13 published records
Business licenses and permits in El Dorado County, California
El Dorado County, California; population 192,823 (U.S. Census Bureau vintage-2024 county estimate); county seat Placerville. The county has two incorporated cities, Placerville and South Lake Tahoe; communities such as El Dorado Hills, Cameron Park, Shingle Springs and Pollock Pines lie in the unincorporated area. Each city runs its own business licensing, building permits and zoning, which stack on the county records here. The Treasurer-Tax Collector's business license FAQ (BL-100) applies the county business license to business 'within the unincorporated area of El Dorado County'. The Environmental Management Department's Environmental Health Division issues food facility, mobile food, temporary food, cottage food, body art and public pool permits; its food facilities page states that the Division 'permits and regulates all retail food facilities and establishments in the County.' The same department runs the hazardous materials (CUPA) and medical waste programs. The temporary food facilities page lists county, City of Placerville and City of South Lake Tahoe vending contacts and states: 'A SEPARATE LICENSE IS REQUIRED IN ALL THE ABOVE LOCATIONS.' The Planning and Building Department issues building permits in the unincorporated area, and the Department of Agriculture, Weights & Measures registers commercial weighing and measuring devices and point-of-sale stations. Alcohol licenses are issued by the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.
What are you opening in El Dorado County?
- RestaurantsFull-service restaurants carry the densest permit load of any small business: food, fire, occupancy, waste, and usually alcohol.See the full permit list
- Coffee shopsCafés are permitted as food service establishments even where no cooking happens, and the plan review step catches most operators by surprise.See the full permit list
- Retail storesRetail is the lightest common permit load, but the sales tax permit and the certificate of occupancy are non-negotiable in every jurisdiction.See the full permit list
- Salons and barbersPersonal care is licensed at state board level as well as locally, so the shop license and the practitioner licenses are separate obligations.See the full permit list
- Food trucksMobile food is the one category with no certificate of occupancy — but it gains a commissary agreement, and the unit itself is inspected rather than the premises.See the full permit list
- Fitness studiosPrepaid memberships trigger state registration and often a surety bond, which catches operators who budgeted only for the fit-out.See the full permit list
- Childcare centresThe heaviest permit load of any small business: state agency licensing, per-person background checks, and a stricter fire standard than ordinary commercial use.See the full permit list
- Contractors and tradesLicensed at state board level rather than locally, and the only common category with no premises permits at all — the bond is usually the long pole.See the full permit list
- Auto repair shopsOrdinary commercial permitting plus an environmental layer: waste oil, solvents and stormwater are each registered separately.See the full permit list
- Veterinary clinicsA state facility permit, controlled substances registration at both state and federal level, and a medical waste manifest — none of which a general business license covers.See the full permit list
Permits that apply to every type of business in El Dorado County
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| County Business License — unincorporated El Dorado County | El Dorado County Treasurer-Tax Collector | An annual license fee applies, but the amount is not published in the Treasurer-Tax Collector's current business license forms (BL-100, BL-200, BL-300); contact the Treasurer-Tax Collector at (530) 621-5800 or buslic@edcgov.us for the current amount. | The BL-100 FAQ states: "The term for a business license shall be for a period of one year commencing with the first day of the calendar month during which the license is issued and expiring on the last day of the 12th succeeding month." | 2026-10-27 |
| Building Permit — unincorporated El Dorado Countyonly if it applies to you | El Dorado County Planning and Building Department | Per Ordinance 5238, Exhibit A (adopted August 19, 2025): building and trade (plumbing, mechanical, electrical) permits 0.0130 × valuation, with a minimum of $167; plan reviews, revisions and resubmittals and additional inspections $167 per hour. Current Planning review of building permits: non-residential new construction $988; tenant improvement with a change in use or occupancy $618; tenant improvement without a change $371; wall signs $371. Added to the county permit fee: General Plan Implementation Fee 7.59%; Technology Enhancement/Improvement Fee 2.45%; Technology Surcharge Fee 3.20%. | Per permit | 2026-10-27 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
What do these permits involve in El Dorado County?
