29 published records
Business licenses and permits in Los Angeles County, California
Los Angeles County has 88 incorporated cities, and each county agency that touches these ten industries reaches a different subset of them, so a business's obligations depend entirely on where it sits and which agency is asked. The Treasurer and Tax Collector's Title 7 business license applies only in the unincorporated area and the three contract cities of Malibu, Santa Clarita and Westlake Village. The Department of Public Health's Environmental Health Division is nearly countywide, reaching every city except Long Beach, Pasadena and Vernon, which run their own environmental health departments. LA County Fire, acting as the county's Certified Unified Program Agency for hazardous materials, covers the unincorporated area plus 59 property-tax-funded cities and the city of La Habra (in Orange County) by contract, 60 cities total, but not the City of Los Angeles or the other cities that run their own fire departments. The Department of Public Works' Building and Safety Division covers the unincorporated area plus 13 named contract cities. The Department of Regional Planning has zoning and conditional-use-permit authority in the unincorporated area only — zero authority inside any incorporated city. The Department of Animal Care and Control covers the unincorporated area plus roughly 34 contract cities, not the City of Los Angeles, which runs its own animal-control department. The Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk's Fictitious Business Name filing function and the county's Fire hazardous-materials program each have their own separate scope again. A business in the City of Los Angeles — the county's largest city — sits outside almost every one of these county programs except DPH-Environmental Health and the countywide Registrar-Recorder function; a business in one of the smaller contract cities may be inside several of them at once. Each requirement listed here states its own exact scope.
What are you opening in Los Angeles 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 Los Angeles County
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Site Plan Review, Ministerial (Commercial & Industrial)only if it applies to you | Los Angeles County Department of Regional Planning | $1,472–$2,471 one-time, Ministerial Site Plan Review, Commercial & Industrial, effective March 1, 2026: existing building under 5,000 SF $1,472; existing building 5,000 SF or more $1,721; new building under 5,000 SF $1,472; new building 5,000 SF or more $2,471; plus a Fire referral fee of $301 or a DPR referral fee of $316 where a referral is required | one-time | 2026-09-27 |
| Change-of-Use / Occupancy Inspection Feeonly if it applies to you | Los Angeles County Department of Public Works, Building and Safety Division | $327.58–$2,448.25 one-time, FY2026-27: Occupancy Group R or U $327.58; other occupancy groups by floor area: up to 5,000 SF $807.35, 5,001-10,000 SF $971.60, 10,001-100,000 SF $1,615.28, above 100,000 SF $2,448.25 | one-time, per inspection | 2026-09-27 |
| On-Site Business Sign Plan Reviewonly if it applies to you | Los Angeles County Department of Regional Planning | $849–$2,471 one-time, effective March 1, 2026: On-Site Business Sign Plans $2,471, or $849 for a qualifying nonprofit; Master Sign Program review is also $2,471 | one-time | 2026-09-27 |
| Commercial Building Permit / Plan Checkonly if it applies to you | Los Angeles County Department of Public Works, Building and Safety Division | Currently effective FY2026-27 flat components: Permit Issuance Fee $41.35; Site Inspection Fee $631.04. These are charged in addition to a valuation-based plan check fee calculated as a percentage of construction cost; the department's percentage-rate table itself is not published in either fee document retrieved. The FY2024-25 archived schedule priced the same two flat components at $38.83 and $592.52 — the FY2026-27 figures above, roughly 6.5% higher across the board, are the current ones. | per project | 2026-09-27 |
| Demolition Inspection Feeonly if it applies to you | Los Angeles County Department of Public Works, Building and Safety Division | $244.88 one-time, per demolition inspection (FY2026-27; was $229.93 in the FY2024-25 archived schedule) | one-time, per inspection | 2026-09-27 |
| Fictitious Business Name (DBA) Statementonly if it applies to you | Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk | First-time filing $26 (one name, one registrant); renewal $26; $5 for each additional business name or registrant on the same statement; $10.75 online-payment processing fee; $5 name-search fee; $2 per certified copy of a filed statement. | not stated in the sources retrieved | 2026-09-27 |
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 Los Angeles County?
Site Plan Review, Ministerial (Commercial & Industrial)
Any of the ten industries opening or building a new location in unincorporated Los Angeles County needs a Ministerial Site Plan Review from the Department of Regional Planning before opening — DRP has no zoning authority inside any of the county's 88 incorporated cities, so this applies only in the unincorporated area. The March 1, 2026 fee schedule prices Commercial & Industrial site plan review at $1,472 for an existing building under 5,000 square feet, $1,721 for an existing building of 5,000 square feet or more, $1,472 for a new building under 5,000 square feet, and $2,471 for a new building of 5,000 square feet or more, plus a Fire referral fee of $301 or a Department of Parks and Recreation referral fee of $316 when DRP refers the application to those agencies. A coastal-area project instead uses the Approval in Concept process ($1,765, or $726 to amend one already issued).
Change-of-Use / Occupancy Inspection Fee
Changing the use or occupancy classification of a commercial space in unincorporated Los Angeles County or one of the 13 Building & Safety contract cities needs a change-of-use/occupancy inspection from Building and Safety. The currently effective FY2026-27 fee is $327.58 for a Residential (R) or Utility (U) occupancy group, and for other occupancy groups scales by floor area: $807.35 up to 5,000 square feet, $971.60 from 5,001 to 10,000 square feet, $1,615.28 from 10,001 to 100,000 square feet, and $2,448.25 above 100,000 square feet. This fee is charged in addition to, not instead of, any building permit and plan check fees the same project also triggers.
