What do these permits involve in San Joaquin County?

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Secondary Business License

An operator who already holds a General Business License for a primary location in unincorporated San Joaquin County and opens an additional location there, under the same ownership, licenses that additional location with the Secondary Business License rather than a second General license. The current fee is $195.00 a year ($76.00 CDD, $15.00 technology fee, $104.00 other/TTC), per the Planning Application Permit Fee Schedule effective July 1, 2025. The same annual renewal cycle, $10 late fee, 90-day new-application rule and honorable-discharge veteran exemption described for the General Business License apply to this license as well, since both are issued under the same Ordinance Code No. 2334 §7-1000 framework and the same TTC/CDD routing.

Home Occupation License

This is the Home Occupation variant of the General Business License, issued under the same Ordinance Code No. 2334 §7-1000 framework, for a business run from a residence in the unincorporated area of San Joaquin County; a home-based business inside any of the county's eight incorporated cities licenses with that city instead. The current fee is $522.42 a year ($338.00 CDD, $25.00 Public Works, $25.00 EHD, $30.42 technology fee, $104.00 other/TTC), per the Planning Application Permit Fee Schedule effective July 1, 2025, routed through CDD intake to TTC issuance the same way the General Business License is. Renewal is annual, the same $10 late-renewal fee and 90-day new-application rule apply, and the same honorable-discharge veteran fee exemption under Business & Professions Code §16102 applies.

General Business License

Ordinance Code No. 2334 §7-1000 states that no person may maintain, conduct or carry on a business at a fixed place of business 'within this County and outside the limits of any incorporated city' without first obtaining this license, so it applies only to a business located in the unincorporated area. The Community Development Department intakes the application and routes it to Building, EHD, Fire and Public Works for review before the Treasurer-Tax Collector issues the license; a business inside any of San Joaquin County's eight incorporated cities — Escalon, Lathrop, Lodi, Manteca, Mountain House, Ripon, Stockton and Tracy — instead licenses with that city, including Mountain House, which incorporated effective July 1, 2024 and now runs its own business-license program rather than any county-run process. The current fee is $619.43 a year, made up of $427.00 CDD, $25.00 Public Works, $25.00 EHD, $38.43 technology fee and $104.00 other/TTC, per the Planning Application Permit Fee Schedule effective July 1, 2025. Renewal is annual; a late renewal carries a $10 fee, and failing to renew within 90 days of expiration requires a brand-new application. A veteran with an honorable discharge is exempt from the license fee under Business & Professions Code §16102, as cited on the Treasurer-Tax Collector's own page.

Building Permit

Any construction, tenant-improvement or remodel project at a business location in unincorporated San Joaquin County needs a building permit from CDD-Building; each of the county's 8 incorporated cities runs its own building department for construction inside city limits. The fee follows a valuation-based sliding scale: $150 flat for a project valued up to $500, rising through $175 plus $12.66 per $1,000 of valuation from $2,000 to $25,000, and $1,068.50 plus $5.60 per $1,000 from $100,000 to $500,000, per the Building Permit Fee Schedule 'Attachment A' effective September 30, 2024. A plan-review fee equal to 65% of the building-permit fee applies to every permit type under the same schedule.

Zoning Compliance Review

Any new business use, expansion or entitlement in unincorporated San Joaquin County — including a retail outlet applying for a California ABC alcohol license, since Business & Professions Code §23790 bars ABC from issuing a license contrary to a county's zoning ordinance — goes through CDD-Planning's Zoning Compliance Review under the Development Title (County Code Title 9), which implements the county's 2035 General Plan and the Subdivision Map Act. The fee ranges from $350.00 for a Routing Form processed with existing land-use approval up to $3,264.12 for a full discretionary review at the General/Public-Works-Major tier, per the Planning Application Permit Fee Schedule effective July 1, 2025. Title 9's official text is hosted directly on the county's own site and, separately, through the official Municode hosting linked from County Counsel's own ordinance-code page — not through any third-party code aggregator. A business inside any of San Joaquin County's 8 incorporated cities goes through that city's own zoning process instead of this county program.

Permit	Issuing agency	Fee	Renews	Last checked
Secondary Business Licenseonly if it applies to you	San Joaquin County Treasurer-Tax Collector	$195 annual ($76.00 CDD + $15.00 technology fee + $104.00 other/TTC, per the Planning Application Permit Fee Schedule effective July 1, 2025)	annual	2026-10-02
Home Occupation Licenseonly if it applies to you	San Joaquin County Treasurer-Tax Collector	$522.42 annual ($338.00 CDD + $25.00 Public Works + $25.00 EHD + $30.42 technology fee + $104.00 other/TTC, per the Planning Application Permit Fee Schedule effective July 1, 2025)	annual	2026-10-02
General Business Licenseonly if it applies to you	San Joaquin County Treasurer-Tax Collector	$619.43 annual ($427.00 CDD + $25.00 Public Works + $25.00 EHD + $38.43 technology fee + $104.00 other/TTC, per the Planning Application Permit Fee Schedule effective July 1, 2025)	annual	2026-10-02
Building Permit	San Joaquin County Community Development Department, Building Division	Valuation-based sliding scale, e.g.: $150 flat for valuation up to $500; $175 plus $12.66 per $1,000 from $2,000 to $25,000; $1,068.50 plus $5.60 per $1,000 from $100,000 to $500,000. Plan-review fee equals 65% of the building-permit fee for all permit types.	one-time per project	2026-10-02
Zoning Compliance Reviewonly if it applies to you	San Joaquin County Community Development Department, Planning Division	$350–$3,264.12 per application, from a $350.00 Routing Form (with land use approval) up to $3,264.12 for a General/Public-Works-Major-tier discretionary review, per the Planning Application Permit Fee Schedule effective July 1, 2025	per application	2026-10-02

Business licenses and permits in San Joaquin County, California

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Permits that apply to every type of business in San Joaquin County