//Clovis, California

How to start a business in Clovis.

Clovis pairs the Clovis Way of Life with real momentum: Old Town's antiques, dining, and farmers market, a rodeo the whole valley shows up for, strong schools, and a fast-growing family suburb in the Central Valley. Here is the practical sequence to register, license, and open, with the official links and where to get free help.

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

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

Clovis sits right against Fresno, but it has always kept its own identity. The Clovis Way of Life is a real thing here, and you feel it most in Old Town, where antique shops, restaurants, and the farmers market draw people from across the valley, and where the Clovis Rodeo has been a spring fixture for more than a century. Around that historic core, Clovis has grown into a sought-after family suburb, with well-regarded schools and steady rooftops that keep everyday businesses busy.

Healthcare has become a real engine too, anchored by Clovis Community Medical Center and the professional offices that cluster around it. So your customer might be an Old Town regular, a young family that just moved in near a new school, or a patient heading to an appointment, and each finds you differently. Getting open cleanly, with the right business tax certificate, permits, and zoning sign-off, is the first step. Getting found afterward 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 Clovis, step by step.

Clovis runs business registration through its Finance Department, with zoning handled by Planning. 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 first, or stay a sole proprietor; the county clerk asks for the Secretary of State file number on a business name filed by an LLC or corporation. If you use a name that is not your legal name, file a fictitious business name (DBA) statement with the Fresno County Clerk no later than 40 days after you start doing business: by mail, which the clerk recommends, to 2221 Kern Street, Fresno (processed within 5 business days of receipt), or in person by appointment, with original signatures. It costs $35 for the first name and $7 for each additional name or registrant. Publish it within 45 days of filing, once a week for four weeks, then file the affidavit of publication within 45 days after the last one.
CA Secretary of State: bizfile Online Fresno County Clerk: Fictitious Business Names
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
Check zoning and any police clearance first
Call Planning at (559) 324-2340 to confirm the location is zoned for your business and has enough parking, and for sign review and home occupation questions. Massage, firearm sales and service, alcohol, tobacco, and mobile or street vending need a police clearance before you apply: (559) 324-2400. Food and beverage businesses that need a Fresno County Health permit call (559) 600-3357.
City of Clovis: Business Licenses
4
Get your Clovis business license
Register online. Inside city limits you pay the rate calculated on your estimated Clovis gross receipts or the minimum fee, whichever is greater, up to a maximum of $10,251 a year; the Downtown Parking and Business Improvement Area adds fees. The minimum for a new business is prorated to the quarter you start, including the $4 state fee: $251 (January to March), $189 (April to June), $128 (July to September) or $66 (October to December). A home-based business with total gross receipts under $5,000 pays $76. Business License: (559) 324-2112, Businesslicense@clovisca.gov.
City of Clovis: Business Licenses
5
Pull any industry permits
If you sell or serve food: Anyone selling or giving away food to the public needs a Permit to Operate from Fresno County Environmental Health first, and permits do not transfer to a new owner. To build or remodel, submit two complete sets of plans; they are reviewed in the order received once the plan check fee is paid: (559) 600-3357. For other permits, GO-Biz offers permitting and regulatory help for any size company.
Fresno County Environmental Health: Food Permit Fresno County Environmental Health: Consumer Food Plan Check GO-Biz: Permit & Regulatory Assistance
6
Report business equipment to the Assessor
Any business the Fresno County Assessor asks in writing, and anyone whose business personal property cost more than $100,000, files a business property statement by April 1. May 7 is the last day before a penalty, and no extensions are granted. Most statements can be filed online through e-SDR.
Fresno 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 Valley Community SBDC offers no-cost, confidential, one-to-one advising, including business plans, marketing and sales, funding and government contracting, for Fresno, Madera, Kings and Tulare counties: 390 W. Fir Avenue, Suite 300, Clovis, (559) 324-6403. Use it before you pay a consultant. The City of Clovis also offers Concierge Services for new businesses through Economic Development: (559) 324-2083.
Valley Community SBDC (free advising)City of Clovis: Business Licenses

//Free Clovis checklist

Take the steps with you.

Get the Clovis business checklist with the city, county, state and federal source links in one place, plus the licensing offices of all 15 Fresno County 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 Clovis?

Yes. Clovis businesses register with the city's Business License office. Check zoning with Planning first, (559) 324-2340, and if you run a massage, firearm, alcohol, tobacco or mobile vending business, get a police clearance before you apply.

Source: City of Clovis, Business Licenses

How much does a Clovis business license cost?

Inside city limits, the rate calculated on your estimated Clovis gross receipts or the minimum fee, whichever is greater, up to $10,251 a year. The minimum for a new business is prorated to the quarter you start: $251 from January to March, $189 from April to June, $128 from July to September and $66 from October to December, each including the $4 state fee.

Source: City of Clovis, Business Licenses

Can I run a business from my home in Clovis?

Yes, with a license: a home-based business inside city limits with total gross receipts under $5,000 pays $76. Planning answers home occupation questions: (559) 324-2340.

Source: City of Clovis, Business Licenses

Which Clovis businesses need a police clearance?

Massage, firearm sales and service, alcohol, tobacco, and mobile or street vending businesses need a police clearance before they apply for a license. Call (559) 324-2400.

Source: City of Clovis, Business Licenses

How do I open a restaurant in Clovis?

Beyond the Clovis business license, anyone selling or giving away food to the public needs a Permit to Operate from Fresno County Environmental Health first. To build or remodel, submit two complete sets of plans, reviewed in the order received once the plan check fee is paid, and keep the approved plans on site until the final inspection. Permits do not transfer to a new owner. (559) 600-3357.

Sources: Fresno County Environmental Health, Food Facility Permit Information; Consumer Food Plan Check

Where can I get free help starting my business?

The Valley Community SBDC offers no-cost, confidential, one-to-one advising, including business plans, marketing and sales, funding and government contracting, for Fresno, Madera, Kings and Tulare counties: 390 W. Fir Avenue, Suite 300, Clovis, (559) 324-6403. Use it before you pay a consultant.

Source: Valley Community 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 Clovis, Fresno 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 Clovis: Business Licenses
Register online. Confirm zoning with Planning first, and some trades need police clearance before they apply. (559) 324-2112.
Fresno County Assessor: Assessed Value Lookup
Shows your parcel's Tax Rate Area. A TRA from 001 to 015 is inside a city; a higher number is unincorporated.
Fresno County: Business License (unincorporated areas)
The Tax Collector licenses certain business types in unincorporated Fresno County, such as secondhand dealers and firearm sellers.
Fresno County Clerk: Fictitious Business Names
$35 for the first name, $7 for each additional name or registrant. Mail filings are processed within 5 business days of receipt.
Fresno County Environmental Health: Food Permit
Anyone selling or giving away food to the public needs a Permit to Operate first. Permits are not transferable. (559) 600-3357.
Fresno County Environmental Health: Consumer Food Plan Check
Two complete sets of plans, reviewed in the order received once the plan check fee is paid.
Fresno County: Cottage Food Operations
Selling approved low-risk foods made in your home kitchen. Class A and Class B operations both register with the county.
Fresno County Assessor: Business Personal Property
Due April 1 if the Assessor asks or your business property cost more than $100,000; May 7 is the last day before a penalty.
Valley Community SBDC (free advising)
No-cost, confidential advising for Fresno, Madera, Kings and Tulare counties. 390 W. Fir Avenue, Suite 300, Clovis. (559) 324-6403.
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.