Licenses and Permits

Some businesses are required to obtain additional permits and licenses from regulatory agencies. The Office of the Treasurer & Tax Collector collects annual license fees on behalf of Animal Care and Control, Department of Public Health, Department of Public Works, Entertainment Commission, Fire Department, Office of Cannabis, and the Police Department.

License renewal fees are due on March 31 each year. Prior to the deadline, businesses will receive a bill via mail that shows license fees due.

 Pay License Fees 

Additional Information

Some businesses are required to obtain additional permits and licenses to operate. The Office of the Treasurer & Tax Collector collects annual license fees on behalf of the Department of Public Health, Fire Department, Police Department, Entertainment Commission, Animal Care and Control, Department of Public Works, and the Office of Cannabis.  

Businesses apply for permits directly with the department(s). If an inspection is necessary, the business owner will be contacted by the department to schedule an appointment. Usually, a business must pass an inspection to be approved.

Permit application forms are available at:

After a permit is approved, the business owner will receive a bill from the Office of the Treasurer & Tax Collector due annually by March 31. Businesses who fail to pay by April 30 will begin accruing penalties on May 1.

The annual bill lists every license owed for each location the business operates. The bill must be paid in full before a business is issued a license certificate that must be posted at the place of business.

License certificates are mailed in mid-April of each year to businesses that have paid their license bill in full. If payment is made after mid-April, license certificates will be mailed 10 -15 business days after payment is processed.

You will not get a printed License Certificate if:

  1. You owe any taxes or fees. Make a payment.
  2. Your mailing address is not up to date. Update your mailing address.

To check the status of your account or to request a replacement certificate, submit a help desk ticket

The certificate for the 2023-2024 year is salmon.

The Business Tax and Fee Payment Portal provides a summary of unpaid license and fee obligations. You may view and pay your outstanding license bill online through this portal, or you may print a stub and mail it with your payment. You will need:

  • Business Account Number
  • Last 4 Digits of your SSN or FEIN
  • 8 Character PIN (If you lose or misplace your PIN: Complete, DocuSign and submit the online PIN request)

​​​​​​​To learn more about the licenses class listed on your bill, open the License Rate Table document below and find a description that matches the class on your bill.

A business may review registered locations, add/close locations, and update their mailing address using the Account Update.

Contact the issuing/regulatory agency directly if a license no longer applies to a business or if there is a specific question about the license. Contact information for each regulatory agency is listed below:

DepartmentContact PhoneDepartmentContact Phone
Animal Care and Control415-554-6364Fire Department628-652-3260

Department of Public Health

Deemed Approved Ordinance (H73 License)

Weights & Measures and POS

415-252-3800

628-206-7697

415-252-3884

Office of Cannabis628-652-0420
Department of Public Works628-271-2000Police Department415-553-1115
Entertainment Commission628-652-6030  

 

Penalty waivers for permit and license fees must be approved by the regulatory agency (e.g. Public Health, Entertainment, Fire, Police, etc).

Request a Penalty Waiver

 

Department

Contact Phone

Department

Contact Phone

Animal Care and Control

415-554-6364

Fire Department

628-652-3260

Department of Public Health

Deemed Approved Ordinance (H73 License)

Weights & Measures and POS

415-252-3800

628-206-7697

415-252-3884

Office of Cannabis

628-652-0420

Department of Public Works

628-271-2000

Police Department

415-553-1115

Entertainment Commission

628-652-6030

 

 

The City has passed legislation that will affect fees for Weights & Measures and Point of Sale devices, including the following:

  • Fees for “weights and measures” and point of sale devices will now be collected on the Unified License bill due March 31st of each year.

  • All registrations for weighing and measuring devices issued prior to November 1, 2021, that were effective on November 1, 2021, shall continue to be effective through March 31, 2022.

  • Per Notice G-21-04 from the California Department of Food and Agriculture - Division of Measurement Standards (DMS), the Device Admin fee has been increased starting April 1, 2022:

CLASS CODE

DESCRIPTION

 FORMER MISC. FEE

 NEW MISC. FEE

WM01

CNG METERS

 $       1.10

 $        16.00

WM02

ELECTRIC SUBMETERS

 $       0.10

 $          0.50

WM03

FABRIC, CORDAGE, WIRE MEASURE

 $       1.10

 $          2.20

WM04

GREASE & LUBE METERS

 $       1.10

 $          2.20

WM05

LIQUIFIED GAS METERS

 $       8.00

 $        16.00

WM07

ODOMETERS

 $       1.10

 $          2.20

WM08

RETAIL MOTOR FUEL METERS

 $       1.10

 $          2.20

WM09

RETAIL METERS

 $       1.10

 $          2.20

WM10

RETAIL WATER METERS

 $       1.10

 $          2.20

WM11

TANKS (LIQUID TEST)

 $       1.10

 $          2.20

WM13

VAPOR SUBMETERS

 $       1.10

 $          0.50

WM14

VEHICLE METERS

 $       1.10

 $          2.20

WM15

WATER SUBMETERS

 $       0.10

 $          0.50

WM16

WHOLESALE METERS

 $       1.10

 $          2.20

WM18

COMPUTING SCALE

 $       1.10

 $          2.20

WM19

COUNTER SCALE

 $       1.10

 $          2.20

WM20

CRANE SCALE

 $       1.10

 $          2.20

WM21

DORMANT/PORT. PLATFORM SCALE

 $       8.00

 $        16.00

WM22

HOPPER AND TANK SCALES

 $    12.00

 $        24.00

WM23

HANGING SCALE

 $       1.10

 $          2.20

WM24

LIVESTOCK & ANIMAL SCALE > 10,000 POUNDS

 $       8.00

 $        16.00

WM25

MONORAILS & MEAT BEAMS

 $       1.10

 $          2.20

WM26

PRESCRIPTION/JEWELERS SCALES

 $       1.10

 $          2.20

WM27

RAILWAY SCALES

 $    12.00

 $        24.00

WM28

VEHICLE SCALES

 $    12.00

 $        24.00

WM29

MISC. WEIGHING DEVICES

 $       1.10

 $          2.20

WM30

COUNTER/OTHER LESS THAN 100LBS

 $       1.10

 $          2.20

Need Further Assistance?

Visit our Help Center to submit a question.  Questions submitted before 7:00 pm will receive a response on the SAME DAY. Questions submitted after 7:00 pm will receive a response by the next business day.