Licenses and Permits

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:

• Animal Care and Control (ACC)
• Department of Public Health (DPH)
• Department of Public Works (DPW)
• Entertainment Commission
• Fire Department (SFFD)
• Office of Cannabis
• Police Department (SFPD)

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:

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

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: