//Fontana, California

How to start a business in Fontana.

Fontana sits at the crossroads of the 10 and the 15, and that location built the city twice: first as a steel town, then as a major warehousing and distribution hub. Here is the practical sequence to register, license, and open, with the official links and where to get free help.

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

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

Fontana has a working history you can read off the freeway. Henry Kaiser fired up his Fontana steel mill in the 1940s, and for decades the plant defined the town. The mill closed in the 1980s, but the rail lines and freeways that once moved steel now move everything else, and the same crossroads of the 10 and the 15 turned Fontana into a magnet for warehouses, distribution centers, and the trucking and logistics firms that feed them. Alongside that runs a fast-growing residential base and the manufacturing that never left.

So your customer might run a fleet of trucks off Slover Avenue, own a shop serving the new rooftops going up across the north end, or manage a facility that never sees a walk-in. Each one 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 Fontana, step by step.

Fontana runs business licensing through its Customer Services team, and the Municipal Code ties it to Planning, Building and Safety, and Public Health review. 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 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within 45 days of filing, once a week for four consecutive weeks in an adjudicated newspaper, but its FAQ still says an unpublished statement expires after 30 days, so starting within 30 satisfies both.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
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 Fontana business license
The Fontana Municipal Code requires every business operating in the city, whether or not it is located there, to be licensed and to meet Planning (zoning), Building and Safety, and Public Health standards. Pay when you apply: a $35 application fee ($15 to renew each year after) plus the annual business tax, based on estimated gross receipts with some exceptions. Used car dealers, restaurants, liquor stores and some other businesses need extra permits and documents. Apply and renew at bl.fontana.org; a license tied to a home address cannot be applied for online. Questions: (909) 350-7675.
City of Fontana: Business License Information
4
Clear the city's reviews and pull any industry permits
Each application goes to Planning for zoning, Building and Safety for an on-site inspection, Public Health and, for some businesses, the Police Department. With full compliance, approval should take two to three weeks, so confirm the use is allowed at the address before you sign a lease. 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
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. Fontana's Economic Development Department also offers free business consultations through fontana311.org and recommends the Inland Empire SBDC as the first stop: (909) 350-6741.
Orange County Inland Empire SBDC (free advising)City of Fontana: Starting a Business

//Free Fontana checklist

Take the steps with you.

Get the Fontana 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 Fontana?

Yes. The Fontana Municipal Code requires every business operating in the city, whether or not it is located there, to be licensed and to meet Planning (zoning), Building and Safety, and Public Health standards.

Source: City of Fontana, Business License Information

How much does a Fontana business license cost?

You pay a $35 application fee when you apply, and $15 to renew each year after, plus an annual business tax based on your estimated gross receipts, with some exceptions. The city publishes a gross receipts rate schedule. Some businesses, such as used car dealers, restaurants and liquor stores, need extra permits.

Source: City of Fontana, Business License Information

How long does a Fontana business license take?

With full compliance, the city says two to three weeks. The application goes to Planning, Building and Safety (including an on-site inspection), Public Health and, for some businesses, the Police Department before the Business License Division finishes it.

Source: City of Fontana, Business License Information

I run a warehouse or trucking business with no storefront. Do I still need a license?

Yes. The license covers every business operating in the city, not only storefronts or businesses located there, and a facility in the city goes through zoning and building review. If you work at job sites, confirm each one is inside city limits: the city tells contractors pulling permits to call Planning at (909) 350-6718, because part of the Fontana area is unincorporated and regulated by the county.

Source: City of Fontana, Business License Information

How do I open a restaurant in Fontana?

Beyond the Fontana business license, 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 Fontana, 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 Fontana: Business License Information
Every business operating in the city is licensed: $35 to apply plus an annual business tax on gross receipts. Apply and renew at bl.fontana.org. (909) 350-7675.
City of Fontana: Starting a Business
Economic Development offers free business consultations through fontana311.org and recommends the Inland Empire SBDC as a first stop. (909) 350-6741.
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.