//Menifee, California

How to start a business in Menifee.

Menifee is a young, fast-growing city that only incorporated in 2008 and has been building neighborhoods, shopping centers, and jobs ever since. Here is the practical sequence to register, license, and open, with the official links and where to get free help.

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

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

Menifee is one of the newest cities in Riverside County, formed in 2008 when Sun City, Quail Valley, and the surrounding communities came together, and it has grown quickly ever since. Rooftops have arrived first and the businesses that serve them have followed, with new retail centers along the I-215 corridor, a fast-expanding healthcare presence, and Mt. San Jacinto College feeding a steady local workforce. That combination makes it an unusually open market for a new business.

It also means your customer might be a family that just closed on a house, a commuter heading up the 215, or a student at MSJC, and each one finds you differently. Getting open cleanly, with the right city business license, permits, and zoning sign-off, 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 Menifee, step by step.

Menifee runs business licensing through its Business License & Regulation Program. Here is the full order, including the county and state pieces that sit alongside the city's own steps.

1
Get a Certificate of Occupancy for a commercial or industrial space
A Menifee business operating from a commercial or industrial building needs a Certificate of Occupancy through the Building and Safety Department. Confirm the space works for your use before you sign a lease.
City of Menifee: Business License
2
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 Riverside County Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder within 40 days of starting business. It costs $66 for the name and first registrant, including one certified copy. State law allows 45 days after filing to publish it, once a week for four weeks, but the county's own page still says 30, so publishing within 30 days satisfies both.
CA Secretary of State: bizfile Online Riverside County Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder: Fictitious Business Names
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 Menifee business license
Menifee licenses businesses through its Business License & Regulation Program, which the city says is not meant to tax businesses, only to recover the cost of processing. Commercial, industrial and home occupation businesses in the city use the In-City application; businesses based elsewhere use the Out of City application, and out-of-city vendors can get a one-day special event license at a reduced fee. Special business types need a background check through the Menifee Police Department. Renew online. Questions: businesslicenses@menifee.ca.gov, (951) 723-3786.
City of Menifee: Business License
5
Pull any industry permits
If you sell or serve food: Every food facility needs a permit from the County of Riverside Department of Environmental Health before it opens, and state law requires plans approved before any new construction or remodeling. Permits do not transfer to a new owner. The City of Temecula lists the county office at 38740 Sky Canyon Dr., Murrieta, (951) 461-0284. For other permits, GO-Biz offers permitting and regulatory help for any size company.
Riverside County Department of Environmental Health: Plan Check Health and Safety Code 114380 GO-Biz: Permit & Regulatory Assistance
6
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
7
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 Menifee checklist

Take the steps with you.

Get the Menifee business checklist with the city, county, state and federal source links in one place, plus the licensing offices of seven Riverside 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 Menifee?

Yes. Menifee licenses businesses through its Business License & Regulation Program, with an In-City application for commercial, industrial and home occupation businesses and an Out of City application for businesses based elsewhere.

Source: City of Menifee, Business License

Is the Menifee business license a tax?

No. The city says the program is not intended to impose any form of taxation, and its fees are meant only to recover the administrative cost of processing an application or renewal.

Source: City of Menifee, Business License

Do I need a Certificate of Occupancy in Menifee?

If your business operates from a commercial or industrial building, yes, through the Building and Safety Department.

Source: City of Menifee, Business License

Which Menifee businesses need a background check?

Businesses that fall under a Special Business Type need a background check through the Menifee Police Department. The city lists the types on its business license page.

Source: City of Menifee, Business License

How do I open a restaurant in Menifee?

Beyond the Menifee business license, every food facility needs a health permit from the County of Riverside Department of Environmental Health, and state law requires plans approved before any new construction or remodeling. No food facility may open without a valid permit, and permits do not transfer to a new owner, so contact Environmental Health before you build or buy: (951) 461-0284.

Sources: City of Temecula, Business License Contacts; Health and Safety Code 114380 and 114381

How do I register a business name in Riverside County?

If you use a name that is not your legal name, file a fictitious business name (DBA) statement with the Riverside County Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder within 40 days of starting business. It costs $66 for the name and first registrant, including one certified copy. State law allows 45 days after filing to publish it, once a week for four weeks, but the county's own page still says 30, so publishing within 30 days satisfies both.

Source: Riverside County Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder, Fictitious Business Names

//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 Menifee, Riverside 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 Menifee: Business License
The Business License & Regulation Program. A commercial or industrial building needs a Certificate of Occupancy. (951) 723-3786.
County of Riverside: Cities
Links to all 28 cities in Riverside County. Each one licenses the businesses inside it.
County of Riverside: Business (Stormwater) Registration
The county has no business license, but unincorporated businesses register under Ordinance 857: $45, then $30 a year. (951) 955-1400.
County of Riverside: Starting a Business
Zoning with the county Planning Department, business names with the County Clerk, and reporting business property to the Assessor.
Riverside County Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder: Fictitious Business Names
$66 for the name and first registrant, including one certified copy, plus $5 for each additional name or registrant. (951) 486-7000.
Riverside County Department of Environmental Health: Plan Check
Food facility plan approval and health permits. The City of Temecula lists its office at 38740 Sky Canyon Dr., Murrieta, (951) 461-0284.
Riverside County Assessor: Business Personal Property
File if you own more than $100,000 in business personal property or get a request. File by May 7 to avoid penalties. (951) 955-6210.
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.