//Los Angeles County, California

How to start and grow a business in Los Angeles County.

A straight, practical guide to registering your business, getting the right permits, and actually finding customers across LA County. Every official link you need is below, plus where to get free help. No fluff, no hard sell.

Starting a business in Los Angeles County? The official steps and source links are below.

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

Los Angeles County is home to roughly ten million people and 88 cities, which makes it the most populous county in the country and one of its most varied economies. Entertainment and media anchor Burbank, Glendale, and the Westside. The Port of Long Beach drives trade and logistics. Tech and startups cluster on the Silicon Beach coast around Santa Monica. Aerospace and manufacturing hold strong in the South Bay around Torrance. And the City of Los Angeles itself is really dozens of distinct markets, from Downtown to the Valley. The rules differ from city to city, and that trips up a lot of owners.

This page is the part most marketing sites skip: how to actually open your doors. The county, the state, and your specific city each play a role, and doing the steps in the right order saves you weeks. Below is the full sequence with links straight to the official sources, the trades that need extra permits, and the free local programs that will help you for nothing. The part about getting found by customers comes at the end, once you are legal and open.

//The sequence

How to start a business in Los Angeles County, step by step.

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

1
Find out who licenses your address
Each of Los Angeles County's 88 cities licenses the businesses inside it; the county's list names all 88. In unincorporated areas and in the contract cities of Malibu, Santa Clarita and Westlake Village, the County Treasurer and Tax Collector licenses certain business activities: check its list, then call (213) 974-2011. LA County Planning handles zoning in every area outside a city.
County of Los Angeles: LA County Cities LA County Treasurer and Tax Collector: Business License LA County Planning
2
Pick a structure and register the business
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 Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk within 40 days of starting business. It costs $26 for one name and one registrant, and you can file online, by mail or in person. The county says publication must begin within 30 days of filing, once a week for four consecutive weeks in an adjudicated Los Angeles County newspaper, which is stricter than the 45 days in state law.
CA Secretary of State: bizfile Online LA County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk: Fictitious Business Names
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
Get your city business license
This is the step that changes most by city, in name, price and timing. The City of Los Angeles requires a Business Tax Registration Certificate and collects the first year's tax at your first renewal. Glendale charges $363 for a Business Registration Certificate. Torrance renewals are due January 31, and Pasadena collects its tax before you operate. The free checklist lists the offices of seven cities, and the city guides below walk through each one.
County of Los Angeles: LA County Cities
5
Confirm zoning and pull any industry permits
Before you sign a lease, confirm the use is allowed at the address with your city's planning office, or LA County Planning outside a city. If you sell or serve food: Every food facility needs a health permit before it opens, and Los Angeles County Environmental Health issues it everywhere except Long Beach, Pasadena and Vernon. A new or remodeled kitchen needs its plans approved by the county's Plan Check Program, (626) 430-5560, and then by local building and safety, before construction. The permit is issued after the final inspection and the permit fee. Long Beach and Pasadena approve food facility plans through their own health departments. For other permits, GO-Biz offers permitting and regulatory help for any size company.
LA County Environmental Health: Restaurant Permit City of Long Beach: Health Department Plan Check City of Pasadena: Environmental Health GO-Biz: Permit & Regulatory Assistance
6
Report business equipment to the Assessor
If your business's personal property and fixtures cost $100,000 or more, or the Assessor asks, file a signed Business Property Statement by April 1 each year; one postmarked after May 7 gets a late-filing penalty. Inventory is exempt. Below $100,000, the value generally comes from an initial statement or an on-site appraisal instead.
LA County Assessor: Business Property Assessments
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 LA Regional SBDC Network offers no-cost, confidential business advising and low-cost training across Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. Use it before you pay a consultant.
LA Regional SBDC Network (free advising)

//Free Los Angeles County checklist

Take the steps with you.

Get the Los Angeles County business checklist with the city, county, state and federal source links in one place, including the licensing offices of seven cities and who licenses unincorporated areas. We keep the source page dated so you can see when it was last checked.

