//Moreno Valley, California

How to start a business in Moreno Valley.

Moreno Valley is a busy Inland Empire logistics hub, with sprawling distribution campuses, the planned World Logistics Center, and March Air Reserve Base next door, all wrapped around a large and growing residential base. Here is the practical sequence to register, license, and open, with the official links and where to get free help.

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

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

Moreno Valley sits where the 60 and 215 freeways cross, and that location made it a working node of Southern California's freight network. Warehouses and distribution centers stretch across the city, the planned World Logistics Center would add a large new industrial park, and March Air Reserve Base anchors an aerospace and logistics cluster on the southern edge. Alongside all of that freight, the city has grown into a large, young residential community that keeps healthcare, retail, and everyday service businesses busy.

That means your customer might be a fulfillment operation off Cactus Avenue, a trucking or 3PL vendor serving the distribution belt, or a family that just moved into one of the new neighborhoods off Nason Street, and each 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 Moreno Valley, step by step.

Moreno Valley runs business licensing through its Business License Section. Here is the full order, including the county and state pieces that sit alongside the city's own steps.

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 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
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 Certificate of Occupancy or Home Occupation Permit
Before you can operate in Moreno Valley you need a Certificate of Occupancy if the business is in a retail or commercial establishment, or a Home Occupation Permit if it runs from a residence, which includes online and mobile businesses without a permanent retail or commercial location. You can apply for either online. Confirm the use is allowed at the address before you sign a lease.
City of Moreno Valley: Business License
4
Get your Moreno Valley business license
Whether you open from a residence, online, as a mobile business, or at a commercial, industrial or retail location, you need a City of Moreno Valley business license. Fees include a processing fee and a gross receipts tax on one of three category scales; the city lists $61 per license. Licenses are not pro-rated and run through the calendar year, and one bought after September 30 runs through the following year. Renewals are due January 31. Apply online or by mail to the Business License Section, P.O. Box 88005, Moreno Valley, CA 92552. Questions: (951) 413-3080, businesslicense@moval.org.
City of Moreno Valley: 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 Moreno Valley checklist

Take the steps with you.

Get the Moreno Valley 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 Moreno Valley?

Yes, whether you open from a residence (including an online or mobile business) or a commercial, industrial or retail location. You also need a Certificate of Occupancy for a retail or commercial location, or a Home Occupation Permit for a residence.

Source: City of Moreno Valley, Business License

How much does a Moreno Valley business license cost?

City business license fees include a processing fee, shown on the application, and a gross receipts tax on one of three category scales. The city lists $61 per license. Fees are not pro-rated, and nonprofits get a 30% discount with a 501(c)(3) letter.

Source: City of Moreno Valley, Business License

When do Moreno Valley licenses renew?

Licenses are issued for the calendar year. Renewal notices go out in the second week of December, renewals are due January 31, and you can renew online. A license bought after September 30 is valid through the end of the following year.

Source: City of Moreno Valley, Business License

Can I run a business from my home in Moreno Valley?

Yes, with a Home Occupation Permit and a city business license. The same applies to online and mobile businesses without a permanent retail or commercial location.

Source: City of Moreno Valley, Business License

How do I open a restaurant in Moreno Valley?

Beyond the city 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 Moreno Valley, 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 Moreno Valley: Business License
Required for home, online, mobile and storefront businesses. Renewals are due January 31. (951) 413-3080, businesslicense@moval.org.
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.