under a name that is not your legal name, then publish it within 45 days in an approved local newspaper for four weeks.
What is the $800 tax people forget about?
If you form an LLC or corporation, California charges a minimum $800 annual franchise tax through the Franchise Tax Board, owed even in a slow year. New owners routinely forget it, so plan for it from day one.
Can you guarantee customers once I open?
No, and sophisticated buyers see through anyone who claims they can. We promise honest work and reporting tied to revenue, and we make you the findable, credible option when a San Francisco customer searches.
About Mining Wells
We're on a mission to fix bad marketing.
Maybe:
- You are spending thousands on marketing tools, ads, and your website, with zero revenue increase to show for it.
- Every campaign you have tried gets minimal results.
- You have a great product that nobody seems to find.
- You are getting interest, but it never converts to a sale.
- You have a low retention rate.
- You have been paying a marketing agency for over a year and have not seen results.
You are not alone. Many founders and leaders live with the results of bad marketing without ever finding the reason.
And often that is because it can be many reasons. Sometimes it is the wrong ICP, sometimes the wrong messaging, sometimes the wrong targeting chasing impressions.
We are here to take the hard guesswork out and provide that clarity before it is too late.
At Mining Wells, we help founders and leaders grow their businesses the right way.
Tired of bad marketing?