Business Licenses in Laguna Beach

A Laguna Beach business license is required for every business that is located in the city or does business in it. The city contracts the paperwork to HdL, a company that runs applications and renewals, but zoning and building approvals still run through City Hall. The steps below follow the city’s own order.

What you need before you apply

The city will not issue a license to a P.O. box or a virtual mailbox. Every application needs a physical address. The application also asks for the owner’s details, an estimate of gross receipts and, where it applies, the number of vehicles.

Steps to get a license

1. Check zoning. Visit the Planning Counter or call (949) 497-0713. A planner tells you whether the address is zoned for your use and whether you need an approval such as a Conditional Use Permit first.
2. Fill out the application. If your business address is your home, add the Home Occupation form. Real estate agents do not need that form.
3. Cover any construction. Most tenant improvements need a building permit, and the city says exterior work, including painting, usually needs Planning Commission approval. See the permits and design review guide.
4. Plan your signs. Planning explains the sign standards for your location, and most signs need Planning Commission approval.
5. Apply. Go to LagunaBeach.HdLGov.com, call HdL at (949) 393-4645 or mail the form to the Business Support Center in Fresno.
6. Pay after approval. The city says no payment is due until it reviews and accepts the application. You get an account number, then a certificate. The municipal code says to post the certificate in a conspicuous place at the business.

Renewals use the same portal and phone line, and you need your account number.

Fees in the city’s schedule

The city’s current Master Fee Schedule, updated May 12, 2026, took effect July 1, 2026. Its planning fees, including the home occupation and use and occupancy fees, took effect July 12, 2026. HdL can confirm the total for your business.

Item	Amount
Business license base fee	$63
New business license application fee	$21
Annual renewal fee	$21
Change fee	$21
State fee (Senate Bill 1186)	$4
Home Occupation Permit (planning fee)	$200
Use and Occupancy Review (planning fee)	$415
Retail, wholesale, manufacturing, artists, craftspeople, lawn and garden	$0.44 per $1,000, up to $1,650
Personal services, recreation, entertainment, rentals	$0.88 per $1,000, up to $1,650
Practice of professions	$1.10 per $1,000, up to $1,650
Real estate, insurance, commodity and stockbrokers	$226
General contractor	$267
Subcontractor	$218

Running a business from home

The city’s Certificate of Use for Home Occupation sets conditions. A home business may not:

• employ anyone who does not live in the household
• use equipment beyond normal household, hobby or fine art use
• advertise the address as a place of business
• generate pedestrian or vehicle traffic beyond what is normal for homes in the area
• use commercial vehicles for deliveries or pickups
• use more than one room, change the way the house looks or use signs the zone does not allow

The planner’s categories are classes (up to six pupils and four hours a week), consulting, arts and crafts, personal services, assembly and repair of small items, records or mail-order storage, and online or home-office work. The city’s FAQ adds that running a business from a garage is prohibited. The neighbor rules guide covers the garage rule.

Restaurants and sidewalk uses

Any business that serves food needs an Orange County health permit and inspection. A liquor license and a Conditional Use Permit are required to sell or serve alcohol, and the location must meet the zoning code’s parking standards.

For sidewalks, the city’s permit list includes a Sidewalk Vendor Permit. Its application distinguishes roaming and stationary vendors, caps a vending receptacle at three feet in each dimension and requires a county health permit for food. The fee schedule lists $1,005. All work in the public right-of-way needs a Public Works permit, which you can discuss at (949) 497-0711. If you want tables or displays on a sidewalk, ask Planning at (949) 497-0713 which approval applies. Downtown parking rules are in the parking guide.

Film and photo permits

Filming or professional photography on city property needs a city permit. The fee schedule effective July 1, 2026 lists $100 for two hours of professional still photography, plus $50 for each extra hour, and a $150 application fee plus $715 per filming day for commercial shoots. The film permit page still shows $680 a day, so confirm the daily fee when you apply. Commercial permits are not issued between Memorial Day and Labor Day, and applications are due at least three weeks ahead. The TV and film guide covers the permit rules in more detail.

Contacts

• Business licenses, HdL: (949) 393-4645
• Finance Division: (949) 497-0793
• Planning: (949) 497-0713
• Building: (949) 497-0715
• Public Works: (949) 497-0711
• City Hall: 505 Forest Avenue, closed alternate Fridays