//Sacramento County, California

How to start and grow a business in Sacramento County.

A straight, practical guide to registering your business, getting the right permits, and actually finding customers across Sacramento County. Every official link you need is below, plus where to get free help. No fluff, no hard sell.

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

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

Sacramento County is home to roughly 1.6 million people and the state capital, which gives it an economy unlike anywhere else in California. State government is the anchor employer, and around it sit major healthcare systems like UC Davis Health, a fast-growing technology and startup scene, and rich farmland out toward the Delta. The city of Sacramento, Elk Grove, Folsom, Citrus Heights, and Rancho Cordova each run their own rules for opening a business, and that trips up a lot of owners.

This page is the part most marketing sites skip: how to actually open your doors. The county, the state, and your specific city each play a role, and doing the steps in the right order saves you weeks. Below is the full sequence with links straight to the official sources, the trades that need extra permits, and the free local programs that will help you for nothing. One quirk worth knowing up front: Sacramento County handles fictitious business name filings through its Department of Finance, not a clerk-recorder like most counties. The part about getting found by customers comes at the end, once you are legal and open.

//The sequence

How to start a business in Sacramento County, step by step.

This is the order that works for most new businesses. Requirements vary by entity, location and industry, so use the city, county and state sources below to confirm what applies to yours.

1
Find out who licenses your address
Sacramento, Elk Grove, Citrus Heights, Folsom, Rancho Cordova, Galt and Isleton each set their own rules for businesses inside them. Outside those seven cities, the county itself licenses businesses: commercial and home-based businesses need a county General Business License, $262.60 for three years, issued after a review of the activity and the zoning that can take up to 45 days. Some trades, such as handyman, landscaping, housekeeping and mobile food vending, also need a county Special Business License to work in the unincorporated area, even when based elsewhere. Email SacPlan@saccounty.gov to confirm the zoning before you apply.
Sacramento County: Business Licensing Sacramento County: Business Licensing FAQs
2
Pick a structure and register the business
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 Sacramento County Department of Finance, Business License Unit, within 40 days of starting business, in person or by mail. The county says to start publishing within 30 days of filing, once a week for four consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation; state law allows 45, so starting within 30 satisfies both.
CA Secretary of State: bizfile Online Sacramento County Department of Finance: 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 city business license
This is the step that changes most by city, in price and timing. The City of Sacramento has no business license; it collects a Business Operations Tax. Elk Grove charges $16 for two years, Rancho Cordova $103 a year, and Citrus Heights $108 for a new General license, while Folsom certificates expire every June 30. The free checklist lists the offices of five cities, and the city guides below walk through each one.
Sacramento County: Business Licensing
5
Confirm zoning and pull any industry permits
Before you sign a lease, confirm the use is allowed at the address with your city's planning office, or county Planning and Environmental Review in unincorporated areas. If you sell or serve food: Sacramento County Environmental Management permits and inspects every retail food facility in the county, cities included, and plans for a new facility, a remodel or a change in the type of operation must be submitted before construction begins: Plan Review, (916) 874-6010. The first year's permit fee is billed after you are permitted. For other permits, GO-Biz offers permitting and regulatory help for any size company.
Sacramento County EMD: Retail Food Protection Program Sacramento County EMD: Plan Review FAQs GO-Biz: Permit & Regulatory Assistance
6
Report business equipment to the Assessor
If your business personal property and fixtures cost $100,000 or more in total, or the Assessor sends you a statement, file it: state law makes it due by 5 p.m. April 1 and adds a 10% penalty if it is not filed by May 7. If no statement arrives by March 1, call the Personal Property Division: (916) 875-0730.
Sacramento County Assessor: Business Personal Property
7
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
8
Use the free help that already exists
The Norcal SBDC network offers expert, no-fee advising for new startups and established businesses; its Sacramento Valley SBDC is at 1792 Tribute Rd #270, Sacramento, (916) 655-2100. Use it before you pay a consultant.
Norcal SBDC: Sacramento Valley SBDC (free advising)

//Free Sacramento County checklist

Take the steps with you.

