//Long Beach, California

How to start a business in Long Beach.

Long Beach is a working port city with a real downtown, a long waterfront, and neighborhoods that each run their own economy. Here is the practical sequence to license, permit, and open, with the official links and where to get free help.

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

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

Long Beach is the second-largest city in Los Angeles County, and it does not behave like a suburb of anywhere. The Port of Long Beach moves a huge share of the country's container traffic and anchors a logistics and trade economy that spills into every corner of the city. Downtown and the waterfront pull conventions, the Aquarium of the Pacific, and the Queen Mary crowd, while Belmont Shore, Cal State Long Beach, and a genuinely diverse population each support their own mix of shops, services, and restaurants.

That range means your customer could be a port contractor, a Second Street regular, a visiting tourist, or a student near campus, and each one finds you differently. Getting open cleanly, with the right city license 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 Long Beach, step by step.

Long Beach is its own city, issues its own business license, and runs its own health department, separate from Los Angeles and the county. Here is the full order, including the county and state pieces that sit alongside the city license.

1
Confirm your location works before you sign
Before Long Beach issues a business license, other city departments may need to review and approve the application, and each location needs its own license. Confirm your business activity is allowed at the address before you sign a lease.
City of Long Beach: General Business License
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 Long Beach business license
All businesses operating in Long Beach need a business license, including out-of-city and home-based businesses. Apply in person at the Business License Division, City Hall, 411 W. Ocean Blvd., 2nd Floor; eligible types can apply online, and out-of-city businesses can apply by mail or email. Tax rates depend on your business classification. After the first application, the license renews each year when you pay the annual bill; a new owner or a new location needs a new application. Business License Division: (562) 570-6211, LBBIZ@longbeach.gov.
City of Long Beach: General Business License City of Long Beach: Apply for a Business License
5
Pull any industry permits
If you sell or serve food: Long Beach runs its own health department, not the county's. Any new, remodeled or changed food facility needs plans approved by the Bureau of Environmental Health before construction starts: 2525 Grand Ave., Room 220, (562) 570-4132. Cannabis businesses, home kitchen operations (MEHKO), ambulance and gurney vehicles and massage establishments also file a separate city permit application. For other permits, GO-Biz offers permitting and regulatory help for any size company.
City of Long Beach: Health Department Plan Check City of Long Beach: Apply for a Business License 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. The network is hosted by the Long Beach Community College District, at Long Beach City College.
LA Regional SBDC Network (free advising)

//Free Long Beach checklist

Take the steps with you.

Get the Long Beach 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 Long Beach?

Yes. All businesses operating within the City of Long Beach need a business license, including out-of-city and home-based businesses. Other city departments may need to review and approve the application before the license is issued.

Source: City of Long Beach, General Business License

How do I open a restaurant or bar in Long Beach?

Long Beach has its own health department, so the food permit comes from the city, not LA County. Any new, remodeled or changed food facility needs plans approved by the Bureau of Environmental Health before construction starts: 2525 Grand Ave., Room 220, (562) 570-4132. You also need the Long Beach business license.

Source: City of Long Beach, Health Department Plan Check

I have more than one location. Do I need more than one license?

Yes. Long Beach requires a business license for each separate location, and if you move within the city you re-apply at the new address.

Source: City of Long Beach, General Business License

How much does a Long Beach business license cost?

The city charges different tax rates depending on the classification of the business. The Business License Division can tell you yours: (562) 570-6211 or LBBIZ@longbeach.gov.

Source: City of Long Beach, General Business License

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

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.

//Bookmark these

Official Long Beach, 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.

City of Long Beach: General Business License
Required for all businesses operating in Long Beach, including out-of-city and home-based ones. One license per location. (562) 570-6211.
City of Long Beach: Apply for a Business License
How to apply in person, online or by mail, the separate permits some businesses need, and the Business License Division's hours. LBBIZ@longbeach.gov.
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.
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.