//Delano, California

How to start a business in Delano.

Delano is the second-largest city in Kern County and a working hub of the San Joaquin Valley's grape and citrus belt. Here is the practical sequence to register, license, and open your business, with the official links and where to get free help.

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

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

Delano sits in the heart of the valley's agricultural country, and it built its name on the land. The city grew from a railroad stop into one of California's best-known centers for table grapes, with citrus and almond orchards filling out the calendar. That farm economy anchors a whole layer of businesses around it: food processing and packing, cold storage and distribution, equipment and supply, and the trucking that moves the harvest. Delano also carries real weight in the history of American farm labor, and that heritage is part of how the community sees itself.

Away from the fields, Delano is a full city with its own Main Street. Families here need the same restaurants, shops, trades, and services as anywhere else, and many of those owners are first-generation entrepreneurs. Whether you are opening a packing operation, a taqueria, a barbershop, or a contracting business, getting open cleanly, with the right license, permits, and zoning, 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 Delano, step by step.

Delano handles business licenses through its Finance Department, while the county and state handle the pieces around it. 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 Kern County Clerk within 40 days of starting business: $43, plus $6 for each additional name or owner, with a government photo ID and an Affidavit of Identity (notarized if you file by mail). Publish it in an adjudicated Kern County newspaper once a week for four weeks, starting within 30 days of filing: the Clerk's instructions say 30 days, and state law allows 45. The newspaper sends the proof of publication to the Clerk.
CA Secretary of State: bizfile Online Kern 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
Get your Delano business license
A business license is required of all businesses and in-home businesses operating within Delano city limits, including temporary activities and contractors with offices outside the city; nonprofits need one too. Apply online. Processing takes one to two weeks, and up to four weeks for some types of business, and certain types need a $100 background check. Sidewalk vending, massage establishments and taxicabs use a separate application from the Finance office. Questions: (661) 721-3310, option 2.
City of Delano: Business Licenses
4
Know how the fee and renewal work
The fee depends on the type of business and your estimated Delano gross receipts from your start date to the end of the calendar year. Every license expires December 31, and renewals are based on the prior year's gross receipts; a missing renewal notice does not excuse penalties. A license does not transfer to a new owner.
City of Delano: Business License FAQs
5
Clear zoning and pull any industry permits
A home business needs a Home Occupation Permit from the Planning Department as well as the license: (661) 721-3340. For any other address, confirm the use is allowed before you sign a lease. If you sell or serve food: Talk to Kern County Public Health's Environmental Health Division first: plans and specifications must be approved before you build or remodel, and the health permit is issued after an inspection once the fee is paid. It does not transfer to a new owner: (661) 862-8700. For other permits, GO-Biz offers permitting and regulatory help for any size company.
Kern County Public Health: How do I Start a Food Facility?Kern County Public Health: Restaurants, Markets & Kitchens GO-Biz: Permit & Regulatory Assistance
6
Report business equipment to the Assessor
If your business personal property cost $100,000 or more in total, or the Assessor asks, file a business property statement by April 1; a statement received after May 7 gets a 10% penalty. Business inventory is exempt. Questions: (661) 868-3310.
Kern County Assessor-Recorder: 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 CSU Bakersfield Small Business Development Center offers one-on-one business advising at no cost to clients, plus webinars, trainings and help with funding, for Kern, Inyo and Mono counties: (661) 654-2856. Use it before you pay a consultant.
CSU Bakersfield SBDC (free advising)

//Free Delano checklist

Take the steps with you.

Get the Delano business checklist with the city, county, state and federal source links in one place, plus the licensing offices of all 11 Kern 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 Delano?

Yes. A business license is required of all businesses and in-home businesses operating within Delano city limits, including temporary activities and contractors with offices outside the city. Nonprofits need one too, and certain types of business need a $100 background check. Questions: (661) 721-3310, option 2.

Source: City of Delano, Business Licenses

How much does a Delano business license cost?

It depends on the type of business and your estimated gross receipts in Delano from the time you start to the end of that calendar year. Renewals are based on the prior year's gross receipts. For your amount, call (661) 721-3310, ext. 2203.

Source: City of Delano, Finance, Business Licenses FAQs

How long does a Delano business license take?

One to two weeks for most applications, and as long as four weeks for some types of business.

Source: City of Delano, Finance, Business Licenses FAQs

Can I run a business from my home in Delano?

Yes, with both a business license and a Home Occupation Permit from the Planning Department: (661) 721-3340.

Source: City of Delano, Finance, Business Licenses FAQs

How do I open a restaurant in Delano?

Beyond the Delano business license, contact Kern County Public Health's Environmental Health Division before you build: plans and specifications must be approved first, and when construction is nearly done it inspects the facility. The health permit is issued once the facility is approved and the fee is paid, and it does not transfer to a new owner. Buying an existing restaurant? Ask for an up-to-date inspection first. (661) 862-8700.

Source: Kern County Public Health, How do I Start a Food Facility?

Where can I get free help starting my business?

The CSU Bakersfield Small Business Development Center offers one-on-one business advising at no cost to clients, plus webinars, trainings and help with funding, for Kern, Inyo and Mono counties: (661) 654-2856. Use it before you pay a consultant.

Source: CSU Bakersfield 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 Delano, Kern 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 Delano: Business Licenses
Required of all businesses and in-home businesses in the city, including contractors based elsewhere. Expires December 31. (661) 721-3310, option 2.
City of Delano: Business License FAQs
Processing times, how the fee is set, home businesses, renewals and nonprofits.
Kern Council of Governments: Member cities
The county's 11 cities, from Arvin to Wasco. Each sets its own business license rules.
Kern County: Starting a Business
Which businesses in unincorporated areas need a county license, plus business names and zoning.
Kern County Sheriff's Office: Licensing Unit
County business licenses for listed trades in unincorporated areas, by appointment. (661) 391-7690.
Kern County Clerk: Fictitious Business Names
$43, plus $6 for each extra name or owner, with photo ID and an Affidavit of Identity. 1115 Truxtun Avenue. (661) 868-3588.
Kern County Public Health: How do I Start a Food Facility?
Plans approved before you build, then an inspection and a health permit that does not transfer. (661) 862-8700.
Kern County Public Health: Restaurants, Markets & Kitchens
The food permit and plan review applications, plan uploads, change of ownership and the food grading policy.
Kern County Assessor-Recorder: 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. (661) 868-3310.
CSU Bakersfield SBDC (free advising)
One-on-one business advising at no cost to clients, plus webinars and funding help, for Kern, Inyo and Mono counties. (661) 654-2856.
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.