//Camarillo, California

How to start a businessin Camarillo.

Camarillo blends a major retail destination, a working agricultural base, and a growing cluster of light industry and tech. Here is the practical sequence to register, get your Business Tax Certificate, and open, with the official links and free help.

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

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

Camarillo sits at the center of Ventura County, where the farmland of the Pleasant Valley meets a modern commercial economy. The Camarillo Premium Outlets draw shoppers from across the region, the historic Camarillo Ranch and Old Town anchor the city's character, CSU Channel Islands brings a university presence, and the Camarillo Airport supports a base of light industry and aviation businesses. It is a well-rounded market with room to grow.

That balance of retail, agriculture, and industry is the opportunity. Getting open cleanly, with the right Business Tax Certificate and permits, sets the foundation. Getting found by customers comes next. This guide covers the first in detail, then points you to the second.

//The sequence

How to start a business in Camarillo, step by step.

This is the order that works for most new Camarillo businesses. Requirements vary by entity, location and industry, so use the city, county and state sources below to confirm what applies to yours.

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 Ventura County Clerk-Recorder within 40 days of starting business. It costs $76 for one name and one registrant, plus $10 for each additional name or registrant; you can start online but finish in person with your original signature. Publish it within 45 days of filing, once a week for four consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation in the county.
CA Secretary of State: bizfile Online Ventura County Clerk-Recorder: 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 Camarillo Business Tax Certificate
Anyone operating a business in Camarillo must pay a yearly business tax under the Camarillo Municipal Code, even with a business license from another city. Since July 1, 2025, the city uses an OpenGov portal instead of HdL: apply, renew, pay a balance or close an account there, and create an account to track status and get notifications. Businesses renewing from the old system fill out the full form once, because the new system collects more information. Business Tax Division, 601 Carmen Drive: (805) 388-5330.
City of Camarillo: Business Tax Certificate
4
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: Ventura County Environmental Health issues the Permit to Operate every restaurant and market needs, and state law requires plans approved before a new facility is built or an existing one is remodeled. Plan review is usually needed for new construction, remodels, new or replacement equipment, an ownership change or a menu change: (805) 654-2813. For other permits, GO-Biz offers permitting and regulatory help for any size company.
Ventura County Environmental Health: Consumer Food Protection Ventura County Environmental Health: Food 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 EDC Small Business Development Center offers one-on-one advising, workshops and in-depth programs at no cost for Ventura County businesses. Use it before you pay a consultant.
EDC Small Business Development Center (free advising)

//Free Camarillo checklist

Take the steps with you.

Get the Camarillo business checklist with the city, county, state and federal source links in one place, plus the licensing office of every Ventura County city. 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 Camarillo?

Camarillo collects a yearly business tax instead: anyone operating a business in the city must pay it under the Camarillo Municipal Code, even if you already hold a business license from another city.

Source: City of Camarillo, Business Tax/Licensing

How do I apply for or renew a Camarillo Business Tax Certificate?

Through the city's OpenGov portal, which replaced HdL on July 1, 2025. Apply, renew, pay a balance or close an account there. Businesses renewing from the old system complete the full form once, and future renewals are quicker.

Source: City of Camarillo, Business Tax/Licensing

Where do I file a DBA for a Camarillo business?

With the Ventura County Clerk-Recorder, if you use a name that is not your legal name. It costs $76 for one name and one registrant, plus $10 for each additional. Start online, finish in person with your original signature, and publish within 45 days of filing.

Source: Ventura County Clerk-Recorder, Fictitious Business Name Filing Requirements

How do I open a restaurant in Camarillo?

Beyond the Camarillo Business Tax Certificate, every restaurant and market needs a Permit to Operate from Ventura County Environmental Health, which inspects more than 5,000 food facilities across the county. State law requires plans approved before you build or remodel; submit an application and 3 sets of plans with the fees, or upload them online. An ownership or menu change usually needs plan review too: (805) 654-2813.

Sources: Ventura County Environmental Health, Food Plan Check and Consumer Food Protection

What is the $800 California tax people forget about?

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.

Source: Franchise Tax Board, Limited liability company

Where can I get free help starting my business?

The EDC Small Business Development Center offers one-on-one advising, workshops and in-depth programs at no cost for Ventura County businesses. Use it before you pay a consultant.

Source: EDC Small Business Development Center

//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 Camarillo, Ventura 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 Camarillo: Business Tax Certificate
A yearly business tax for anyone operating a business in the city. Apply, renew and pay in the OpenGov portal. (805) 388-5330.
Ventura County Clerk-Recorder: New Business Information
Every Ventura County city's business license office, with its address and phone, plus the county's own permits.
County of Ventura Treasurer-Tax Collector: Business Tax Certificate
Required for every business conducted in the unincorporated areas, with county Planning and Building approvals. (805) 654-3727.
Ventura County Clerk-Recorder: Fictitious Business Name
$76 for one name and registrant, plus $10 for each additional. Start online, sign in person, publish within 45 days. (805) 654-2263.
Ventura County Environmental Health: Consumer Food Protection
Issues Permits to Operate and inspects more than 5,000 food facilities across the county every year.
Ventura County Environmental Health: Food Plan Check
Plans for new construction, remodels, equipment, an ownership change or a menu change. (805) 654-2813.
Ventura County Assessor: Property Statement Filing
File if your business property cost $100,000 or more, or the Assessor asks: due April 1, late after May 7. (805) 654-2181.
EDC Small Business Development Center (free advising)
One-on-one advising, workshops and programs at no cost. 4001 Mission Oaks Blvd, Camarillo, (805) 409-9159.
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.