//Torrance, California

How to start a business in Torrance.

Torrance anchors the South Bay with a deep manufacturing and aerospace base, one of the largest malls in the country at Del Amo, and a stretch of coast at Torrance Beach. Here is the practical sequence to license and open, with the official links and where to get free help.

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

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

Torrance is one of the South Bay's most substantial markets. The Del Amo Fashion Center pulls shoppers from across the region, a long aerospace and manufacturing heritage still fills the industrial corridors with serious employers, and a large Japanese-American community and a cluster of Japanese corporate offices give the city a distinct commercial character. Add a mostly residential, industrious footprint and a quiet beach at the west end, and you have a city that works for a living.

That mix means your customer could be a mall shopper, a neighbor near the beach, or a purchasing manager at an established manufacturer, and each finds you differently. Getting open cleanly, with the right 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 Torrance, step by step.

This is the order that works for most new Torrance businesses. 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 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
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 Torrance business license
You need a Torrance business license if your company is located in Torrance, you will physically work in Torrance, or you will use your own vehicles to deliver to Torrance. Apply online: create an account, then choose License & Waste Hauling and Apply/Register Online. Licenses renew each calendar year and are due by January 31; late payments start at a 1% penalty that rises 1% every three days, up to 50% by June 30. A change of ownership of 51% or more, or a new location, needs a new application. Pay online, by mail, or at the City's Permit Center, 3031 Torrance Blvd. Questions: Revenue@TorranceCA.Gov.
City of Torrance: Apply for or Renew a Business License
4
Confirm zoning and pull any industry permits
Confirm your use is allowed at the address with the city before you sign a lease. 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
5
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
6
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 Torrance checklist

Take the steps with you.

Get the Torrance 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 Torrance?

You do if your company is located in Torrance, you will physically work in Torrance, or you will use your own vehicles to deliver to Torrance. Apply online through the city's portal.

Source: City of Torrance, Apply for or Renew a Business License

When are Torrance business license renewals due?

By January 31. Payments received after January 31 get a 1% penalty that increases by 1% every three days, up to 50% on June 30. You can pay online, by mail (postmarked by January 31) or at City Hall.

Source: City of Torrance, Apply for or Renew a Business License

Do I need a new application if my business changes?

Yes, for a change of ownership of 51% or more, or a new location. You cannot just update the renewal notice.

Source: City of Torrance, Apply for or Renew a Business License

How do I open a restaurant in Torrance?

Beyond the Torrance business license, 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

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 Torrance, 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 Torrance: Apply for or Renew a Business License
Needed if your company is located in Torrance, works there, or delivers there in its own vehicles. Apply online. Revenue@TorranceCA.Gov.
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.