San Diego Business
License Application

The City of San Diego requires any business within it's borders to have a business license (business tax certificate) regardless of the business type, size, or industry. Get your business license today.

Starting at $99.95

Who Needs a San Diego Business Tax Certificate?

Any business in San Diego is required to have a Business Tax Certificate, more commonly referred to as a Business License. According to the City of San Diego Office of the City Treasurer “All businesses operating in the City of San Diego are required to register for a Business Tax Certificate. The City of San Diego Issues a “Business Tax Certificate” instead of a business license. Issuance of the Business Tax Certificate acknowledges payment of business taxes.”

In other words, if you are doing business in San Diego, you need a Business Tax Certificate, often referred to as a business license.

Any business planning to operate within the incorporated city of San Diego—including home-based businesses—will need to obtain a business tax certificate from the city. Businesses operating in unincorporated portions of the county, however, do not require a license. Check with the County for the full list of unincorporated areas that are exempt.

We are here to make this process easy. Get started by clicking below.

Info You'll Need to Provide

To get your business tax certificate, you’ll need to fill out the following five sections of information.

Business Information

This section is for the most basic information, including the business name, owner’s name, type of business, contact information, business start date, and number of employees. Have your federal tax ID and state seller’s permit on hand.

Business Activities

This section is a description of your primary and secondary business activities. If you have a store that sells handcrafted goods and offers paid crafting classes, for example, you might list those as your primary and secondary activities.

Ownership Information

Unlike the business information section, this section is strictly about you, the business owner. You’ll need to provide your name and personal information (phone, email, social security number), as well as the type and license number of any relevant professional licenses you hold.

Police Regulated Activities

Certain business activities require a police permit to conduct in San Diego. In this section, you’ll be given a list of activities and industries; check any that apply, whether your business already does it or you plan to do it in the future.

Fire Survey Questionnaire

Any business activities involving the storage, handling or use of hazardous substances require approval from the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department. Again, you’ll be given a list of activities; check any that apply, whether your business already does it or you plan to do it in the future.

We Make it Easy!

At FastFilings, we eliminate the hassle of paper forms and slow mail delivery times with online applications and convenient filing services. Just fill out our online form and we’ll handle the rest for you, ensuring that the city receives everything they need for a quick and easy approval.

File your San Diego business tax application today and get your business up and running as soon as possible.

About Us

FastFilings is a private permit, license, and record retrieval, business compliance, and sales tax service. We offer compliance and sales tax assistance services to individuals and businesses alike. Whether you need to obtain a tax registration or you need help with business compliance we are here to help. We work directly with and through government agencies, but we are not a government agency. You can always file on your own directly with the issuing government office if you prefer.

Our goal is to help you avoid the hassle and headache of handling sales tax and compliance on your own. We error check and rush all orders.

San Diego BusinessLicense Application