12 published records
Business licenses and permits in Yolo County, California
Yolo County (county seat Woodland; population 225,251, U.S. Census Bureau vintage-2024 county estimate) has four incorporated cities — Davis, West Sacramento, Winters and Woodland — and each runs its own business license office, building department and zoning that stack on any county permit. The county's Business License page lists the four city business license contacts and says 'If your business is located in unincorporated Yolo County please submit your Business License Application form to Business.License@yolocounty.gov'; the county license is governed by County Code Title 12, Chapter 1, with a one-year term ending January 31 (§12-1.512) and fees set by Board of Supervisors resolution (§12-1.513). The Department of Community Services houses the Planning Division (business licensing), the Building Division and the Environmental Health Division, which permits retail food, mobile food, temporary food, catering, public pool and body art operations and serves as the Certified Unified Program Agency (CUPA) for hazardous materials and hazardous waste. The Agricultural Commissioner, as Sealer of Weights and Measures, registers commercial weighing and measuring devices. County fees come from the Current Master Fee Schedule (print date 9/14/2026), with Environmental Health amounts also published on the Division's 2025-2026 fee sheet (Resolution 25-71.01, effective December 9, 2025). State licenses for alcohol, contractors, cosmetology, veterinary practice and child care are issued by California agencies and recorded at the state level.
What are you opening in Yolo 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 Yolo County
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Building Permitonly if it applies to you | Yolo County Department of Community Services, Building Division | Building Permit Application Fee $67 per permit; Building Permit Issuance Fee $56 per permit; plus a valuation-based fee per the Master Fee Schedule; plus the Technology Recovery Fee of 10% of permit cost. | per project (one-time) | 2026-10-24 |
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 Yolo County?
Building Permit
The county's Permits page says 'Any owner or owner's authorized agent who intends to construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, demolish or change the occupancy of a building or structure', or to install or alter regulated electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing systems, 'the installation of which is regulated by the Yolo County Building Standards Code', must first apply to the building official and obtain the permit. It says 'Most Building Division Fees are collected as two separate transactions': application fees for plan review, then permit fees for inspections, and that 'Most Plan Review and Inspection Fees are based on project valuation of the work covered by the permit.' On fire construction permits the page says 'The following fire districts administer their own construction permits: Davis, East Davis, Springlake, West Sacramento, Winters, Woodland. All other districts in Yolo County require Fire Permit applications to be submitted to the Yolo County Department of Community Services.' Fee parts are from the Current Master Fee Schedule (print date 9/14/2026).
Sources
Every figure in the table above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- Current Master Fee Schedule (print date 9/14/2026)County of Yolo · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-24
- PermitsYolo County Department of Community Services, Building Division · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-24
- Building ServicesYolo County Department of Community Services, Building Division · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-24
Who issues business permits in Yolo County?
Permitting in Yolo County is split across 4 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.
Yolo County issuing agencies
- Yolo County Department of Community Services, Environmental Health DivisionRetail food facility, food plan check, mobile food facility, temporary food facility and catering permits · Public swimming pool and spa permits; body art facility permits and practitioner registration · Certified Unified Program Agency (CUPA) for Yolo County: Hazardous Materials Business Plan and hazardous waste generator programs9 permits
- Yolo County Agricultural Commissioner / Sealer of Weights and MeasuresRegistration, inspection and testing of commercial weighing and measuring devices, and scanner (price verification) inspections1 permit
- Yolo County Department of Community Services, Building DivisionBuilding permits, plan review and inspections under the Yolo County Building Standards Code1 permit
- Yolo County Department of Community Services, Planning Division — Business LicenseCounty business licenses under County Code Title 12, Chapter 1, for businesses located in unincorporated Yolo County1 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.