13 published records
Business licenses and permits in Monterey County, California
Monterey County, California (county seat Salinas; population 436,251, U.S. Census Bureau 2024 estimate). The Health Department's Environmental Health Bureau issues food facility, mobile food, temporary food, public pool and spa, body art and medical waste permits, and its Hazardous Materials Management Services is the county's Certified Unified Program Agency; the Consumer Health Protection FAQ lists food-program inspector coverage that includes the incorporated cities as well as the unincorporated area. The Health Department also administers the County Tobacco Retailer License, which the county's cover letter says applies in the unincorporated area and in Salinas, Carmel, Monterey, Pacific Grove, Gonzales, Seaside, King City, Del Rey Oaks and Marina. The Agricultural Commissioner, as Sealer of Weights and Measures, registers commercial weighing and measuring devices. Housing and Community Development issues county building permits and the land-use permits that the Building and Planning FAQ ties to the zoning of unincorporated Monterey County. The Treasurer-Tax Collector's business license FAQ states: 'A business license is required for hotels/motels, commercial and limited vacation rentals, homestays and commercial cannabis businesses operating in the unincorporated areas of the County of Monterey.' Each incorporated city runs its own business licensing and land-use rules, which stack on the county records listed here.
What are you opening in Monterey 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 Monterey County
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Onsite Wastewater Treatment System (Septic) Permitsonly if it applies to you | County of Monterey Health Department, Environmental Health Bureau | Conventional OWTS construction permit (complete system) $2,394; alternative OWTS construction permit (complete system) $4,399; OWTS operating permit, initial application or annual renewal, $194. | construction permit per project; operating permit annual | 2026-10-13 |
| Land-Use Permits (use permit, administrative permit, design approval, variance, zoning verification)only if it applies to you | County of Monterey Housing and Community Development (Building Services and Planning) | Use Permit - General $12,460; Administrative Permit or Coastal Administrative Permit (General) $6,860; Design Approval - Over the Counter $640, Administrative $1,210, Public hearing required $3,750; Variance $5,870; Zoning Verification Letter - Base $940. Work done without a permit where a permit would have been required is 'charged double the permit fee'. | per application (one-time) | 2026-10-13 |
| Building Permit (commercial new construction or tenant improvement)only if it applies to you | County of Monterey Housing and Community Development (Building Services and Planning) | Commercial / Multi-Family / Industrial - New Construction / TI, building inspection fee by valuation: $1-$2,000 base $882.02; $2,001-$25,000 base $882.02 plus $37.86 for each additional $1,000 or fraction; $25,001-$50,000 base $1,752.86 plus $43.77 per additional $1,000; $50,001-$100,000 base $2,847.00 plus $30.59 per additional $1,000; $100,001-$500,000 base $4,376.56 plus $6.42 per additional $1,000; $500,001-$1,000,000 base $6,944.38 plus $2.61 per additional $1,000. Commercial plan check: 80% of the building inspection fee. Commercial kitchen hood / ventilation system: $1,466 each. Construction valuation is determined from the current International Code Council Building Valuation Data. | per project (one-time) | 2026-10-13 |
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 Monterey County?
Onsite Wastewater Treatment System (Septic) Permits
A business on a site served by a septic system, rather than a public sewer, needs Environmental Health permits to build or replace the onsite wastewater treatment system (OWTS), and some systems also carry an annual operating permit. A business on a public sewer system has no septic permit. Article I.E of the County Master Fee Resolution (Resolution No. 26-074, adopted 24 March 2026, effective July 1, 2026) describes these as systems 'regulated in Chapter 15.20 of the Monterey County Code' and states: 'Fees for wastewater system permits associated with new or expanded development are collected at HCD Building Services or Environmental Health. Additional hourly fees may be collected by the Bureau of Environmental Health.' A conventional complete system is $2,394, an alternative complete system $4,399, and the operating permit $194 a year.
Land-Use Permits (use permit, administrative permit, design approval, variance, zoning verification)
The Building & Planning Services FAQ states: 'The use of land in unincorporated Monterey County is primarily determined by the regulations contained in the Monterey County Zoning ordinances and the policies in the General Plan.' A business opening in the unincorporated area may need a use permit, an administrative or coastal administrative permit, or a design approval, depending on the zoning district and the work; the HCD page says 'To determine if your specific project will require a Use Permit please call (831) 755-5025.' Fees are from the '2026 Adopted Land Use Fee Article IX (Planning)' linked on the HCD Permits, Fees & Types page; Legistar RES 26-017, adopted February 3, 2026, amends Article IX together with Article XIX. Article IX states that work done without a required permit 'is subject to code enforcement and subsequently charged double the permit fee'. Inside an incorporated city, the city's own zoning applies.
