//Simi Valley, California

How to start a business in Simi Valley.

Simi Valley is a stable, family-oriented community with a loyal residential base and steady local demand. 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 Simi Valley? The official steps and source links are below.

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

Simi Valley sits at the eastern edge of Ventura County, a stable, family-oriented city. The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library draws visitors from across the country, the Simi Valley Town Center and local corridors serve a loyal residential base, and the surrounding parks and open space define the lifestyle. The region's proximity to Los Angeles also makes it a frequent filming location.

That stability is the opportunity. A loyal community supports the businesses it trusts, and steady demand rewards consistency. 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 Simi Valley, step by step.

This is the order that works for most new Simi Valley 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
Check the zoning before you sign a lease
Before signing a lease or moving in, contact the Planning Division to confirm the use is allowed in your location's zoning district, or look it up on the city's zoning maps and in the Development Code's allowed uses. If it is not allowed, you may need a Conditional Use Permit. A home business needs a Home Occupation Permit, which sets limits suited to residential zones, such as no hazardous materials; apply online. Planning: (805) 583-6769.
City of Simi Valley: Permits, Taxes, and Licenses
4
Get your Simi Valley Business Tax Certificate
Every new business must get a Business Tax Certificate before conducting business in Simi Valley. For most businesses, the tax is based on the previous year's annual gross receipts. HdL coordinates the business tax for the city: (805) 850-1521.
City of Simi Valley: Permits, Taxes, and Licenses City of Simi Valley: Customer Services
5
Pull any other permits
Some businesses need a city Business Permit: billiard rooms, bingo, carnivals, dance halls, firearm dealers, massage, parades and shows, pawnbrokers, secondhand dealers, solicitors and taxicabs (Customer Services: (805) 583-6736). Food service, auto businesses, some medical offices, manufacturers and laundries may need an Industrial Wastewater Discharge Permit, most new spaces need building permits for a tenant improvement, and a storefront sign needs a Permanent Sign Permit. 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.
City of Simi Valley: Customer Services Ventura County Environmental Health: Consumer Food Protection Ventura County Environmental Health: Food 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 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 Simi Valley checklist

Take the steps with you.

Get the Simi Valley 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 Simi Valley?

Yes. Every new business must get a Business Tax Certificate before conducting business in Simi Valley, and for most businesses the tax is based on the previous year's gross receipts. HdL coordinates the business tax for the city: (805) 850-1521.

Sources: City of Simi Valley, Permits, Taxes, and Licenses; Customer Services

Can I run a business from my home in Simi Valley?

Yes, with a Home Occupation Permit from the Planning Division, which places common-sense limits on home businesses in residential zones, such as no storing hazardous materials. Apply online; questions: (805) 583-6769.

Source: City of Simi Valley, Permits, Taxes, and Licenses for Your Business

Which Simi Valley businesses need an extra permit?

A city Business Permit is needed for billiard rooms, bingo, carnivals, dance halls, firearm dealers, massage therapists, parades and shows, pawnbrokers, secondhand dealers, solicitors and taxicabs. Food service, auto businesses, some medical facilities, manufacturers and laundries may need an Industrial Wastewater Discharge Permit.

Source: City of Simi Valley, Permits, Taxes, and Licenses for Your Business

What should I check before signing a lease in Simi Valley?

Ask the Planning Division whether your use is allowed in the zoning district, or check the zoning maps and the Development Code's allowed uses. If it is not allowed, you may need a Conditional Use Permit, and a storefront sign needs a Permanent Sign Permit.

Source: City of Simi Valley, Permits, Taxes, and Licenses for Your Business

How do I open a restaurant in Simi Valley?

Beyond the Simi Valley 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

How do I register a business name in Ventura County?

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.

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

//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 Simi Valley, 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 Simi Valley: Permits, Taxes, and Licenses
A Business Tax Certificate before you do business, a Home Occupation Permit at home, and the other city permits. Business tax (HdL): (805) 850-1521.
City of Simi Valley: Customer Services
Business tax receipts and the permits for special events, filming and regulated businesses. (805) 583-6736.
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.