//Ontario, California

How to start a business in Ontario.

Ontario is a major logistics and distribution hub, anchored by Ontario International Airport, the Ontario Convention Center, and the Ontario Mills mega-mall. Here is the practical sequence to register, license, and open, with the official links and where to get free help.

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

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

Ontario punches far above its footprint. Ontario International Airport moves both passengers and a heavy volume of air cargo, and the warehouses and distribution centers that ring it make the city a major logistics and goods-movement hub. Add manufacturing, the Ontario Convention Center, and Ontario Mills, a large outlet and retail destination, and you get a local economy that runs on freight, trade shows, and shoppers arriving from across the Inland Empire and beyond.

That means your customer might be a national retailer leasing a distribution center, a shopper at Ontario Mills, a crew flying in for an event near the airport, or a family that has lived in the city for a generation, and each finds you differently. Getting open cleanly, with the right 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 Ontario, step by step.

Ontario runs business licensing through its Financial Services Department. 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within 45 days of filing, once a week for four consecutive weeks in an adjudicated newspaper, but its FAQ still says an unpublished statement expires after 30 days, so starting within 30 satisfies both.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 Ontario business license
A business license is required before you start doing business in Ontario, and a new application is required when you change locations or the ownership changes. One online application covers every business type, located in the city (residential, commercial, industrial and rental properties) or outside it (contractors, service providers, professionals), and the city works with HdL on processing, collections and compliance. Questions: (909) 395-2022, BusinessLicense@OntarioCA.gov.
City of Ontario: Business License City of Ontario: Apply for a Business License
4
Gather the attachments for an Ontario location
A business at an Ontario home, commercial or industrial address attaches a site plan and floor plan and the Business License Questionnaire, and a home business adds a Home Occupation Permit application. The property owner or a legal representative signs, or you submit a Property Owner Declaration. A P.O. Box cannot be your business location, only your mailing address.
City of Ontario: Apply for a Business License
5
Confirm zoning and pull any industry permits
Confirm your use is allowed at the address with the city 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
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 Ontario checklist

Take the steps with you.

Get the Ontario 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 Ontario, CA?

Yes. A business license is required before you start doing business in the City of Ontario, and a new application is required when you change locations or the ownership changes. Businesses based outside the city, such as contractors and service providers, use the same application.

Sources: City of Ontario, Business License; Apply for a Business License

How much does an Ontario business license cost?

The city publishes its Business License Tax Rate schedule on its business license page, and the Business License Division can confirm your amount: (909) 395-2022, BusinessLicense@OntarioCA.gov.

Source: City of Ontario, Business License

What do I need to apply in Ontario?

For a business at an Ontario home, commercial or industrial address: a site plan and floor plan, the Business License Questionnaire, the property owner's signature or a Property Owner Declaration, and, for a home business, a Home Occupation Permit application. A P.O. Box can be your mailing address but not your business location.

Source: City of Ontario, Apply for a Business License

Can I run a business from my home in Ontario?

Yes, with a city business license. A home business attaches a Home Occupation Permit application to the online application, along with the site and floor plan, the questionnaire and the owner's signature or declaration.

Source: City of Ontario, Apply for a Business License

How do I open a restaurant in Ontario?

Beyond the Ontario 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 Ontario, 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 Ontario: Business License
Required before you start doing business, and again when you move or change owners. The city works with HdL. (909) 395-2022, BusinessLicense@OntarioCA.gov.
City of Ontario: Apply for a Business License
One online application for every business type, with the attachments an Ontario location needs: site and floor plan, questionnaire, owner's signature.
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.