//Glendale, California

How to start a business in Glendale.

Glendale packs a major retail core, a deep Armenian-American business community, and a major animation and media cluster into a city wedged between the 2, 5, and 134. Here is the practical sequence to register, license, and open, with the official links and where to get free help.

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

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

Glendale is a commercially dense city. The Americana at Brand and the Glendale Galleria sit blocks apart and pull shoppers from across the region, Brand Boulevard anchors a walkable downtown of restaurants and storefronts, and the city is home to a large Armenian-American community, which shapes a whole layer of family-run shops, groceries, bakeries, and professional practices. Layer on DreamWorks Animation, a Disney presence, and the media and post-production firms clustered nearby, and you get a customer base that ranges from a mall shopper to a studio vendor.

Its position between the 2, the 5, and the 134 makes Glendale easy to reach from Burbank, Pasadena, and the east side of Los Angeles, which is a real advantage and also means real competition for attention. Getting open cleanly, with the right Business Registration Certificate and permits, 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 Glendale, step by step.

Glendale calls its business license a Business Registration Certificate (BRC), filed through GlendalePermits.org. Here is the full order, including the county and state pieces the city process assumes you already know.

1
Confirm your location works before you sign
Check the Glendale Zoning and Parcel Map before you sign a lease: the city issues a BRC only to a business in a zone where its type is allowed. A BRC also does not authorize a change of use; only a Certificate of Occupancy from the city's Building Official can.
City of Glendale: Business Registration Certificate
2
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 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 Glendale Business Registration Certificate
Every business located in Glendale, including subleases, must apply for and keep a valid BRC. Apply on GlendalePermits.org with a lease, grant deed or secured property tax bill. The BRC costs $363 and the annual renewal $121, and an application not completed within 180 days after paying is withdrawn. Renewal opens 30 days before expiration; renew in time or apply again. Post the BRC where it can be seen, and apply for a new one after any change of activity, square footage, name, ownership or address. Home-based businesses apply for a Home Occupation Permit instead. Licensing: (818) 937-8300.
City of Glendale: Business Registration Certificate City of Glendale: Neighborhood Services Licensing
5
Pull any industry permits
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. For other permits, GO-Biz offers permitting and regulatory help for any size company.
LA County Environmental Health: Restaurant Permit GO-Biz: Permit & Regulatory Assistance
6
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
7
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 Glendale checklist

Take the steps with you.

Get the Glendale business checklist with the city, county, state and federal source links in one place, plus the licensing offices of seven Los Angeles 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 Glendale?

Glendale's version is the Business Registration Certificate (BRC). Every business located in Glendale, including subleases, must apply for and keep a valid one. Home-based businesses and contractors without a Glendale business apply for a Home Occupation Permit or a Contractor's License instead.

Source: City of Glendale, Business Registration Certificate

How much does a Glendale Business Registration Certificate cost?

The BRC fee is $363 and the annual renewal is $121. If you do not obtain the BRC within 180 days after paying the application fee, the application is withdrawn and a new one is needed.

Source: City of Glendale, Business Registration Certificate

Can I run a business from my home in Glendale?

Yes, but you do not apply for a BRC. The city asks home-based businesses to apply for a Home Occupation Permit instead, through GlendalePermits.org.

Source: City of Glendale, Business Registration Certificate

Does a BRC let me change how a space is used?

No. A BRC does not authorize a change of use. Only a Certificate of Occupancy issued by the city's Building Official can.

Source: City of Glendale, Business Registration Certificate

How do I open a restaurant in Glendale?

Beyond the Glendale Business Registration Certificate, every food facility needs a health permit from Los Angeles County Environmental Health. 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. After building and safety's final approval, the county does a final inspection, and the permit is issued once the fee is paid.

Source: LA County Environmental Health, How to Obtain a Restaurant Permit

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

//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 Glendale, LA 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 Glendale: Business Registration Certificate
Required for every business located in Glendale: $363, then $121 a year. Home businesses apply for a Home Occupation Permit instead.
City of Glendale: Neighborhood Services Licensing
All certificates, licenses and permits are filed through GlendalePermits.org. 633 E. Broadway, Room 101, (818) 937-8300.
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.
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.