How to start and grow a business in San Bernardino County.

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. 1

   Find out who licenses your address

   Each of San Bernardino County's 24 cities and towns licenses the businesses inside it; the San Bernardino Council of Governments lists them all. The county itself issues no business license, neither for unincorporated areas nor one that covers the whole county. In an unincorporated area, check zoning with County Land Use Services, which has a zoning lookup by parcel number: (909) 387-8311. A business run from a home there may need a Home Occupation Permit.

   San Bernardino Council of Governments: Member JurisdictionsSan Bernardino County Clerk of the Board: Business LicensesSan Bernardino County Land Use Services: Planning
2. 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 San Bernardino County Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk within 40 days of starting business. It costs $90, plus $2 for each additional name or registrant, and online filings are processed within 10 business days. The county says publication must start within 45 days of filing, once a week for four consecutive weeks in an adjudicated newspaper, but its FAQ still says an unpublished statement expires after 30 days, so starting within 30 satisfies both.

   CA Secretary of State: bizfile OnlineSan Bernardino County Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk: Fictitious Business Name
3. 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 EINCDTFA: Seller's permit
4. 4

   Get your city business license

   This is the step that changes most by city, in price and timing. Chino Hills charges $21.83 after a Land Use Clearance, Fontana $35 plus a business tax on gross receipts, and the City of San Bernardino wants a Zoning Verification Review before it registers you. Victorville takes applications online only and needs two to four weeks. The free checklist lists the offices of seven cities, and the city guides below walk through each one.

   San Bernardino Council of Governments: Member Jurisdictions
5. 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 Land Use Services in unincorporated areas. If you sell or serve food: Every food facility needs a health permit from San Bernardino County Environmental Health Services, and plans for a new or remodeled facility, or a change in menu or type of operation, must be approved before construction begins. Plans are approved or rejected within 20 working days, and a final inspection comes before you open: (800) 442-2283. For other permits, GO-Biz offers permitting and regulatory help for any size company.

   San Bernardino County Environmental Health: Plan CheckSan Bernardino County Environmental Health: Food FacilitiesGO-Biz: Permit & Regulatory Assistance
6. 6

   Report business equipment to the Assessor

   If your business property cost more than $100,000 in total, or the Assessor asks you to file, file Form 571-L by April 1. A statement e-filed or postmarked after 5 p.m. on May 7 gets a 10% penalty, and if you do not file at all, the Assessor estimates the value and adds the same penalty. Questions: (909) 382-3220.

   San Bernardino County Assessor: Business Property
7. 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 taxFranchise Tax Board: Corporation minimum tax
8. 8

   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)

• San Bernardino

  Business registration steps and the county seat's healthcare, government, and logistics economy.

• Fontana

  Business license steps and a major distribution and manufacturing market.

• Rancho Cucamonga

  Business license steps and the affluent retail, dining, and professional-services market.

• Ontario

  Business license steps and the airport, convention, and logistics-hub economy.

• Victorville

  Business license steps and the High Desert retail, healthcare, and trade market.

• Chino Hills

  Business license steps and the affluent, family-oriented residential and retail market.

• Redlands

  Business license steps and the historic downtown, university, and healthcare economy.

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.

• San Bernardino Council of Governments: Member Jurisdictions

  Lists all 24 cities and towns in San Bernardino County. Each one licenses the businesses inside it.

• San Bernardino County Clerk of the Board: Business Licenses

  The county issues no business license for unincorporated areas and none that covers the whole county. A business in a city contacts that city.

• San Bernardino County Land Use Services: Planning

  Planning for the unincorporated areas, with a zoning lookup by parcel number. (909) 387-8311.

• San Bernardino County Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk: Fictitious Business Name

  $90 to file, plus $2 for each additional name or registrant. File online, by mail or in person. (855) 732-2575.

• San Bernardino County Environmental Health: Plan Check

  Food facility plans are approved before construction, inside city limits and out. Plans are approved or rejected within 20 working days. (800) 442-2283.

• San Bernardino County Environmental Health: Food Facilities

  Health permits for restaurants, markets, food trucks and carts. A permit includes two routine inspections a year.

• San Bernardino County Assessor: Business Property

  Form 571-L is due April 1 if your business property cost more than $100,000 or the Assessor asks. A 10% penalty applies after May 7. (909) 382-3220.

• 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.