Starting a Business
Thinking of starting a business in Santa Cruz? There are people, agencies and websites available to advise and guide you through this process. Make sure to check all of the top-priority items (noted by an *) to see if they apply to your business, then get additional assistance from the general resource list. The Santa Cruz Public Library wants to help you succeed!
Here’s What You Need
*BUSINESS LICENSES*
Licenses are required for most businesses. Business owners should contact the licensing department for each city in which the business is located or being operated. If your business will be based in one city, but you plan to operate in several cities, you may need a license from each city. To be sure, check with the tax and license division in each city where you intend to operate. Phone numbers and web addresses for business license offices in Santa Cruz County are:
• Santa Cruz (city), 420-5070 or http://www.cityofsantacruz.com/index.aspx?page=252
• Capitola, 475 7300 or http://www.ci.capitola.ca.us/capcity.nsf/perintro.html
• Scotts Valley, 440-5611 or http://www.scottsvalley.org/finance/business_licenses.html
• Watsonville, 728-6031 or http://www.ci.watsonville.ca.us/forms/forms.html
*COUNTY PERMITS*
The County of Santa Cruz also has restrictions and requires permits on some types of businesses operating in the unincorporated as well as incorporated areas. Because the regulations change from time to time, it is recommended that you contact the County Planning Department, 454-2580, to determine if a permit is required before opening your business. The most common businesses requiring permits from other departments are: ambulance, card rooms, bingo, food establishments, garbage collection, kennels, organized camps, pet shops,
public swimming pools and target ranges. You can also check the Business Information brochure produced by the Santa Cruz County Clerk’s Office, available on their web site at
http://www.sccoclerk.com/busin.htm, or by calling the office at 454-2470.
*ZONING REQUIREMENTS*
You should contact the Planning (or Building) Department of the city for businesses in incorporated areas, or the County Planning Department for businesses in unincorporated areas,
to make certain that your business location is zoned for your particular type of business. The phone numbers are as follows:
• Santa Cruz County, 454-2130 (Mon – Fri: 8 am – Noon for walk-in service; 1-4 pm for telephone inquiries)
• Santa Cruz City, 420-5100
• Capitola, 475-7300 (also available online: http://qcode.us/codes/capitola/view.php?topic=17&frames=on)
• Scotts Valley, 440-5630 (Mon – Thurs: 8am – Noon)
• Watsonville, 768-3050 (Wed: 8am – Noon; other days: 8am – 5pm)
*STATE LICENSES*
In addition to the licenses and permits mentioned above, certain professions and businesses require state licenses. A few of the more common are: automobile repair shops, bars, liquor stores, electrical appliance repair shops, contractors, cosmetologists, insurance sales, collection agencies, real estate sales, lawyers, and medical professionals. The California Department of Consumer Affairs provides information to the public about the more than 150 professional license types which it issues, and also offers online licensing services
(http://www.dca.ca.gov/proflic). The California Business Portal features information about the state’s permit, licensing and business/professional registration requirements plus a wide
variety of helpful resources for starting, financing, expanding, or relocating a business in California (http://www.calbusiness.ca.gov/).
*FOOD VENDORS*
If you are going to be selling or preparing food, you will need to obtain a permit from the County Department of Environmental Health, 701 Ocean St., Room 312, Santa Cruz 95060, 454-2022 (to speak with an Inspector, call between 8-9am).
*FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME*
A fictitious business name is one that does not include the surname of the individual owner and each of the partners or the nature of the business is not clearly evident by the name. Those who do need to file should do so within the first 40 days of doing business. You can get further information from the Santa Cruz County Clerk’s Office, 701 Ocean Street, Room 210, Santa Cruz 95060, 454-2470 (Mon – Fri, 8 am – 4 pm); you can download the necessary forms or do an online business name search from the office’s website
(http://www.sccoclerk.com/fbngen.htm).
*SELLER’S PERMITS/RESALE NUMBERS*
Retailers, wholesalers and manufacturers must obtain seller’s permits from the California State Board of Equalization, 111 E. Navajo Drive, Suite 100, Salinas 93906 2452. Phone numbers are: (831) 443-3003 or (800) 400-7115. The BOE Sales Tax Field Office located at 250 S. Second Street, San Jose, 95113-2706 now accepts office appointments (call 408-277-1446 to schedule). Also, forms and instructions can be found at http://www.boe.ca.gov/info/reg.htm#sales.
*INCORPORATION*
Information about corporate filings may be obtained from: Secretary of State, 1500 11th Street, Sacramento, CA 95814. The California Business Portal, maintained by the Secretary’s
office (http://www.ss.ca.gov/business/), offers a wealth of additional information, including: corporate name availability and reservation, incorporation forms, and tax information, plus links to other agencies as well as state/federal business resources. The Secretary of State also has a San Francisco office at: 455 Golden Gate Avenue, Suite 14500, San Francisco, CA 94102-7007; (415) 557-8000.
Citation necessary:
Courtesy of Santa Cruz Public Library and Donna Suedberg.