Fontana Business License: $35 Initial, $15 Renewal and a Warehouse Option of $0.075 per Square Foot

Every business operating in Fontana, whether or not it has a location there, must be licensed, and the cost is a flat application fee plus an annual business tax based on estimated gross receipts. The Fontana Municipal Code requires every business operating in the city to be properly licensed and to meet Planning (zoning), Building and Safety and Public Health standards. Fontana has about 221,000 residents, up about 6 percent since 2020, and the city's business license process is the same whether you work from a commercial suite, a warehouse or a home office, although the home-based steps differ.

This guide covers the fee structure, the rate schedules, the application steps, renewals, the home occupation permit and the state filings that sit alongside the city license.

This guide is informational content, not legal or tax advice. Fees, rate classes and processing steps can change. Confirm current figures with the City of Fontana Business Services Division before you budget or file, and consult a qualified attorney or CPA for complex situations such as choosing an entity type or structuring a multi-location operation.

Start with the state: California has no general business license

California has no general statewide business license. The Secretary of State issues no licenses or permits, and the CDTFA seller's permit is not a business license. Fontana's license is a city requirement that comes after the state steps. A business typically works through them in this order:

1. Register the entity with the California Secretary of State, Business Programs Division, online through bizfile Online. An LLC files Articles of Organization (Form LLC-1) for $70. Stock corporation articles cost $100.
2. Register with the CDTFA if you sell taxable goods. The seller's permit is free. The California sales tax base is 7.25 percent statewide, and Fontana's combined rate is 8.75 percent.
3. Register with the EDD if you have employees.
4. Add the licenses and permits for your activity, including the Fontana business license described below.

What the city requires

The Fontana license has three parts: the license itself, the zoning, building and public health standards that apply to your activity, and any supplementary permits. Applications go to the Business Services Division. With complete compliance, the city says approval takes about two to three weeks, because the license is issued after the Building Division approval is forwarded for final processing.

Some business types need supplementary permits and extra documents. The city names car dealers, restaurants and liquor stores as examples. If your business falls into one of these categories, ask Business Services for the full document list before you submit, so the application is not returned for missing items.

Fontana business license fees at a glance

Item	Amount	Notes
Initial application fee	$35	Due when the application is submitted
Annual renewal fee	$15 a year	Due each year, with the renewal notice
Annual business tax	Set by your rate schedule, based on estimated annual gross receipts	Due at submission, with some exceptions

How the annual business tax is calculated

The city sorts businesses into lettered rate schedules. Your class depends on what your business does, so the schedule that fits one company may not fit another that sells the same product. Estimate your annual gross receipts first, then find your class in the table below.

Schedule	Business types	Annual business tax
A	Retail (clothing, furniture, gift shops, liquor stores, gas stations, auto dealers, restaurants, catering and similar), administrative-only offices and some other types	$50 for receipts under $50,000, then $50 plus $0.25 for each thousand dollars or fraction over $50,000
B	Manufacturing, wholesale and warehouses	$25 for receipts under $25,000, then $25 plus $0.30 per thousand over $25,000
C	Contractors	$75 for receipts under $100,000, then $75 plus $0.75 per thousand over $100,000
D	Recreation and entertainment	$100 for receipts under $50,000, then $100 plus $1.00 per thousand over $50,000
R	Rental property (excluding a person who owns a single family rental)	$12 for receipts under $3,000; $12 plus $1.50 per thousand for receipts up to $10,000; $22.50 plus $2.50 per thousand over $10,000 up to $20,000; $47.50 plus $3.50 per thousand over $20,000
E	Delivery by non-resident vehicles, peddlers and solicitors, vehicles for hire	Check with the city
F	Services and property management	Check with the city

Confirm your class and rate with Business Services before budgeting. The published rate PDF is hard to read, and the schedule letters are easy to misread, so a quick call can prevent an underpayment or a rejected application.

Here is how the Schedule A formula works. A retail business with $200,000 in estimated gross receipts would have $150,000 above the $50,000 threshold, which is 150 thousand-dollar increments. At $0.25 each, that is $37.50, added to the $50 base, for $87.50. Treat this as an illustration of the published formula, and confirm the actual figure with Business Services.

The warehouse option: $0.075 per square foot

Warehouses and distribution facilities fall under Schedule B. For these businesses, the measure of receipts is the value of merchandise shipped. A warehouse may instead choose an alternate calculation of $0.075 per square foot of gross building area. This option applies only to warehouses. Retail, contractor, rental and other business types do not qualify for it.

