//Redlands, California

How to start a business in Redlands.

Redlands is a historic college town in San Bernardino County, home to the University of Redlands and the global headquarters of Esri, with a walkable downtown of Victorian architecture, strong dining, and independent retail. Here is the practical sequence to register, license, and open, with the official links and where to get free help.

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

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

Redlands does not read like the rest of the Inland Empire. Built on citrus money, it kept its Victorian mansions, its tree-lined streets, and a downtown you can actually walk. The University of Redlands has anchored the town since 1907, and Esri, the company that quietly powers much of the world's mapping software, runs its global headquarters here. Add the hospitals, the citrus and agriculture that started it all, and a downtown full of independent shops and restaurants, and you get a local economy with real depth for a city this size.

That means your customer might be a university family, an Esri engineer grabbing lunch downtown, or a household that has been in South Redlands for decades, and each finds you differently. Getting open cleanly, with the right city business license, zone clearance, 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 Redlands, step by step.

Redlands runs business licensing through its Revenue Division and a Business Support Center. 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within 45 days of filing, once a week for four consecutive weeks in an adjudicated newspaper, but its FAQ still says an unpublished statement expires after 30 days, so starting within 30 satisfies both.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 Redlands business license
Business licenses are required of all persons or corporations doing business within the City of Redlands. Apply or renew through the city's Business Support Center in Fresno: online, by phone at (909) 479-2111 or by email. The Fresno address on your paperwork belongs to the city's third-party processor. Know before you apply: whether you are inside or outside city limits, in a commercial space or a home office, your address, what you sell or do, any contractor's license number, and your SIC code, which SB 205 requires.
City of Redlands: Business Licenses
4
Get Zone Clearance and any industry permits
A business in a commercial area needs a Zone Clearance Form before its license is issued, whether it is new or relocating. Ask the Planning Division whether your use is allowed first; you do not need a signed lease to apply. Some businesses also need a building permit or a fire sprinkler permit. Questions: One Stop Permit Center, (909) 798-7551. 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.
City of Redlands: Business License & Zone Clearance Application 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.
Orange County Inland Empire SBDC (free advising)

//Free Redlands checklist

Take the steps with you.

Get the Redlands 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 Redlands?

Yes. Business licenses are required of all persons or corporations doing business within the City of Redlands. Apply or renew through the city's Business Support Center: online, by phone at (909) 479-2111 or by email.

Source: City of Redlands, Business Licenses

What is Zone Clearance?

The Planning review a business in a commercial area needs before its license is issued, for a new business or one relocating in Redlands. Describe your use in detail: two- or three-word descriptions usually bring follow-up questions that slow the review. Questions: (909) 798-7551, then press 1 and 1 again for Planning staff.

Source: City of Redlands, Business License & Zone Clearance Application

Do I need a signed lease before I apply?

No. The city says you do not need to sign a lease or other contract to apply for a business license or submit a Zone Clearance Form. Even when a Conditional Use Permit or Administrative Use Permit is needed, the application only requires the current property owner's signature.

Source: City of Redlands, Business License & Zone Clearance Application

Why does my Redlands license paperwork show a Fresno address?

The city works with a third-party processor to manage applications and payments, so applications, renewal notices and similar mail may show 8839 N Cedar Ave #212 in Fresno. It is still the City of Redlands' business license.

Source: City of Redlands, Business Licenses

How do I open a restaurant in Redlands?

Beyond the Redlands business license and Zone 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 Redlands, 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 Redlands: Business Licenses
Required of everyone doing business in the city. Apply or renew online, by phone or by email through the Business Support Center: (909) 479-2111.
City of Redlands: Business License & Zone Clearance Application
A business in a commercial area needs Zone Clearance before the license is issued. No signed lease is needed to apply. (909) 798-7551.
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.