California Business License Finder
California has no statewide business license — every city writes its own rules. Select your city for the license name, fee structure, and exactly where to apply.
There's no such thing as a "California business license" issued by the state. What you actually need is a local business tax certificate from your city (or county, if you're outside city limits) — and the name, fee, and application process are different in every single one. This tool covers the license rules for California's 35 largest cities.
Select your city to see the license name, who administers it, the fee structure, and the direct application link.
Business License Lookup
Your City's Business License
How this is calculated
This isn't a calculation — it's a lookup against a table built directly from each city's own finance or business-tax department page. California cities use three broad fee models: a flat fee (sometimes tiered by employee count, like Huntington Beach or Irvine), a gross-receipts-based tax (a rate per $1,000 of revenue, like Los Angeles, Oceanside, or San Francisco), or a hybrid of both.
Nearly every city also tacks on the state-mandated $4 SB 1186 disability-access fee. Where an exact current dollar figure wasn't confirmable on an official city rate table, this tool says so directly and links you to the city's own portal instead of guessing a number.
Separately, if you'll operate under a name other than your own legal name, plan on a county-level Fictitious Business Name (DBA) filing too — that's a different government office than your city's business license desk.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does California have a statewide business license?
No. California has no general state business license. Licensing (usually structured as a local business tax registration) happens entirely at the city level, and in unincorporated areas, at the county level. There is no single state agency or fee that covers every business.
Do I need a business license for a home-based or online-only business?
Almost always, yes. In most California cities the "business license" is legally a tax registration rather than a permit to operate a storefront, so it applies to home-based, online, and service businesses too. Some cities (like Long Beach and Modesto) offer a lower fee tier specifically for home-based businesses, but very few exempt them entirely.
What's the difference between a business license and a DBA/Fictitious Business Name filing?
They're separate requirements from separate governments. The city business license/tax certificate is a local revenue registration. A Fictitious Business Name (FBN, also called a DBA) is a county-level filing with the County Clerk-Recorder, required under California Business & Professions Code Section 17900 if you operate under any name that doesn't include your own legal surname — and it comes with a newspaper-publication requirement most people don't expect.
My city isn't in this list — where do I find my requirements?
Use CalGOLD (calgold.ca.gov), the state's official permit-lookup directory. Enter your city and business type and it will list every applicable local, state, and federal permit along with the agency to contact. This finder covers California's 35 largest cities; CalGOLD covers all of them.
What is the extra $4 fee added to almost every city's business license?
That's the state-mandated SB 1186 / AB 1379 disability access and education fee. Nearly every California city tacks it onto both new business license applications and renewals — it funds disability-access improvements and CASp inspector training, and it isn't something your city chose to add on its own.
This tool provides an educational estimate only and covers 35 of California's 480+ incorporated cities. Fee schedules, department names, and application URLs change — confirm current requirements directly with your city's finance or business-license department, or via CalGOLD, before applying or budgeting for a fee.