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11 permits · verified 2026-09-03

What permits do you need to open a contractor or trade in Los Angeles?

In short

A contractor or trade in Los Angeles, CA has 3 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 8 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety charges No fee — the certificate itself is issued without charge for the certificate of occupancy. 4 of the 11 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-09-03 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.

Permits particular to a contractor or trade in Los Angeles

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Contractor LicenseContractors State License Board$450 original application for one classification, then an initial license fee of $200 for a sole owner or $350 otherwise. Renewal every two years is $450 sole owner or $700 otherwise, with C-10 electrical contractors paying $20 more at each tier2 years2026-09-03

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

Local permits that apply to every type of business in Los Angeles

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Certificate of Occupancyonly if it applies to youLos Angeles Department of Building and SafetyNo fee — the certificate itself is issued without chargepermanent — it supersedes every certificate previously issued for that space2026-09-03
Business Tax Registration CertificateCity of Los Angeles Office of FinanceVaries — formula on the Los Angeles pageannual — due 1 January, delinquent from 1 March2026-09-03
Building Permit and Plan Checkonly if it applies to youLos Angeles Department of Building and SafetyVaries — formula on the Los Angeles pageone-time, per project2026-09-03

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

CA registrations that apply to every type of business

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Statement of Information (LLC)only if it applies to youCalifornia Secretary of State, Business Programs Division$20 per filing, biennialbiennial2026-09-03
Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to youCalifornia Secretary of State, Business Programs Division$70 one-time filingno expiry, but a Statement of Information is due biennially2026-09-03
Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to youCalifornia Secretary of State, Business Programs Division$100 one-time filingno expiry, but a Statement of Information is due annually2026-09-03
Statement of Information (Corporation)only if it applies to youCalifornia Secretary of State, Business Programs Division$25 per filing, annualannual2026-09-03
Seller's Permitonly if it applies to youCalifornia Department of Tax and Fee AdministrationNo fee — no fee to applyno expiry while actively engaged in business as a seller2026-09-03
Annual LLC Tax and Minimum Franchise Taxonly if it applies to youCalifornia Franchise Tax BoardVaries — formula on the CA pageannual, until the entity is cancelled2026-09-03
General Business License — California position (city or county, not state)California Secretary of State, Business Programs DivisionNo feeset by the issuing city or county2026-09-03

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

How much does it actually cost to permit a contractor or trade in Los Angeles?

There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 11 records listed for a contractor or trade in Los Angeles, CA, 3 apply to every business of this type and 8 are conditional. Adding every fee on the page together would overstate what most operators pay, because it would include permits they never need.

4 of the 11 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 1 has no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:

Contractor License: $450 original application for one classification, then an initial license fee of $200 for a sole owner or $350 otherwise. Renewal every two years is $450 sole owner or $700 otherwise, with C-10 electrical contractors paying $20 more at each tier

The other 3 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Los Angeles permits page and the CA state page.

Which offices issue these permits in Los Angeles?

Permits for a contractor or trade in Los Angeles, CA come from 6 separate offices: Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety, City of Los Angeles Office of Finance, California Secretary of State, Business Programs Division, California Department of Tax and Fee Administration, California Franchise Tax Board, Contractors State License Board. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.

What does a contractor or trade need in Los Angeles that other businesses do not?

1 of the 1 permit particular to a contractor or trade here applies to no other business type we cover in Los Angeles: Contractor License.

Contractor License

The fees are the small part. Every licensee must carry a $25,000 contractor's bond, raised from $15,000 by Senate Bill 607 with effect from 1 January 2023. Two more bonds can stack on top: a $25,000 Bond of Qualifying Individual where the license is qualified by a responsible managing employee, or by a responsible managing officer who does not own at least 10 per cent of the voting stock; and, for an LLC license, a further $100,000 surety bond for the benefit of employees for unpaid wages. An LLC contractor therefore carries $125,000 of bonding before it starts. Fingerprinting is paid separately to the Live Scan operator — $32 to the Department of Justice and $17 to the FBI, plus a rolling fee CSLB does not set. An inactive license needs no contractor's bond while it stays inactive.

The other 3 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Los Angeles, CA; what each one involves is set out on the Los Angeles permits page. The 7 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across CA and are covered on the CA state page.

How does a contractor or trade compare with other businesses in Los Angeles?

The closest match is a auto repair shop, which shares 0 of these permits. A contractor or trade also needs Contractor License. A auto repair shop needs Annual Fire Permit and Automotive Repair Garage Annual Inspection, which a contractor or trade does not.

Permits particular to each business type in Los Angeles, CA, compared with a contractor or trade
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a contractor or tradeOnly a contractor or trade needsOnly it needs
Auto repair shops2012
Childcare centres2012
Coffee shops5015
Fitness studios1011
Food trucks4014
Restaurants5015
Retail stores3013
Salons and barbers1011
Veterinary clinics3013

Sources

Every figure for the permits explained on this page was read from one of these government pages on the date shown. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Los Angeles permits page and the CA state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. Contractors State License Board — schedule of feesContractors State License Board · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
  2. California Business and Professions Code section 7071.6 — $25,000 contractor's bond, raised by Senate Bill 607 with effect from 1 January 2023California Legislative Information · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03

Related

Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.