For example, a 40,000 square foot warehouse produces $3,000 under the alternate calculation (40,000 × $0.075). Ask Business Services how the alternate figure is applied to your final annual business tax before you file, and compare it with the receipts-based method using your shipment values. The choice is worth making deliberately, not by default.

How to apply for a Fontana business license

1. Confirm your activity and class. Call Business Services at (909) 350-7675 with your business type and estimated gross receipts.
2. Check zoning and supplementary requirements. Confirm that your use is allowed at the location and whether your business type needs extra permits or documents.
3. Submit the application to the Business Services Division with the $35 initial application fee and your business tax based on estimated gross receipts.
4. Clear the Building Division review. The license is forwarded for final processing after Building Division approval.
5. Receive your license. With complete compliance, the city says approval takes about two to three weeks.

Fontana business license renewal

The renewal fee is $15 a year, paid together with the annual business tax based on your estimated gross receipts. Renewals can be paid online using the renewal notice the city sends. Keep the notice and the payment confirmation with your records. If your receipts change significantly from the estimate you filed, contact Business Services before the next renewal so your rate class and tax reflect your actual activity.

Home-based businesses and the home occupation permit

A home-based business needs a home occupation permit through the Planning Division under the city's zoning code. You apply for it through the city's online portal. The permit fee is not listed on the city's business license page, so check the fee with the city before you budget for it.

Business licenses tied to a home address are not accepted online. If your business is based at your home, contact the city directly to start the license process. Ask the city how the home occupation permit and the business license are sequenced.

Contractors and job site locations

Before pulling a permit, contractors should confirm that the job site is inside the City of Fontana and not in the unincorporated area handled by San Bernardino County. Call Planning at (909) 350-6718 to confirm the location. Work outside city limits follows the County's process, and a city business license does not cover it.

Contractors also need a state license when the work meets the threshold. The state contractor license threshold is $1,000, so jobs of $1,000 or more generally require a license from the Contractors State License Board. Your Fontana license does not replace the state requirement.

Rental property businesses

A property rental business license has its own application, separate from the general business license. Rental receipts are taxed under Schedule R. Schedule R excludes a person who owns a single family rental, so confirm with Business Services whether your situation falls under that exclusion before you file.

State filings that sit alongside the city license

The city license does not replace your state obligations. The main recurring state costs for common entity types are:

• LLC Statement of Information (Form LLC-12): $20, due within 90 days of filing the articles, then every two years during the six-month window ending on the last day of the anniversary month. The Franchise Tax Board assesses a $250 penalty after a Secretary of State notice if it is missed.
• Corporation Statement of Information (Form SI-550): $25, due within 90 days of filing the articles, then every year.
• LLC franchise tax: Every LLC organized or registered in California from 2024 to 2026 owes the $800 minimum annual franchise tax from its first year. An LLC whose first taxable year begins in 2027, 2028 or 2029 pays $400 in year one under RTC 17941(g)(2), so confirm the first-year amount with the Franchise Tax Board.
• LLC fee: $900, $2,500, $6,000 or $11,790, once California-source total income reaches $250,000, $500,000, $1,000,000 or $5,000,000.
• Name reservation: $10 for 60 days, through the Secretary of State name availability page.
• Fictitious business name: If you operate under a name other than your legal name, file a Fictitious Business Name Statement with the San Bernardino County Clerk-Recorder within 40 days of starting, publish it in a newspaper once a week for four weeks, and renew it before it expires after five years. The statutory fee is $10 plus $2 for each additional name or owner, but counties charge more and publication is a separate cost, so confirm the county amount.
• Registered agent and office: A California LLC or corporation must keep an agent for service of process, either an individual who resides in California or a corporation holding a Corporations Code 1505 certificate. An LLC must also keep an office in California.

An LLC cannot render a licensed professional service. Professional corporations are used for that purpose, and California does not allow a domestic series LLC.

Where to get help

• City of Fontana Business Services Division: (909) 350-7675 for license questions and rate class confirmation. The city's website is fontana.org.
• Planning Division: (909) 350-6718 for zoning questions, home occupation permits and job site location checks.
• California Small Business Development Center network: free advising through californiasbdc.org, useful for working through the state and city steps together.
• CDTFA: seller's permit and sales tax questions at cdtfa.ca.gov.

Bottom line

For most Fontana businesses, the cost starts with a $35 application fee, a $15 yearly renewal fee and an annual business tax set by your rate class and estimated gross receipts. Warehouses have an alternate $0.075 per square foot method to compare. Home-based businesses need a home occupation permit through Planning, and the city's fee for that permit must be confirmed directly. Call Business Services before you budget, and confirm your rate schedule, since the published figures are the starting point rather than a final bill.