12 published records
Business licenses and permits in Solano County, California
Solano County (county seat Fairfield; population 455,101, U.S. Census Bureau 2024 estimate) splits its business obligations by program. The Department of Resource Management's Environmental Health Division — including its Hazardous Materials program, the county's Certified Unified Program Agency — states that its jurisdiction covers all seven incorporated cities (Benicia, Dixon, Fairfield, Rio Vista, Suisun City, Vacaville and Vallejo) and the surrounding unincorporated area, so food, pool, body art and hazardous-materials permits come from the county wherever the business is. The Sealer of Weights and Measures registers commercial weighing and measuring devices across the county. The county business license, by contrast, applies only to businesses located in the unincorporated area: the county's Business Licenses page directs a business inside city limits to that city, and each of the seven cities runs its own business license, which stacks on top of the countywide Environmental Health and CUPA permits. Every county fee here was adopted by the Board of Supervisors on 28 April 2026 (Resolutions 2026-76 to 2026-95), effective 1 July 2026.
What are you opening in Solano 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 Solano County
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| County Business License (unincorporated area)only if it applies to you | Solano County Department of Resource Management, Business License Coordinator | New application: $505 regular; $130 reduced (Home Occupation businesses and Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operations with $15,000 or less gross annual income; Attestation of Income form required). Annual renewal: $315 regular; $84 reduced. Late renewal penalty: 100% of the renewal fee minus the $4 state fee ($311 regular, $80 reduced). Minor revision of an existing license (name change): $39. Vending machine: $4 per machine. Each figure is a single combined fee that already includes the $4 state fee and the reviewing departments' share; for a new regular license the $505 is made up of $146 license processing (Exhibit III-D, Res. 2026-81) + $256 Planning review (Exhibit III-B, Res. 2026-79) + $99 Environmental Health review (Exhibit III-A, Res. 2026-78) + $0 Code Enforcement review (Exhibit III-C, Res. 2026-80) + $4 state fee. | 1 year from issuance (County Code §14-24); renewed annually | 2026-10-09 |
| Building Permit (commercial building or remodel)only if it applies to you | Solano County Department of Resource Management, Building & Safety Services | Building & Safety flat fees (Exhibit III-C, Res. 2026-80): new commercial or industrial building $2,325 (based on 12 inspections); new commercial or industrial remodel $1,550 (based on 8 inspections); additional inspections at the $194 hourly rate (1-hour minimum). Plan review is calculated under the 2001 California Building Code, Section 107.2 and Table 1-A, with buildings valued per the International Code Council's February 2026 'Square Foot Construction Costs' table. Also charged at the building permit: Planning building-permit review, new commercial or industrial, $667 (Exhibit III-B, Res. 2026-79; Planning Fee Schedule '7-1 to 12-31-26'); Environmental Health building permit review $279 (Exhibit III-A, Res. 2026-78). | per project (one-time) | 2026-10-09 |
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 Solano County?
County Business License (unincorporated area)
The county's Business Licenses page states that the Department of Resource Management 'issues business licenses for businesses located in the unincorporated area of Solano County'; a business inside Benicia, Dixon, Fairfield, Rio Vista, Suisun City, Vacaville or Vallejo is directed to that city instead. Before an application is accepted, Planning Services must approve a Business License Zoning Clearance, which the county page lists with no fee; Planning's review is recovered inside the license fee. County Code §14-17(a) exempts a service provider with no fixed place of business in the unincorporated area who holds a valid California city or county business license, and §14-13 requires a separate license for each branch or business in the same building. Under §14-18 the application is routed to the sheriff, assessor, agriculture department and fire protection district, and the license is issued or denied within 90 days. Fees are per the county's Business License Fee Schedule (effective July 1, 2026 - June 30, 2027), which matches the adopted exhibits to Resolutions 2026-78 to 2026-81 of 28 April 2026; §14-19(a) says the fee covers the cost of 'the business licensing officer and other reviewing departments', so the Planning and Environmental Health review amounts are parts of the $505 / $130 / $315 / $84, never extra charges.
Building Permit (commercial building or remodel)
Construction, a tenant improvement or a remodel on a project permitted by Solano County Building & Safety Services needs a county building permit; County Code §6.3-15 says building fees 'are those set forth in the department's fee schedule, Exhibit III-C', adopted as part of Resolution 2026-80 on 28 April 2026 and effective July 1, 2026. The county's General Permitting Requirements page says 'Each separate building or structure requires a separate building permit application' and that 'Plan check fees are due at time of submittal. Final permit fees are due at the time of permit issuance.' Applications are filed online through the county's Accela portal. The $667 Planning review line comes from the county's Planning Fee Schedule titled '7-1 to 12-31-26' (Exhibit III-B to Resolution 2026-79), in effect through December 31, 2026; the $279 Environmental Health review is from Exhibit III-A to Resolution 2026-78.
Sources
Every figure in the table above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- Business License Fee Schedule, Effective July 1, 2026 - June 30, 2027Solano County Department of Resource Management · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
- Solano County Code, Chapter 14 — Business LicensesCounty of Solano / eCode360 · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
- Business LicensesSolano County Department of Resource Management · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
- Resolution 2026-81 and Exhibit III-D — Resource Management Administrative Services feesSolano County Board of Supervisors · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
- Resolution 2026-79 and Exhibit III-B — Resource Management Planning Services feesSolano County Board of Supervisors · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
- Resolution 2026-78 and Exhibit III-A — Environmental Health feesSolano County Board of Supervisors · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
- Resolution 2026-80 and Exhibit III-C — Resource Management Building and Safety feesSolano County Board of Supervisors · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
- Board of Supervisors Minute Order, 28 April 2026 — FY 2026-27 user fees (File 26-214)Solano County Board of Supervisors · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
- Solano County Code, Chapter 6.3 — Building Standards and CodesCounty of Solano / eCode360 · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
- Planning Fee Schedule (7-1 to 12-31-26)Solano County Department of Resource Management · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
- Planning Services — Application Forms & FeesSolano County Department of Resource Management · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
- General Permitting RequirementsSolano County Building & Safety Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
- Building & Safety ServicesSolano County Department of Resource Management · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
Who issues business permits in Solano County?
Permitting in Solano 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.
Solano County issuing agencies
- Solano County Department of Resource Management, Environmental Health DivisionRetail food, food plan check, mobile food, special-event food, catering and host facility, public pool/spa and body art permits — the cities of Benicia, Dixon, Fairfield, Rio Vista, Suisun City, Vacaville and Vallejo and the surrounding unincorporated area · Massage business registration certificates (County Code Chapter 14.3) — unincorporated area8 permits
- Solano County Agricultural Commissioner / Sealer of Weights and MeasuresRegistration of commercial weighing and measuring devices (County Code Chapter 32) — countywide1 permit
- Solano County Department of Resource Management, Building & Safety ServicesBuilding permits, plan check and inspections for county-permitted projects (County Code Chapter 6.3)1 permit
- Solano County Department of Resource Management, Business License CoordinatorCounty business license (County Code Chapter 14) for businesses located in the unincorporated area of Solano County1 permit
- Solano County Department of Resource Management, Environmental Health — Hazardous Materials Program (Certified Unified Program Agency)Hazardous Materials Business Plan and hazardous waste program permits — the cities of Benicia, Dixon, Fairfield, Rio Vista, Suisun City, Vacaville and Vallejo and the surrounding unincorporated area1 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.