//City guides

Start-a-business guides for LA County cities.

Los Angeles
Business Tax Registration Certificate steps and the many neighborhood markets of the city.
Long Beach
Business license steps, its own health department, and the port, downtown, and waterfront economy.
Pasadena
Business license steps, its own health department, and the Old Pasadena, Rose Bowl, and Caltech market.
Glendale
Business Registration Certificate steps and the retail, Armenian-business, and media market.
Burbank
Business tax registration steps and the studio and media-capital economy.
Santa Monica
Business license steps and the beach, retail, and Silicon Beach tech market.
Torrance
Business license steps and the South Bay manufacturing and retail market.

//Common questions

Things we get asked first.

Do I need a business license in Los Angeles County?

It depends on where the business is. Each of the county's 88 cities licenses the businesses inside it, so the City of Los Angeles, Long Beach, Pasadena and the rest each have their own rules. In unincorporated areas and in Malibu, Santa Clarita and Westlake Village, the County Treasurer and Tax Collector licenses certain business activities. The county and state add registrations on top, such as a DBA or a seller's permit.

Source: LA County Treasurer and Tax Collector, Business License Requirements

How do I register a business name in Los Angeles County?

If you use a name that is not your legal name, file a fictitious business name (DBA) statement with the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk within 40 days of starting business. It costs $26 for one name and one registrant, and you can file online, by mail or in person. The county says publication must begin within 30 days of filing, once a week for four consecutive weeks in an adjudicated Los Angeles County newspaper, which is stricter than the 45 days in state law.

Source: LA County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, Fictitious Business Names

How do I open a restaurant in LA County?

Beyond your city business license, every food facility needs a health permit. Los Angeles County Environmental Health issues it everywhere except Long Beach, Pasadena and Vernon, which run their own health departments. In the county's area, a new or remodeled kitchen needs its plans approved by the Plan Check Program, (626) 430-5560, and then by local building and safety before construction.

Source: LA County Environmental Health, District Offices

Do I have to file a business property statement?

If your business's personal property and fixtures cost $100,000 or more, or the Assessor asks, yes: file a signed Business Property Statement by April 1 each year. One postmarked after May 7 is subject to a late-filing penalty. Inventory held for sale or lease is exempt.

Source: LA County Assessor, Business Property Assessments

What is the $800 California tax people forget about?

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.

Source: Franchise Tax Board, Limited liability company

Where can I get free help starting my business?

The LA Regional SBDC Network offers no-cost, confidential business advising and low-cost training across Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. Use it before you pay a consultant.

Source: Los Angeles Regional SBDC Network

//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.

Prefer to read first? Marketing agency serving Los Angeles

//Bookmark these

Official Los Angeles 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.

County of Los Angeles: LA County Cities
The county's list of all 88 cities. Each one licenses the businesses inside it.
LA County Treasurer and Tax Collector: Business License
Licenses certain business activities in unincorporated areas and in Malibu, Santa Clarita and Westlake Village. (213) 974-2011.
LA County Planning
The planning department for every area outside a city, including zoning. (213) 974-6411.
LA County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk: Fictitious Business Names
$26 for one name and one registrant, plus $5 for each additional. The county says publication must begin within 30 days of filing.
LA County Environmental Health: Restaurant Permit
Plan check for new or remodeled food facilities, then the Public Health Permit. Long Beach, Pasadena and Vernon have their own. Plan Check: (626) 430-5560.
LA County Assessor: Business Property Assessments
If your equipment and fixtures cost $100,000 or more, file the Business Property Statement by April 1. Inventory is exempt. (213) 974-3211.
LA Regional SBDC Network (free advising)
No-cost, confidential advising and low-cost training across Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. 1-866-588-SBDC.
City of Long Beach: Health Department Plan Check
Plans for any new, remodeled or changed food facility are approved before construction. Bureau of Environmental Health, (562) 570-4132.
City of Pasadena: Environmental Health
Pasadena's own food permits. Submit plans before you apply for a health permit. 1845 N. Fair Oaks Ave., (626) 744-6004.
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.