//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.
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 and issues its own business license, 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
Plan and confirm your location works
Start with the city's apply-for-a-license page to see what Long Beach expects, then confirm your address and business activity are allowed under the city's zoning before you sign a lease. Confirming land use up front is the cheapest insurance there is, and near the port or the waterfront it matters even more.
- 2
Register the business and the name
Form your LLC or corporation with the California Secretary of State through bizfile, or stay a sole proprietor. Either way, if you use a name that is not your legal name, file a fictitious business name (DBA) with the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk and publish it for four weeks.
- 3
Get your free EIN and any seller's permit
Get a free federal EIN from the IRS for banking and taxes. If you sell or lease physical goods, register for a free seller's permit with the CDTFA so you can collect sales tax.
- 4
Get your Long Beach business license
Long Beach requires every business operating in the city to hold a business license, including home-based and out-of-city businesses. The city charges different tax rates depending on the classification of your business, so your exact cost depends on what you do. Confirm your amount and apply with the Business License Division at (562) 570-6211 or LBBIZ@longbeach.gov. You can apply in person at City Hall, 411 W. Ocean Boulevard, Long Beach, CA 90802.
- 5
Pull any industry permits
Run your business type through CalGold to see every permit that applies. If you are opening any food business, you also need a plan check and permit from LA County Public Health, Environmental Health, before you can serve a single customer.
- 6
Budget for the $800 state tax, then get free help
If you formed an LLC or corporation, plan for California's $800 minimum annual franchise tax. Then lean on the free experts: the LA Regional SBDC Network offers no-cost, confidential advising to Long Beach businesses.
//Bookmark these
Official Long Beach, Los Angeles County, and California resources.
Each link goes straight to the government or nonprofit source that handles it. Go to them directly rather than a paid middleman that charges for free filings.
Every business operating in Long Beach needs a city business license, including home-based and out-of-city businesses. The city sets the tax rate by business classification, so your cost depends on what you do.
The Business License Division's official how-to-apply page, with the application, requirements, and contact for the office in City Hall at 411 W. Ocean Boulevard.
Register an LLC, corporation, or partnership, or reserve a name, directly with the state.
Your free federal tax ID. The IRS issues it online in minutes. Never pay a third party for one.
Free sales-tax permit, required if you sell or lease physical goods in California.
Enter your city and business type to see every permit you need, with the agency contacts.
Most LLCs owe California's $800 minimum annual tax. Budget for it before you form one.
File your DBA with the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk. The fee is $26, and you must publish it for four weeks in an adjudicated LA County newspaper.
Every food facility in LA County needs a plan check and permit from the Department of Public Health, Environmental Health, before it can open. Start with the plan check program early.
No-cost, confidential business advising and low-cost training for Los Angeles-area businesses, funded through the SBA and hosted regionally.
//By trade in Long Beach
Common Long Beach businesses, and the extra step each needs.
Waterfront or Second Street restaurant
Downtown, the waterfront, and Belmont Shore's Second Street are competitive food scenes. Beyond the city business license, you need the LA County Public Health plan check and permit, and any alcohol license runs through the state ABC. Engage both early, because they shape your build-out.
Port, logistics, or trade business
The Port of Long Beach anchors a deep logistics and trade economy, from freight and warehousing to the trades that support it. These mostly need the city business license plus their state or professional licenses, and often specific zoning near the harbor. Confirm land use before you commit to a site.
Student-facing business near CSULB
With Cal State Long Beach nearby, tutoring, food, fitness, and services aimed at students do well. The paperwork is light: mostly the business license plus any professional licenses. Being found online is the harder part in a market this dense.
Home-based business
Long Beach licenses home-based businesses too, and so do out-of-city businesses working in the city, so do not skip it. Confirm a home occupation is allowed at your address, keep client traffic and signage within the rules, and you are set.
//When you are ready to be found
Getting open is step one. Getting found is step two.
Long Beach is several markets at once
Port contractors, waterfront diners, tourists, and students all search differently. A clear web presence and local search strategy is what turns a specific Long Beach audience into your customers.
Local search is the front door
Most first customers come from a Google search or the map pack. A complete profile, real reviews, and a fast site do most of the work in a city this varied.
We are a Southern California agency
Mining Wells is a Southern California marketing agency, and Long Beach is right in our backyard. We help local businesses get found and turn that into booked revenue.
Honest work, no fiction
No promised rankings, no fixed lead counts. Clear work and reporting tied to revenue, month to month, after you use the free resources above.
//How we help
Marketing that turns your Long Beach business into booked revenue.
Own the local searches your Long Beach customers actually type.
Fast, credible sites built to convert the visitors you already have.
Paid campaigns measured by cost per booked customer.
The county-wide start-a-business steps and other city guides.
The full playbook for winning the map results near you.
//Common questions
Things we get asked first.
Do I need a business license in Long Beach?
Yes. Long Beach requires a city business license for every business operating in the city, including home-based and out-of-city businesses. The city charges different tax rates by business classification, so confirm your exact cost with the Business License Division at (562) 570-6211 or LBBIZ@longbeach.gov.
How do I open a restaurant or bar in Long Beach?
Beyond the Long Beach business license, every food facility needs a plan check and permit from LA County Public Health, Environmental Health, before it opens, and serving alcohol requires a license from the state ABC. The waterfront, downtown, and Second Street are competitive, so start both processes early.
Can I run a business from my home in Long Beach?
Yes, and you still need the city business license. Confirm a home occupation is allowed at your address, and keep client visits, parking, and signage within the city's rules.
How much does a Long Beach business license cost?
It depends on your business type, since Long Beach charges different tax rates depending on the classification of the business. Contact the Business License Division at (562) 570-6211 or LBBIZ@longbeach.gov for your exact amount before you file.
Can you guarantee customers once I open?
No, and anyone who guarantees rankings or a fixed number of leads is selling fiction. We promise honest work and reporting tied to revenue. What we can do is make you the credible, findable option when a Long Beach customer searches.
About Mining Wells
We're on a mission to fix bad marketing.
Maybe:
- You are spending thousands on marketing tools, ads, and your website, with zero revenue increase to show for it.
- Every campaign you have tried gets minimal results.
- You have a great product that nobody seems to find.
- You are getting interest, but it never converts to a sale.
- You have a low retention rate.
- You have been paying a marketing agency for over a year and have not seen results.
You are not alone. Many founders and leaders live with the results of bad marketing without ever finding the reason.
And often that is because it can be many reasons. Sometimes it is the wrong ICP, sometimes the wrong messaging, sometimes the wrong targeting chasing impressions.
We are here to take the hard guesswork out and provide that clarity before it is too late.
At Mining Wells, we help founders and leaders grow their businesses the right way.
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