//Costa Mesa, California

How to start a business in Costa Mesa.

Costa Mesa packs a top retail destination, a serious arts scene, and a dense cluster of creative businesses into a small footprint. Here is the practical sequence to register, license, and open, with the official links and where to get free help.

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

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

For its size, Costa Mesa punches well above its weight. South Coast Plaza is a destination shopping center, the Segerstrom Center for the Arts anchors a real cultural scene, and the OC Fair and Event Center draws crowds all summer. Districts like SoBeCa, The LAB, and The CAMP, along with the 17th Street corridor, have made the city a hub for design, creative agencies, restaurants, and breweries. The audience here is design-literate and discerning, which sets a high bar for how a business presents itself.

That bar is the opportunity. A business that looks the part and is easy to find earns trust quickly in a market that rewards taste. Getting open cleanly, with the right license and permits, sets the foundation. Getting found afterward is the next job. This guide covers the first in detail, then points you to the second.

//The sequence

How to start a business in Costa Mesa, step by step.

This is the order that works for most new Costa Mesa 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 Costa Mesa business license
Costa Mesa runs business licenses through TESSA, its paperless online portal, where you apply, renew and pay. Processing fees set by the City Council: $25 for changes and amendments to an existing account, $35 for a reactivation and $10 for a reprint. To protect your home address under AB 2184 by giving a different service-of-process address, apply in person, because that cannot be done online. Questions: bl@costamesaca.gov, (714) 754-5235 or (714) 754-5240.
City of Costa Mesa: Business Licenses City of Costa Mesa: Apply/Pay My Business License Online
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. 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 Costa Mesa checklist

Take the steps with you.

Get the Costa Mesa 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.

How do I get a business license in Costa Mesa?

Costa Mesa runs business licenses through TESSA, its paperless online portal, where you apply, renew and pay. If you are not sure what your business needs, ask the Business License team before you open: bl@costamesaca.gov, (714) 754-5235 or (714) 754-5240.

Source: City of Costa Mesa, Apply/Pay My Business License Online

How do I open a restaurant in Costa Mesa?

Beyond the Costa Mesa 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

Can I keep my home address private on a Costa Mesa business license?

Yes. Under AB 2184 you may protect your residential address by giving a different service-of-process address. The city says to apply in person to do that, because it cannot be done online.

Source: City of Costa Mesa, Apply/Pay My Business License Online

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

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 Costa Mesa, 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 Costa Mesa: Business Licenses
Apply, renew and pay online through TESSA, the city's paperless portal. bl@costamesaca.gov, (714) 754-5235.
City of Costa Mesa: Apply/Pay My Business License Online
The TESSA portal, the processing fees, and how to keep a home address private under AB 2184 (apply in person).
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.