On-Site Business Sign Plan Review
A business installing an on-site sign in unincorporated Los Angeles County needs DRP zoning-side sign plan review, priced at $2,471 under the March 1, 2026 fee schedule, or $849 for a qualifying nonprofit organization; a multi-tenant Master Sign Program review is also $2,471. This is a Department of Regional Planning zoning approval, distinct from any separate building-permit sign fee the Building and Safety Division might charge for the sign's physical construction in the unincorporated area or its 13 contract cities — the county's Building and Safety Division fee schedule does not publish a standalone sign-permit line item, so no such fee is stated here.
Commercial Building Permit / Plan Check
Any of the ten industries building new, altering an existing structure, changing use or occupancy, or doing plumbing, mechanical or electrical work in unincorporated Los Angeles County or one of the 13 Building & Safety contract cities (Artesia, Carson, Cerritos, Industry, Irwindale, La Cañada Flintridge, La Mirada, Lakewood, Lawndale, Lomita, Rolling Hills, Santa Fe Springs and Westlake Village) needs a commercial building permit from the county's Building and Safety Division. The currently effective FY2026-27 fee schedule charges a $41.35 flat Permit Issuance Fee and a $631.04 flat Site Inspection Fee, on top of a valuation-based plan check fee scaled to construction cost. The department's last archived schedule (FY2024-25) priced the same two flat fees at $38.83 and $592.52 — a Permit Issuance Fee once mis-transcribed elsewhere as $383.83 is in fact $38.83 in that archived schedule, now $41.35 in the current one. Outside the 13 contract cities and the unincorporated area, each city runs its own building department.
Demolition Inspection Fee
Demolishing a structure or portion of a structure in unincorporated Los Angeles County or one of the 13 Building & Safety contract cities needs a demolition permit and inspection from Building and Safety, currently $244.88 under the FY2026-27 fee schedule (up from $229.93 in the department's last archived FY2024-25 schedule). This is separate from any new-construction or alteration permit fee for whatever replaces the demolished structure.
Fictitious Business Name (DBA) Statement
Any of the ten industries operating under a name other than the owner's own legal name — true of nearly every restaurant, shop, salon or contracting business with a trade name — must file a Fictitious Business Name (DBA) statement with the LA County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, regardless of whether the business sits in an incorporated city or the unincorporated area, since this is a countywide recorder function. The base filing fee is $26 for one business name and one registrant, with $5 added for each additional name or registrant on the same statement; renewal is also $26. Filing online adds a $10.75 processing fee; a name search is $5 and a certified copy of a filed statement is $2.
Sources
Every figure in the table above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- Revised Filing Fees, effective March 1, 2026LA County Dept. of Regional Planning · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-27
- County Building Code Fees, FY2024-25 (archived); the department's FY2026-27 schedule, effective July 1, 2026, updates every figure roughly 6.5% higher, as independently confirmedLA County Dept. of Public Works, Building and Safety Division · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-27
- Fictitious Business Name Statement feesLA County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-27
Who issues business permits in Los Angeles County?
Permitting in Los Angeles County is split across 7 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.
Los Angeles County issuing agencies
- Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Environmental Health DivisionFood facility, mobile food facility, commissary, body art and public swimming pool permits — all of Los Angeles County except the cities of Long Beach, Pasadena and Vernon, which run their own environmental health departments and enforce the state code themselves9 permits
- Los Angeles County Department of Regional PlanningZoning clearance, site plan review, sign plan review, conditional use permits and related zoning referral fees — the unincorporated area of Los Angeles County only · DRP has no zoning authority inside any of the county's 88 incorporated cities; each runs its own planning department9 permits
- Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and ControlAnimal facility licenses (kennels, pet shops, grooming parlors, breeders and related categories) and individual dog/cat licensing — the unincorporated area plus roughly 34 contract cities · Not applicable in the City of Los Angeles, which runs its own LA Animal Services department3 permits
- Los Angeles County Department of Public Works, Building and Safety DivisionCommercial building permits, plan check, change-of-use/occupancy inspection and demolition inspection fees — the unincorporated area plus 13 contract cities: Artesia, Carson, Cerritos, Industry, Irwindale, La Cañada Flintridge, La Mirada, Lakewood, Lawndale, Lomita, Rolling Hills, Santa Fe Springs and Westlake Village3 permits
- Los Angeles County Fire Department / Consolidated Fire Protection District, acting as the county's Certified Unified Program Agency (CUPA)Hazardous materials business plan, hazardous waste generator, tiered permit and aboveground petroleum storage tank fees — unincorporated Los Angeles County plus 59 property-tax-funded cities and the city of La Habra (in Orange County) by contract, 60 cities total · Not applicable in the City of Los Angeles, Long Beach, Pasadena, Burbank, Glendale, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills and the county's other cities that run their own fire departments2 permits
- Los Angeles County Treasurer and Tax Collector, Business License SectionBusiness license for roughly 100 named regulated business categories (including Restaurant, Motor Vehicle Repair, Massage Establishment, Massage Technician, Body Art Establishment, Health Spa and Swimming Pool Public) — unincorporated Los Angeles County plus the contract cities of Malibu, Santa Clarita and Westlake Village only · Not required in any of the other 85 incorporated cities in the county, each of which issues its own business license2 permits
- Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County ClerkFictitious Business Name (DBA) statement filing — countywide, in every incorporated city and the unincorporated area alike1 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.