//Orange County, California

How to start and grow a business in Orange County.

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

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

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

Orange County is home to roughly 3.2 million people and a remarkably varied economy. There is the technology and biotech corridor around Irvine and the Spectrum, the tourism engine of Anaheim and the Disneyland Resort, the coastal hospitality of Newport Beach and Huntington Beach, the design and retail gravity of South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, and the civic heart of Santa Ana, the county seat. That mix is why so many people choose to start something here, and why the rules differ from city to city.

This page is the part most marketing sites skip: how to actually open your doors. The county, the state, and your specific city each have 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 Orange 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 Orange County's 34 cities sets its own rules. Most issue a business license or business tax certificate, but eight issue no business license at all: Aliso Viejo, Dana Point, Lake Forest, Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Woods, Mission Viejo and Rancho Santa Margarita. Several of those still require a Certificate of Occupancy, a registration or a home occupation permit. In unincorporated areas, the County of Orange lists no general business license and points businesses to the fictitious business name filing, and OC Development Services handles zoning and building.
County of Orange: Apply for a Business License County of Orange: Starting a Business OC Development Services
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 Orange County Clerk-Recorder within 40 days of starting business. It costs $23 for one name. The first newspaper publication must run within 45 days of filing or the statement expires, then it runs once a week for four weeks and you file the affidavit of publication.
CA Secretary of State: bizfile Online Orange County Clerk-Recorder: Fictitious Business Name
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 by city, and the fees, forms and timing differ. Irvine, for example, charges $78.37 a year for a business with fewer than 10 employees, San Clemente's approvals can take 1 to 5 weeks, and Huntington Beach wants a Certificate of Occupancy before a commercial space applies. The free checklist lists every city's office, phone and page, and the city guides below walk through 17 of them.
County of Orange: Apply for a Business License
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 OC Development Services in unincorporated areas. If you sell or serve food: Every food facility needs a health permit from Orange County Environmental Health before it opens, and a new or remodeled facility needs written plan approval before construction. The first plan review usually takes 20 working days. Permits are not transferable, so a new owner needs a new permit. For other permits, GO-Biz offers permitting and regulatory help for any size company.
OC Environmental Health: Food Facility Health Permit OC Development Services GO-Biz: Permit & Regulatory Assistance
6
Report business equipment to the Assessor
Business equipment is valued every year as of January 1. If yours cost more than $100,000 in total, or the Assessor asks, file the Business Property Statement (form 571-L) by April 1; a 10% penalty applies after May 7. Property valued at $10,000 or less is exempt.
Orange County Assessor: Business Property Statement
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 Orange County Inland Empire SBDC offers no-cost help for entrepreneurs across Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties. Use it before you pay a consultant.
Orange County Inland Empire SBDC (free advising)

//Free Orange County checklist

Take the steps with you.

Get the Orange County business checklist with the city, county, state and federal source links in one place, including who issues the license in each of the 34 cities. We keep the source page dated so you can see when it was last checked.

//City guides

Start-a-business guides for Orange County cities.

Irvine
Business license steps and the tech and professional-services market.
Newport Beach
Business license tax steps and the coastal, high-trust market.
Anaheim
License steps and the resort, hospitality, and food economy.
Santa Ana
License steps in the county seat and its dense small-business core.
Huntington Beach
License steps and the visitor-plus-local beach-town market.
Costa Mesa
License steps and the retail, dining, and creative market.
Fullerton
Business Registration steps and the downtown, student, and manufacturing market.
Garden Grove
Business License steps and the diverse, entrepreneurial small-business core.
Mission Viejo
No business license, but a Certificate of Occupancy, in an affluent South County market.
Orange
Business license steps and the Old Towne historic and Chapman University market.
Tustin
License steps and the Old Town and Tustin Legacy redevelopment market.
Lake Forest
Voluntary registration, no license required, in the South County business-park market.
Yorba Linda
License steps and the affluent, family-oriented northeast County market.
Buena Park
License steps and the Entertainment Zone and diverse north County market.
Westminster
License steps and Little Saigon's dense small-business economy.
Aliso Viejo
No business license, but Community Development approval and a registration form, in a young South County city.
San Clemente
License steps and the coastal Spanish Village by the Sea market.

//Common questions

Things we get asked first.

Do I need a business license in Orange County?

It depends on the city. Most of Orange County's 34 cities issue their own business license or business tax certificate, but eight issue none: Aliso Viejo, Dana Point, Lake Forest, Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Woods, Mission Viejo and Rancho Santa Margarita. In unincorporated areas, the County of Orange lists no general business license and points businesses to the fictitious business name filing. The county and state add registrations on top, such as a DBA or a seller's permit.

Source: County of Orange, Apply for a Business License

How do I register a business name in Orange County?

If you use a name that is not your legal name, file a fictitious business name (DBA) statement with the Orange County Clerk-Recorder within 40 days of starting business. It costs $23 for one name. The first newspaper publication must run within 45 days of filing or the statement expires, then it runs once a week for four weeks and you file the affidavit of publication.

Source: Orange County Clerk-Recorder, Fictitious Business Name

How do I open a restaurant in Orange County?

Beyond your city's business license, every food facility needs a health permit from Orange County Environmental Health. A new or remodeled facility needs written plan approval before construction, with 3 sets of plans, and the first review usually takes 20 working days. Preliminary and final inspections come at 80% and 100% completion, and the permit is issued after the final inspection.

Source: OC Health Care Agency, Food Facility Health Permit

Do I have to file a business property statement?

If your business equipment cost more than $100,000 in total, or the Orange County Assessor asks, yes: the Business Property Statement (form 571-L) is due April 1, and a 10% penalty applies after May 7. Each location files separately, and property valued at $10,000 or less is exempt. You can e-file from mid-February to June 30.

Source: Orange County Assessor, Business Personal Property

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 Orange County Inland Empire SBDC offers no-cost help for entrepreneurs across Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties. Use it before you pay a consultant.

Source: Orange County Inland Empire SBDC

//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 Orange 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 Orange: Apply for a Business License
The county's links to the business license office of each of Orange County's 34 cities.
County of Orange: Starting a Business
The county lists no general business license for unincorporated areas and points those businesses to the fictitious business name filing.
Orange County Clerk-Recorder: Fictitious Business Name
$23 for one name, plus $7 for each additional name and each registrant after two. The first publication must run within 45 days of filing or the statement expires.
OC Environmental Health: Food Facility Health Permit
Needed by every food facility, from restaurants and markets to carts and event booths. Small displays of prepackaged food only register. (714) 433-6000.
Orange County Assessor: Business Property Statement
Form 571-L is due April 1 if your business equipment cost more than $100,000 in total or the Assessor asks. A 10% penalty applies after May 7. (714) 834-2930.
OC Development Services
Zoning and building for businesses in unincorporated Orange County.
Orange County Inland Empire SBDC (free advising)
No-cost help for entrepreneurs across Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties. (800) 616-7232.
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.