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Check or apply for a business license

Check local business license or business tax certificate requirements, the right authority and application options.

Before you start

Start with where your business is located and where it will operate. A county license may apply only to unincorporated areas or specific activities; cities can have their own requirements.
Some county offices provide guidance or referrals and do not issue a general business license. Read the entry before choosing an application.
A business license or tax certificate, an FBN/DBA filing, business entity registration and a professional license serve different purposes. Zoning, health and other activity permits may also apply. Business stormwater registration is a separate local programme where required.
Check the license period, renewal date and rules for changes in ownership or location. A renewal may not cover a move or a new owner. Fees and application steps depend on the license category.

4 guides with reviewed service links · Orange

Choose a county on the map

Highlighted counties have a reviewed service guide matching this selection. An agency may serve only a city or part of a county.

California58 counties

County directory Reviewed service guides available

Map for browsing; agency service areas may differ.

Map source

U.S. Census boundaries via U.S. Atlas · 2017 edition, simplified for display.

County government · Orange

Orange County — city business-license referrals

County-published municipal referral directory; it does not establish unincorporated-area licensing rules or county issuance.

Find the city authority for an Orange County business licenseOfficial instructions

Choose the municipality where the business will be located to find its licensing information. Verify that municipality’s current requirements; the county directory alone does not prove that a license is required or waived.

Source checked October 16, 2026

Orange County official website · Orange County — business licensing discovery (opens in a new tab)

Reviewed business licensing instructions

Click on the City where your business will be located for more information on that City's requirements or process to obtain a business license.

Saved evidence: 3725cc13a0f2811b · Agent source review

Full guide, contact details & sources →

City government · Orange

Anaheim — Planning & Building — Business License Division

City of Anaheim business licensing or tax certificates.

Check Anaheim business-license requirementsOfficial instructions

City licensing can apply to businesses based outside Anaheim when they conduct business in the city. Check the activity and application category before applying.

Service area: City of Anaheim business activity; city programme, not county-wide licensing. Area details & sources

Source checked October 16, 2026

Anaheim government · Anaheim — business licensing and tax certificates (opens in a new tab)

Reviewed business licensing instructions

If you are planning to conduct business in the City of Anaheim, you must obtain an Anaheim Business License.

Saved evidence: a2b87539dc948be6 · Agent source review

Choose the city business-license application categoryOfficial instructions

Choose in-city commercial, home-based or outside-city forms. The city offers in-person issuance; arrive by 3pm and confirm hours because its pages give different counter closing times.

Service area: City of Anaheim business activity; city programme, not county-wide licensing. Area details & sources

Source checked October 16, 2026

Anaheim government · Anaheim — business licensing forms (opens in a new tab)

Reviewed business licensing instructions

Business License Applications

Saved evidence: fbe58c918f381a22 · Agent source review

Open the city-referred new-contractor licensing portalOfficial online service

This referral is for a new contractor license. Do not treat it as proof that all other business categories can submit through the same online process.

Service area: City of Anaheim business activity; city programme, not county-wide licensing. Area details & sources

Source checked October 16, 2026

Anaheim government · Anaheim — business licensing and tax certificates (opens in a new tab)

Reviewed business licensing instructions

New Contractor License

Saved evidence: a2b87539dc948be6 · Agent source review

Review the city SB 205 compliance formOfficial instructions

Submit the city compliance form and check whether the activity actually needs an NPDES permit. Completing the form does not mean every business needs that permit.

Service area: City of Anaheim business activity; city programme, not county-wide licensing. Area details & sources

Source checked October 16, 2026

Anaheim government · Anaheim — business licensing stormwater (opens in a new tab)

Reviewed business licensing instructions

requires a person or entity applying for a new or renewed business license to demonstrate enrollment in an NPDES permit, if such a permit is required.

Saved evidence: 9acfa1acc8214e6b · Agent source review

Full guide, contact details & sources →

City government · Orange

Irvine — Community Development — Business Licensing

City of Irvine business licensing or tax certificates.

Prepare for an Irvine business-license applicationOfficial instructions

Check zoning before signing a lease, prepare business IDs and applicable credentials, and review the city’s posted transition notice before trying an online service.

