How to Apply for a Business License in Ventura County

If you’re looking to start a business in Ventura, you first need to acquire a business license. Business licenses are permits issued by the government to allow you to operate your business legally within a particular jurisdiction. It’s important to note that you may need multiple business permits and licenses depending on your type of business and service/product offering. Read on to learn how to apply for a business license in Ventura County.

Information Needed While Applying for a Business License in Ventura County

The Ventura County business license application process entails you, as the business owner, providing the following information:

• The legal name of your business as well as your name.
• Your date of birth, email address, driver’s license number, and contact information (including your home address and phone number).
• Your business’s location, phone number, and mailing address.
• Type of ownership (single owner, trust, partnership, corporation, or LLC).
• The type of business you’ll operate (home business, entertainment, alcohol sales, etc.).

Own an online business? Check if you need a business license to sell your products online?

How to Apply for a Business License?

To get a business license in Ventura County, you need to complete the following steps:

1. Come up with a business name.
2. Get an FBN (Fictitious Business Name) and, if need be, publicize it in a local daily.
3. Settle on a business entity (if necessary).
4. For information on if your enterprise will have to file use and sales taxes, reach out to the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration regarding the same. Additionally, if your business entails reselling merchandise, apply for your seller’s permit.
5. Get more information on additional state and local taxes that apply to your business.
6. If necessary, register with Stormwater Industrial General Permits.
7. Get a business license from the unincorporated area or city where your business will be based in.

City, County, and State Regulations Related to Business Permits and Licenses

• City – Before operating within any city’s jurisdiction, you must get a business license. You’ll have to pay this annual tax regardless of whether your enterprise is located outside the city’s jurisdiction or licensed by another city.
• County – If you operate using an FBN, you need to file a Fictitious Business Name Statement in the County Clerk’s Office.
• Health Permits – If your business operations entail the following: spas/public pools, retail food sales, permanent cosmetics, body piercing, tattooing, medical waste, hazardous waste, underground fuel tanks, trash trucks, landfills, or composite facilities, you need to get the right permits from the County Environmental Health Division.
• County Regulatory Business License – If your business is based in an unincorporated area of Ventura County where the Sheriff regulates your business activity, you should find out from the County Sheriff’s Office whether you need to get a County Regulatory Business License.
• County Business Tax Certificate – All enterprises, businesses, establishments, occupations, vocations, trades, and professions must get a County Business Tax Certificate.
• California Seller’s Permit – If you sell or lease tangible property, you need to get a California seller’s permit. You’ll get the permit by applying online, or in person, with the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration.

I Still Need Information. Who Should I Contact?

For more information on how to get all the required licenses and permits and the Ventura County business license cost, read Ventura County Permit and License Guide, both in English and Spanish.

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The process of acquiring all the licenses and permits your business needs can be overwhelming, but you can access resources that will support you throughout the process. At Business Forward Ventura County, we are here to help you as you get your licenses and permits. Contact us today to learn more.