How to start a business in Victorville.

Victorville runs business licensing through its Business License Division, with applications accepted online only through Citizen Self Service. Here is the full order, including the county and state pieces that sit alongside the city's own steps.

1. 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within 45 days of filing, once a week for four consecutive weeks in an adjudicated newspaper, but its FAQ still says an unpublished statement expires after 30 days, so starting within 30 satisfies both.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 OnlineSan Bernardino County Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk: Fictitious Business Name
2. 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 EINCDTFA: Seller's permit
3. 3

   Confirm zoning before you sign a lease

   Before you apply, the city requires you to verify that your business type is compatible with the zoning at your proposed location: Planning Division, (760) 955-5135, planning@victorvilleca.gov. Every business needs a physical place of business; a P.O. Box is not accepted as a business location.

   City of Victorville: General InformationCity of Victorville: In-City Businesses
4. 4

   Apply for your Victorville business license online

   Anyone doing business within city limits must get a Victorville business license first. Applications are accepted online only, through Citizen Self Service, and incomplete applications are not accepted. In a commercial, industrial or office building, upload the Fire Operational Permit Application and the Wastewater Questionnaire, and get a Certificate of Occupancy too unless the Building Division finds you are sharing space; a business selling or serving food or drinks also needs a FOGS (fats, oils and grease) permit. At home, upload the Residential Business Use(s) Acknowledgement Form, signed by the property owner and the business owner.

   City of Victorville: In-City BusinessesCity of Victorville: Home-Based Businesses
5. 5

   Pay the invoice and keep the license current

   Fees cannot be paid until the city reviews your application; it then emails an invoice, and fees must be paid before processing. Allow two to four weeks, and handle all correspondence by email. A license lasts one year: a courtesy renewal notice goes out 30 to 60 days before it expires, and a late renewal adds 50% after 30 days and another 50% after 60. Questions: (760) 955-5072, businesslicense@victorvilleca.gov.

   City of Victorville: Business License DivisionCity of Victorville: Renewing a Business License
6. 6

   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 CheckGO-Biz: Permit & Regulatory Assistance
7. 7

   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 taxFranchise Tax Board: Corporation minimum tax
8. 8

   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)

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 Victorville: Business License Division

  Apply online only, through Citizen Self Service; fees are invoiced after review. (760) 955-5072, businesslicense@victorvilleca.gov.

• City of Victorville: In-City Businesses

  Commercial, industrial and office locations: fire permit and wastewater forms, a Certificate of Occupancy, and a FOGS permit for food and drink.

• City of Victorville: Home-Based Businesses

  A home business uploads a Residential Business Use(s) Acknowledgement Form signed by the property owner and the business owner.

• City of Victorville: Renewing a Business License

  A license lasts one year. A late renewal adds 50% after 30 days and another 50% after 60.

• 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.