Service area: City of Irvine business activity; city programme, not county-wide licensing. Area details & sources

Source checked October 16, 2026

Irvine government · Irvine — business licensing primary (opens in a new tab)

Reviewed business licensing instructions

Step 0: Verify Zoning

Saved evidence: 084b6a94aeb11e0e · Agent source review

Check the PRISM launch and licensing-service maintenance noticeOfficial instructions

The city posts an October 5–19 interruption and an October 19 PRISM launch. Confirm the current arrangements with the licensing team; this guide does not promise that the old application or a future portal is currently available.

Service area: City of Irvine business activity; city programme, not county-wide licensing. Area details & sources

Service availability

The city posts a planned October 5–19 licensing-service interruption. The notice does not print a year here; confirm current service availability.

Official information checked October 16, 2026 · Details & sources

Service availability

The city says PRISM access details will follow around the announced October 19 launch; this is not a verified working application link.

Official information checked October 16, 2026 · Details & sources

Source checked October 16, 2026

Irvine government · Irvine — business licensing primary (opens in a new tab)

Reviewed business licensing instructions

business licensing services will undergo a planned service interruption from October 5 through October 19.

Saved evidence: 084b6a94aeb11e0e · Agent source review

Review city licensing category fees and penaltiesOfficial instructions

Choose the employee-count category. The printed new and renewal amounts include the mandatory $4 state ADA charge; they are not an amount to which that same charge should be added again.

Service area: City of Irvine business activity; city programme, not county-wide licensing. Area details & sources

Source checked October 16, 2026

Irvine government · Irvine — business licensing primary (opens in a new tab)

Reviewed business licensing instructions

Phase 2: Fees & Application

Saved evidence: 084b6a94aeb11e0e · Agent source review

Full guide, contact details & sources →

City government · Orange

Santa Ana — Finance — Business License Tax Section

City of Santa Ana business licensing or tax certificates.

Check Santa Ana business-license tax requirementsOfficial instructions

The city requires a license and annual business-license tax; the tax year and activity category vary. Ownership, branches, home-business approvals and other permits have separate rules.

Service area: City of Santa Ana business activity; city programme, not county-wide licensing. Area details & sources

Source checked October 16, 2026

Santa Ana government · Santa Ana — business licensing information (opens in a new tab)

Reviewed business licensing instructions

The Santa Ana Municipal Code requires a license for all businesses operating within the City limits to pay an annual business license tax whether or not the business is carried on for profit or not.

Saved evidence: 903c13de32cc9812 · Agent source review

Find the city application and email or counter channelsOfficial instructions

Complete the official application and follow the city’s email or in-person instructions. Confirm counter hours first: the same city page gives inconsistent hours and Friday availability.

Service area: City of Santa Ana business activity; city programme, not county-wide licensing. Area details & sources

Source checked October 16, 2026

Santa Ana government · Santa Ana — business licensing programme (opens in a new tab)

Reviewed business licensing instructions

Send the completed application to the Business License Tax Division: BusinessTax@santa-ana.org

Saved evidence: 74fa103487156c63 · Agent source review

Find city flat, variable and gross-receipts tax schedulesOfficial instructions

Choose the schedule matching the business classification. Document-page dates and 2024 URL slugs do not establish the period printed inside the linked PDFs.

Service area: City of Santa Ana business activity; city programme, not county-wide licensing. Area details & sources

Source checked October 16, 2026

Santa Ana government · Santa Ana — business licensing forms (opens in a new tab)

Reviewed business licensing instructions

Fee schedules

Saved evidence: afd57943bfb2d1b8 · Agent source review

Contact the city about unreported business-tax obligationsOfficial instructions

Read the voluntary-compliance information and contact the Business License Tax Office; no tax or penalty waiver is promised.

Service area: City of Santa Ana business activity; city programme, not county-wide licensing. Area details & sources

Source checked October 16, 2026

Santa Ana government · Santa Ana — business licensing abatement (opens in a new tab)

Reviewed business licensing instructions

The intent of the Abatement Program is to encourage individuals and businesses to voluntarily come forward to meet City business license requirements.

Saved evidence: de21ebd119494656 · Agent source review

Full guide, contact details & sources →