County Business License — unincorporated El Dorado County
The Treasurer-Tax Collector's BL-100 FAQ states: 'Every person engaged or intending to engage in any calling, business, occupation or profession in whole or in part within the unincorporated area of El Dorado County, is required to obtain a business license and pay an annual license fee for the privilege of doing business in the unincorporated area of El Dorado County.' The FAQ adds that a business located outside the unincorporated area that performs work on a construction project inside it also needs the license, that a license is required even if no income has been generated while the business is located in the unincorporated area, that a separate license is required for each separate place of business and for each individual in an itinerant business, that the license must be displayed (transient businesses carry it), and that a license expires on a transfer of ownership. The application form (BL-200) states that 'The taxes are paid annually in advance and are not refundable' and that 'The Tax Collectors office is not required to issue renewal notices.' Under form BL-300, Planning and Building must approve every application except approved home-based businesses; Environmental Management signs off for restaurants, businesses handling food and cottage food operations, and for auto repair shops and businesses storing hazardous waste; the Sheriff signs off for itinerant and special licenses; and the fire district signs off for commercial and industrial businesses. After payment the license is sent 'within seven working days.' A business inside Placerville or South Lake Tahoe follows that city's own business licensing instead. Treasurer-Tax Collector, 360 Fair Lane, Placerville, CA 95667, (530) 621-5800.
Building Permit — unincorporated El Dorado County
New construction, a tenant improvement or a remodel of business premises in unincorporated El Dorado County needs a building permit from the Planning and Building Department's Building Division (2850 Fairlane Court, Placerville, (530) 621-5315; South Lake Tahoe (530) 573-3330). The amounts above come from Ordinance 5238, which the Board of Supervisors adopted on August 19, 2025 and whose Exhibit A fees took effect sixty days after adoption; the Building Division's fees page lists it as the 'Updated Fee Schedule' together with the current valuation table. The fees page states: 'HALF OF THE BUILDING PERMIT FEE AND THE ENTIRE PLANNING FEE ARE COLLECTED AT TIME OF PERMIT APPLICATION.' Inside Placerville or South Lake Tahoe, that city's own building department issues the permit instead.
Sources
Every figure in the table above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- BL-100 Business License Frequently Asked QuestionsEl Dorado County Treasurer-Tax Collector · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-27
- BL-200 Business License ApplicationEl Dorado County Treasurer-Tax Collector · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-27
- BL 300 - Steps for Business LicenseEl Dorado County Treasurer-Tax Collector · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-27
- Business License Information and FormsEl Dorado County Treasurer-Tax Collector · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-27
- Ordinance 5238 — El Dorado County Schedule of Fees and Charges for the Planning and Building DepartmentEl Dorado County Board of Supervisors · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-27
- Fees — Building DivisionEl Dorado County Planning and Building Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-27
Who issues business permits in El Dorado County?
Permitting in El Dorado County is split across 4 agencies we hold records for, with tax registration handled at state level. No single office issues everything, which is why an opening usually means filing in several places rather than one.
El Dorado County issuing agencies
- El Dorado County Environmental Management DepartmentEnvironmental Health Division: retail food facility, mobile food, temporary food facility, cottage food, body art and public pool and spa permits; its food facilities page states that it "permits and regulates all retail food facilities and establishments in the County." · Hazardous materials and hazardous waste (CUPA) permits, and medical waste permits and registrations9 permits
- El Dorado County Planning and Building DepartmentBuilding and trade permits in the unincorporated area (Building Division; South Lake Tahoe office (530) 573-3330) · Planning sign-off on business license applications ((530) 621-5355 Placerville, (530) 573-3300 South Lake Tahoe, per form BL-300) and zoning letters2 permits
- El Dorado County Agriculture, Weights & MeasuresCommercial weighing and measuring device registration and point-of-sale station registration1 permit
- El Dorado County Treasurer-Tax CollectorBusiness license for businesses in the unincorporated area of El Dorado County (application, annual renewal, closure and change of ownership)1 permit
Other California jurisdictions we cover
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.