//Chino Hills, California

How to start a business in Chino Hills.

Chino Hills is a family-oriented city in the southwest corner of San Bernardino County, with strong schools, manicured neighborhoods, and The Shoppes at Chino Hills anchoring a polished retail and dining scene. Here is the practical sequence to register, license, and open, with the official links and where to get free help.

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

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

Chino Hills sits in the far southwest corner of San Bernardino County, tucked against the Orange County and Los Angeles County lines, and it has become a sought-after place to live. It is affluent and built around families, with well-regarded schools and rolling hillside neighborhoods. The Shoppes at Chino Hills gives the city a genuine downtown, an open-air center of restaurants, retail, and services where locals actually spend their evenings.

For a business owner, that is a specific kind of opportunity. Households here have money to spend and high standards to match, so the demand runs toward professional services, medical and dental practices, quality dining, and the home-based and service businesses that keep a bedroom community running. Getting open cleanly, with the right Land Use Clearance, Business License, and permits, 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 Chino Hills, step by step.

Chino Hills runs business licensing through its Community Development Department, with online applications handled by HdL. Here is the full order, including the county and state pieces that sit alongside the city's own steps.

1
Get your Land Use Clearance or Home Occupation Permit
A business located in Chino Hills starts in the city's Virtual Development Services portal: a Land Use Clearance ($269) for a retail or commercial location, or a Home Occupation Permit ($104) for a business run from a residence. An invoice comes by email once the application is complete. After approval, the city emails a Land Use Clearance certificate, and business license applications without it are not accepted, so confirm the space works for your use before you sign a lease.
City of Chino Hills: Business Licenses
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 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 Online San Bernardino County Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk: Fictitious Business Name
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
Then get your Chino Hills business license
The license is $17.83 plus the $4 state disability access fee, $21.83 in all, and certificates come by email from HdL (chinohills@hdlgov.com). A business based outside the city applies online through HdL or by calling (909) 740-3187 and pays the same $21.83. Card payments carry a 3.75% fee on the city portal and 2.9% ($2 minimum) with HdL. Veterans selling tangible goods and nonprofits are exempt from the license and city processing fees, though other fees may apply. Renew online or by phone.
City of Chino Hills: Business Licenses
5
Pull any industry permits
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 Check 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 Chino Hills checklist

Take the steps with you.

Get the Chino Hills business checklist with the city, county, state and federal source links in one place, plus the licensing offices of seven San Bernardino 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 Chino Hills?

Yes, whether the business is located in the city or comes in from outside to work. A business located in Chino Hills gets a Land Use Clearance (commercial) or Home Occupation Permit (home) first, and the city does not accept a license application without the Land Use Clearance certificate. Out-of-city businesses apply through HdL: (909) 740-3187.

Source: City of Chino Hills, Business Licenses

How much does a Chino Hills business license cost?

$21.83: the $17.83 license fee plus the $4 state disability access fee, for in-city and out-of-city businesses alike. A business located in the city also pays for its Land Use Clearance ($269, commercial locations) or Home Occupation Permit ($104, homes), and card payments carry convenience fees.

Source: City of Chino Hills, Business Licenses

What is a Land Use Clearance and do I need one?

If your business is at a retail or commercial location in Chino Hills, yes. You apply through the city's Virtual Development Services portal, pay the $269 invoice the city emails once the application is complete, and receive the certificate by email after approval. Business license applications missing it are not accepted.

Source: City of Chino Hills, Business Licenses

Can I run a business from my home in Chino Hills?

Yes. Apply for a Home Occupation Permit ($104) through the city's Virtual Development Services portal, then apply for the business license ($21.83). Veterans selling tangible goods and nonprofits are exempt from the license and city processing fees.

Source: City of Chino Hills, Business Licenses

How do I open a restaurant in Chino Hills?

Beyond the Chino Hills business license and Land Use Clearance, every food facility needs a health permit from San Bernardino County Environmental Health Services. Plans for a new or remodeled facility must be approved before any construction begins; emailed plans get a 5% discount, and plans are approved or rejected within 20 working days. The county inspects after interior finishes, after the equipment goes in and once more before you open, so schedule each inspection five working days ahead: (800) 442-2283.

Source: San Bernardino County Environmental Health Services, Plan Check FAQ

How do I register a business name in San Bernardino County?

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.

Source: San Bernardino County Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk, Fictitious Business Name

//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 Chino Hills, San Bernardino 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 Chino Hills: Business Licenses
A Land Use Clearance or Home Occupation Permit first for an in-city business, then the $21.83 business license through HdL. Community Development: (909) 364-2740.
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.