//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 the West Coast's great steel town, then as one of Southern California's busiest warehousing and distribution hubs. Here is the practical sequence to register, license, and open, with the official links and where to get free help.
Fontana has a working history you can read off the freeway. Henry Kaiser fired up his Fontana steel mill in the 1940s, the first integrated steelworks on the West Coast, 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 your LLC or corporation with the California Secretary of State through bizfile, or stay a sole proprietor. Either way, if you use a name that is not your legal name, file a fictitious business name (DBA) with the San Bernardino County Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk within 40 days of starting, then publish it for four weeks.
- 2
Get your free EIN
Get a free federal EIN from the IRS for banking, payroll, and taxes. It takes minutes online, and you should never pay a third party for one.
- 3
Register for a seller's permit if you sell goods
If you sell or lease physical goods, from a warehouse, a storefront, or a truck, register for a free seller's permit with the CDTFA so you can collect and remit sales tax.
- 4
Get your Fontana business license
The Fontana Municipal Code requires all businesses operating within the city, even those without a physical location in Fontana, to be licensed. The city's Customer Services team handles it, and applications also run through zoning, building and safety, and public health review, so a location-based business gets checked against land use before it opens. Apply, renew, or pay online at bl.fontana.org, and confirm your exact fee and track with Customer Services at (909) 350-7675 before you file.
- 5
Clear zoning and pull any industry permits
Confirm your address and activity are allowed before you sign a lease, because Fontana's license process includes a Planning (Zoning) review. Run your business type through CalGold to see every permit that applies. If you are opening any food business, you also need a permit and inspection from San Bernardino County Environmental Health before you serve a single customer.
- 6
Budget for the $800 state tax
If you formed an LLC or corporation, plan for California's $800 minimum annual franchise tax. It is due whether or not you turn a profit in year one, so build it into your first-year numbers.
- 7
Get free expert help
Lean on the free experts before you pay anyone. The Inland Empire SBDC offers no-cost, confidential advising to Fontana businesses on planning, funding, permitting, and marketing.
//Bookmark these
Official Fontana, San Bernardino County, and California resources.
Each link goes straight to the government or nonprofit source that handles it. Go to them directly rather than a paid middleman that charges for free filings.
The Fontana Municipal Code requires all businesses operating within the city, whether or not they are physically located there, to be licensed and to meet Planning (Zoning), Building and Safety, and Public Health standards. The city's Customer Services team handles licensing, and you can apply, renew, or pay online through the bl.fontana.org portal. Questions go to (909) 350-7675.
Register an LLC, corporation, or partnership, or reserve a name, directly with the state.
Your free federal tax ID. The IRS issues it online in minutes. Never pay a third party for one.
Free sales-tax permit, required if you sell or lease physical goods in California.
Enter your city and business type to see every permit you need, with the agency contacts.
Most LLCs owe California's $800 minimum annual tax. Budget for it before you form one.
File a fictitious business name with the San Bernardino County Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk within 40 days of starting ($90 for the first name), then publish it for four weeks.
Restaurants and food facilities need a health permit and inspections from San Bernardino County Environmental Health Services, which posts a letter grade. 800-442-2283.
No-cost, confidential consulting and training for Riverside and San Bernardino county businesses, hosted by the Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship at CSU San Bernardino and funded through the SBA.
//By trade in Fontana
Common Fontana businesses, and the extra step each needs.
Logistics, warehousing, or trucking company
Distribution, freight, and 3PL operators are Fontana's signature trade, clustered along the 10 and the 15. You still need the city business license even without a walk-in location, and a warehouse or yard gets checked against zoning and building and safety. Add any state motor carrier or hazardous-materials registrations your operation requires.
Manufacturer or industrial shop
Fabrication, food production, and other makers carry on Fontana's industrial legacy. Beyond the business license, expect Planning and Building and Safety review of your site, and run your specific process through CalGold, since manufacturing often triggers air-quality, fire, or hazardous-materials permits on top of the basics.
Retail shop or service business
With new housing filling in across the city, everyday retail and services have room to grow. These need the Fontana business license, a seller's permit if you sell goods, and a storefront triggers zoning review, so engage the city early because it shapes your build-out and signage.
Restaurant, market, or food business
Food is where the county comes in. Beyond the Fontana business license, every restaurant, market, and food facility needs a permit and graded inspection from San Bernardino County Environmental Health, and serving alcohol runs through the state ABC. Get plans reviewed before you build or remodel.
//When you are ready to be found
Getting open is step one. Getting found is step two.
Fontana is more than one market
A logistics operator, a new-neighborhood retailer, and a longtime local shop all search differently. A clear web presence and local search strategy is what turns a specific Fontana audience into your customers.
Local search is the front door
Most first customers come from a Google search or the map pack. A complete profile, real reviews, and a fast site do most of the work, even in a market built on industrial and B2B trade.
We work across San Bernardino County
Mining Wells is based in Irvine and works with businesses across San Bernardino County. We help local businesses get found and turn that into booked revenue.
Honest work, no fiction
No promised rankings, no fixed lead counts. Clear work and reporting tied to revenue, month to month, after you use the free resources above.
//How we help
Marketing that turns your Fontana business into booked revenue.
Own the local searches your Fontana customers actually type.
Fast, credible sites built to convert the visitors you already have.
Paid campaigns measured by cost per booked customer.
The county-wide start-a-business steps and other city guides.
The full playbook for winning the map results near you.
//Common questions
Things we get asked first.
Do I need a business license in Fontana?
Yes. The Fontana Municipal Code requires all businesses operating within the city to be licensed, whether or not they have a physical location in Fontana. Licensing runs through the city's Customer Services team, and applications are also checked against Planning (Zoning), Building and Safety, and Public Health standards. You can apply, renew, or pay online at bl.fontana.org, or call Customer Services at (909) 350-7675.
How do I open a restaurant or food business in Fontana?
Beyond the Fontana business license, every restaurant, market, and food facility needs a health permit and graded inspection from San Bernardino County Environmental Health, and serving alcohol requires a license from the state ABC. Because food build-outs trigger plan review, start the county process early, before you build or remodel.
I run a warehouse or trucking business with no storefront. Do I still need a license?
Yes. Fontana requires a business license for companies operating in the city even without a walk-in location, and that covers most of the warehousing, distribution, and trucking firms based there. A facility or yard is also reviewed against zoning and building and safety, and your operation may need state motor carrier or hazardous-materials registrations on top of the city license.
How much does a Fontana business license cost?
The amount depends on your business and activity, and the license process also involves zoning, building, and public health review. Rather than guess, confirm your exact fee and requirements with the city's Customer Services team at (909) 350-7675, or start the application at bl.fontana.org, before you file.
Can you guarantee customers once I open?
No, and anyone who guarantees rankings or a fixed number of leads is selling fiction. We promise honest work and reporting tied to revenue. What we can do is make you the credible, findable option when a Fontana customer searches.
About Mining Wells
We're on a mission to fix bad marketing.
Maybe:
- You are spending thousands on marketing tools, ads, and your website, with zero revenue increase to show for it.
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You are not alone. Many founders and leaders live with the results of bad marketing without ever finding the reason.
And often that is because it can be many reasons. Sometimes it is the wrong ICP, sometimes the wrong messaging, sometimes the wrong targeting chasing impressions.
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At Mining Wells, we help founders and leaders grow their businesses the right way.
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