Building Permit (commercial new construction or tenant improvement)
Construction, a tenant improvement or a commercial kitchen hood on a project permitted by Monterey County Housing and Community Development's Building Services needs a county building permit. Article XIX is headed 'Per Resolution No. 26-017, adopted February 3, 2026, by the Monterey County Board of Supervisors' and 'Permit Fees - MCC 18.01.070', and the HCD Permits, Fees & Types page links it as the '2026 Adopted Building Fee Article XIX (Building)' under the notice 'New Fees In Effect April 4th, 2026!'. The inspection fee is calculated from the project's construction valuation (ICC Building Valuation Data), and commercial plan check is 80% of that inspection fee. A restaurant installing a commercial kitchen hood pays the $1,466 hood line. The HCD Permit Center is at 1441 Schilling Place, 2nd Floor - South, Salinas, (831) 755-5025.
Sources
Every figure in the table above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- County Master Fee Resolution Article I.E — Health Department, Environmental Health Bureau Fees, Effective July 1, 2026County of Monterey Health Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-13
- Resolution No. 26-074 — amending Article I.E of the Monterey County Master Fee Resolution, effective July 1, 2026 (RES 26-036)County of Monterey Board of Supervisors · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-13
- Board Order, Agenda Item No. 24, 24 March 2026 — Resolution No. 26-074 (RES 26-036)County of Monterey Board of Supervisors · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-13
- 2026 Adopted Land Use Fee Article IX (Planning)County of Monterey Housing and Community Development · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-13
- Permits, Fees & TypesCounty of Monterey Housing and Community Development · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-13
- Building & Planning Services FAQsCounty of Monterey Housing and Community Development · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-13
- RES 26-017 — amending Article IX (Land Use), Article XVII and Article XIX (Building Services) of the Master Fee Resolution, adopted 3 February 2026County of Monterey Board of Supervisors · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-13
- 2026 Adopted Building Fee Article XIX (Building Services), per Resolution No. 26-017County of Monterey Housing and Community Development · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-13
Who issues business permits in Monterey County?
Permitting in Monterey County is split across 5 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.
Monterey County issuing agencies
- County of Monterey Health Department, Environmental Health BureauRetail food facility, food plan check, mobile food, temporary food facility, public pool and spa, body art and onsite wastewater permits; the Consumer Health Protection FAQ lists inspector coverage that includes the city of Salinas, Gonzales, Soledad, Greenfield, King City, Seaside, Del Rey Oaks, Pacific Grove, Marina, Monterey and Carmel as well as unincorporated communities · Medical waste generator permits as the local enforcement agency for the Medical Waste Management Act (Solid Waste Services) · Branch offices: 200 Broadway, Suite 70, King City, CA 93930, (831) 386-6899; 1200 Aguajito Road, Monterey, CA 93940, (831) 647-76548 permits
- County of Monterey Housing and Community Development (Building Services and Planning)Building permits, plan check and inspections for county-permitted projects (fee schedule Article XIX, Monterey County Code §18.01.070) · Land-use permits (use permits, administrative and coastal administrative permits, design approvals, variances, zoning verification letters) under the County Zoning ordinances, fee schedule Article IX2 permits
- County of Monterey Agricultural Commissioner, Weights and Measures (County Sealer)Registration of commercial weighing and measuring devices — the device registration page states that Monterey County has over 13,000 registered commercial weighing and measuring devices1 permit
- County of Monterey Health Department, Environmental Health Bureau — Hazardous Materials Management Services (Certified Unified Program Agency)Hazardous materials business plan and hazardous waste generator permits — designated as the local Certified Unified Program Agency in Monterey County1 permit
- County of Monterey Health Department, Tobacco Control ProgramCounty Tobacco Retailer License (Monterey County Code Chapter 7.80) — the unincorporated area, and the cities of Salinas, Carmel, Monterey, Pacific Grove, Gonzales, Seaside, King City, Del Rey Oaks and Marina as listed in the county's 2026-27 cover letter1 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.