//Ventura, California

How to start a business in Ventura.

Ventura, officially San Buenaventura, pairs a walkable coastal downtown with a working harbor and a strong visitor draw. Here is the practical sequence to register, license, and open, with the official links and where to get free help.

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

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

Ventura is the county's namesake coastal city, where a lively Main Street downtown of independent shops, restaurants, and galleries meets the Ventura Pier, the Ventura Harbor, and miles of beaches. It is a tourism and surf town with a tight-knit local community, the gateway to the Channel Islands, and a downtown that has become a real dining and shopping destination.

That mix of visitors and loyal locals is the opportunity, and each searches a little differently. Getting open cleanly, with the right Business Tax Certificate and permits, sets the foundation. Getting found by the right customer comes next. This guide handles the first in detail, then points you to the second.

//The sequence

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

This is the order that works for most new Ventura 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 a Zoning Clearance first
A business located in a commercial, industrial or residential area of the city needs an approved Zoning Clearance from the Planning Division before it applies for a business license. It is a paid service through the city's permit portal and may need the property owner's signature, and the license application is not processed without it. Renting out property you own is the one license type that skips this step.
City of Ventura: Apply for a Business License
4
Get your Ventura Business Tax Certificate
You need a City of Ventura Business Tax Certificate if your business is based in the city, conducts business, markets or earns income there, or you are a 1099 contractor working there; owners of commercial or industrial property, or of 4 or more living units, need one too. Complete the application for a business based inside or outside Ventura, add any forms your business type needs, and email the packet to the Business Tax Office. Fees follow the city's Master Fee Schedule, which can change every year. Business Tax Office: 501 Poli Street, Room 107, (805) 658-4715.
City of Ventura: Apply for a Business License
5
Pull any industry permits
The city notes that a certificate does not replace any other permit or license, and a Ventura certificate is not valid in other cities. 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
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 Ventura checklist

Take the steps with you.

Get the City of Ventura 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 Ventura?

Yes, if your business is based in the city, conducts business, markets or earns income there, or you are a 1099 contractor working there. Owners of commercial or industrial property, owners of 4 or more living units, and daycares at commercial locations need a Business Tax Certificate too.

Source: City of Ventura, Apply for a Business License

What is a Zoning Clearance?

The Planning Division's approval that your business can operate at a location in the city. It is a paid service through the city's permit portal, may need the property owner's signature, and must be approved before the Business Tax Office will process your license application.

Source: City of Ventura, Apply for a Business License

Is my Ventura certificate good in other cities?

No. Every city in Ventura County has its own business tax or license rules, and a City of Ventura Business Tax Certificate is not valid anywhere else. It also does not excuse you from any other permit your business needs.

Source: City of Ventura, Apply for a Business License

Where do I file a DBA for a Ventura business?

With the Ventura County Clerk-Recorder at the Government Center, 800 South Victoria Avenue, 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, and you publish it within 45 days of filing.

Source: Ventura County Clerk-Recorder, Fictitious Business Name

How do I open a restaurant in Ventura?

Beyond the Ventura 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

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 Ventura, 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 Ventura: Apply for a Business License
A Business Tax Certificate for businesses based in the city or earning income there, with a Zoning Clearance first. (805) 658-4715.
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.