ElDoradoCounty.Net

Thinking about starting your own business in El Dorado County? Here are some helpful basics:

Fictitious Business Name - If you will be conducting business by a name other than your own personal name, you must file a Fictitious Business Name statement at the County Recorder's Office. They will check to make sure the name is not already taken.

You then must have the statement published four times in the Legal Notices section of a local periodical, such as the Mountain Democrat. Read more at County Recorder Clerk or call the Clerk's office at 621-5490. It's a good idea to check online at the U.S. Patents & Trademarks Office to make sure the name you've chosen isn't already a federally registered trademark. The same is true regarding logo design.

Business License - To transact any kind of business in the unincorporated territory of the County, you must possess an unexpired and unrevoked county business license, unless your business is exempt from the license requirements. A business license is for local tax purposes and is not a license of proficiency in a certain profession or trade. Check with California State licensing boards to find out if the product or service you want to offer also needs a State license.

Exempt businesses are agriculture, including the sale of agricultural products upon the premises where produced; employment, meaning a person who works for another at an agreed rate of compensation; insurance, farmers, charities, religious, fraternal, service and nonprofit organizations.

Business licenses must be renewed annually. The general fee is $27.00 annually. Special fees for certain businesses range from $15.00 to $125.00.

If your business is located in the city limits of Placerville (642-5223) or South Lake Tahoe (542-6012), check with your city government to see what their business license requirements are.

If they require you to have a business license, you will not have to be licensed by the County also. A start-up business can expect to pay up to $80 or more for a city business license. This amount may vary, so please contact your city's government offices for details.

To apply for an El Dorado County business license, call the Treasurer and Tax Collector's Office in Placerville (621-5800) or South Lake Tahoe (573-3011).

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