//Anaheim, California

How to start a business in Anaheim.

Anaheim is one of the busiest visitor economies in the country and the largest city in Orange County. Here is the practical sequence to register, license, and open your business, with the official links and where to get free help.

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

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

Anaheim runs on two engines. The first is the visitor economy: the Disneyland Resort, the Anaheim Convention Center, the largest on the West Coast, Angel Stadium, and the Honda Center pull millions of people into the city every year. The second is everyday local commerce: the historic Anaheim Packing District, the Center Street Promenade downtown, and a deep base of restaurants, retail, manufacturing, and logistics across the neighborhoods. Few Orange County cities offer this much foot traffic, and few are as competitive for it.

That scale is the opportunity. A business that is genuinely findable can tap a stream of visitors and locals that most cities cannot match. Getting open cleanly, with the right license and permits, comes first. Getting found in all that noise comes next. This guide covers the first in detail, then points you to the second at the end.

//The sequence

How to start a business in Anaheim, step by step.

This is the order that works for most new Anaheim 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 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
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 Anaheim business license
An Anaheim Business License is required to do business in the city, including for businesses based outside the city limits that conduct business in it. Since January 1, 2020, every new license and every renewal needs the SB 205 Stormwater Discharge Compliance Form. For same-day issuance, visit the counter at City Hall, 200 S. Anaheim Blvd., 1st Floor, Suite 136, Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and arrive by 3 p.m. Renewals can be done online. Business License Division: (714) 765-5194.
City of Anaheim: Business License
4
Confirm zoning and pull any industry permits
Confirm your use is allowed at the address before you sign a lease. 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. Tobacco retailers and sidewalk vendors also need separate regulatory permits from the City of Anaheim. For other permits, GO-Biz offers permitting and regulatory help for any size company.
OC Environmental Health: Food Facility Health 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 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 Anaheim checklist

Take the steps with you.

Get the Anaheim business checklist with the city, county, state and federal source links in one place, plus the licensing office for every city in Orange County. 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 Anaheim?

Yes. An Anaheim Business License is required to do business in the city, including for businesses based outside the city limits that conduct business in it. Every new license and every renewal needs the SB 205 Stormwater Discharge Compliance Form.

Source: City of Anaheim, Business License

Can a business based outside Anaheim still need the license?

Yes. The city says its business license is required for businesses outside the city limits that conduct business in Anaheim, not only for businesses located there.

Source: City of Anaheim, Business License

Can I get an Anaheim business license the same day?

Yes, at the counter. Visit the Business License Division at City Hall, 200 S. Anaheim Blvd., 1st Floor, Suite 136, Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and arrive by 3 p.m. for same-day issuance. Renewals can be done online.

Source: City of Anaheim, Business License

How do I open a restaurant in Anaheim?

Beyond the Anaheim 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

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

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

//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 Anaheim, 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.

City of Anaheim: Business License
Required to do business in Anaheim, including for businesses based elsewhere. Every new license and renewal needs the SB 205 stormwater form. (714) 765-5194.
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.