//Riverside, California

How to start a business in Riverside.

Riverside is the county seat and the anchor of Inland Southern California, home to UC Riverside, a deep healthcare sector, and a logistics corridor that moves goods for the whole region. Here is the practical sequence to register, license, and open, with the official links and where to get free help.

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

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

Riverside is the seat of Riverside County and the largest city in the Inland Empire, and it carries the weight that comes with that. UC Riverside, California Baptist University and Riverside City College bring tens of thousands of students, and a large healthcare workforce, at Kaiser Permanente, Riverside University Health System, and Riverside Community Hospital among others, anchors the local economy. Downtown, the historic Mission Inn and the Main Street pedestrian mall give the city a walkable core that most of the Inland Empire does not have.

That means your customer might be a UCR student in Canyon Crest, a family in Magnolia Center or Arlington Heights, a warehouse operator off the 60, or a downtown professional near the courthouse, and each finds you differently. Getting open cleanly, with the right business tax registration, 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 Riverside, step by step.

Riverside runs business registration through its Finance Department, and it calls the registration a business tax. 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 Riverside business license
All persons or companies doing business in the City of Riverside pay its business tax, which is its business license: retail, wholesale, manufacturing, service and professional businesses, independent contractors, home businesses, and commercial and residential landlords. Doing business in Riverside from an office outside the city still means paying it. A new business's tax is due on or before its first day of business; after that it is paid annually, in advance, by the expiration date of the current certificate. Apply online, and the city emails the amount due once your application is processed.
City of Riverside: Business Licenses (Business Tax)
4
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. Depending on the business, you may also need other city departments, such as utilities, zoning or building approval, or special licenses. 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
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 Riverside checklist

Take the steps with you.

Get the City of Riverside 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 Riverside?

Yes. All persons or companies doing business in the City of Riverside are required to pay its business tax, also called the business license. That includes retail, service and professional businesses, independent contractors, home businesses, and commercial and residential landlords.

Source: City of Riverside, Business Licenses

When is the Riverside business tax due?

For a new business, on or before the first day of business. After that the tax is paid annually, in advance, on or before the expiration date of your current certificate.

Source: City of Riverside, Business Licenses

My office is outside Riverside. Do I still need it?

Yes. The city says that if you conduct business in Riverside from an office located outside the city, you are required to pay the business tax.

Source: City of Riverside, Business Licenses

How do I open a restaurant in Riverside?

Beyond the Riverside business tax, 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

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.

Prefer to read first? Marketing agency serving Riverside

//Bookmark these

Official 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 Riverside: Business Licenses (Business Tax)
Everyone doing business in the city pays the business tax, including home businesses, landlords and out-of-town offices. Due by your first day of business.
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.