Get the Sacramento County business checklist with the city, county, state and federal source links in one place, including the licensing offices of five cities and the county license for unincorporated areas. We keep the source page dated so you can see when it was last checked.

//City guides

Start-a-business guides for Sacramento County cities.

Sacramento
Business Operations Tax steps and the capital's government, healthcare, and downtown economy.
Elk Grove
Business license steps and a growing family and retail market.
Folsom
Business license steps and the affluent tech, retail, and historic-district market.
Citrus Heights
Business license steps and the established retail and small-business community.
Rancho Cordova
Business license steps and the tech, aerospace, and logistics-corridor economy.

//Common questions

Things we get asked first.

Do I need a business license in Sacramento County?

Almost always, and who issues it depends on where you are. Businesses based in the unincorporated area need a county General Business License, and some trades need a county Special Business License to work there even from outside it. Inside Sacramento, Elk Grove, Citrus Heights, Folsom, Rancho Cordova, Galt and Isleton, check with the city; the City of Sacramento collects a Business Operations Tax instead of issuing a license.

Source: Sacramento County Department of Finance, Business Licensing

How do I register a business name in Sacramento County?

If you use a name that is not your legal name, file a fictitious business name (DBA) statement with the Sacramento County Department of Finance, Business License Unit, within 40 days of starting business, in person or by mail. The county says to start publishing within 30 days of filing, once a week for four consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation; state law allows 45, so starting within 30 satisfies both.

Source: Sacramento County Department of Finance, Fictitious Business Name FAQs

How do I open a restaurant in Sacramento County?

Beyond your city or county business license, every retail food facility needs a health permit from Sacramento County Environmental Management, which covers all the cities. Submit plans before any construction, remodel or change in the type of operation (Plan Review: (916) 874-6010), and schedule the final inspection at least two days ahead once all equipment works: (916) 875-8440. After opening you post the green, yellow or red placard from your latest inspection.

Sources: Sacramento County EMD, Plan Review FAQs and Retail Food Protection Program

How much is a Sacramento County business license?

For a business in the unincorporated area, a General Business License is $262.60 for three years as of July 1, 2026, and renews at $124.30 for a home-based business or $252.48 for a commercial location. A Special Business License is $237.87 a year, plus fingerprinting. The review can take up to 45 days for a General license.

Source: Sacramento County Department of Finance, Business Licensing FAQs

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

Where can I get free help starting my business?

The Norcal SBDC network offers expert, no-fee advising for new startups and established businesses; its Sacramento Valley SBDC is at 1792 Tribute Rd #270, Sacramento, (916) 655-2100. Use it before you pay a consultant.

Source: Norcal SBDC, Find Your 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 Sacramento

//Bookmark these

Official Sacramento 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.

Sacramento County: Business Licensing
The county licenses businesses in the unincorporated area, outside Sacramento, Elk Grove, Citrus Heights, Folsom, Rancho Cordova, Galt and Isleton. (916) 874-6644.
Sacramento County: Business Licensing FAQs
County license fees ($262.60 for three years), special licenses, zoning checks and home occupation standards.
Sacramento County Department of Finance: Fictitious Business Names
Filed with the Business License Unit, in person or by mail. The county says to start publishing within 30 days. (916) 874-6644.
Sacramento County EMD: Retail Food Protection Program
Permits and inspects every retail food facility in the county, cities included, and posts green, yellow or red placards.
Sacramento County EMD: Plan Review FAQs
Plans before any new construction, remodel or change in the type of operation. Plan Review: (916) 874-6010.
Sacramento County Assessor: Business Personal Property
File if your business property cost $100,000 or more, or the Assessor asks. (916) 875-0730.
Norcal SBDC: Sacramento Valley SBDC (free advising)
No-fee advising for startups and established businesses. 1792 Tribute Rd #270, Sacramento, (916) 655-2100.
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.