Archives: FAQs

As long as your business location is located outside of the city and your business has no physical presence in the city, and all business activities are conducted outside the City of Santa Ana, there is no need to obtain a Santa Ana Business License. However, if you are conducting business based from your Santa … Continued

Yes, engaging in business in association with, or performing services for, or in the name of a licensed Santa Ana business or nonprofit organization, or government agency does not relive separate business entities, independent contractors, consultants or other self-employed individuals from the requirement to obtain a separate independent City of Santa Ana Business License.

Yes, if you operate a business from residential premises within the City of Santa Ana you are required to secure a business license. Prior to the issuance of a business license, businesses operating from residential premises within the City, are required to obtain a one-time Home Occupation Permit ($50.32) and comply with all applicable provisions … Continued

Yes, businesses both large and small are required to obtain a Santa Ana Business License to be in compliance with the Santa Ana Municipal Code. If the consulting work or other independent contractor work is done from a location within the City limits, such as your residence, you are required to obtain a City of … Continued

Yes, if you operate a business from commercial premises within the City of Santa Ana you are required to secure a business license. Every business, including a temporary or itinerant business, operating from commercial premises within the City, is required to obtain a one-time Certificate of Occupancy ($134.24 for premises less than 5,000 sq. ft. … Continued

Santa Ana Municipal Code Section 21-3 defines business as including “all activities engaged in or caused to be engaged in within the city, including any commercial or industrial enterprise, trade, profession, occupation, vocation, calling, or livelihood, including rental of residential or commercial real estate, and every other kind of activity whether or not carried on … Continued

Yes, individuals that work as an independent contractor and are reported on a 1099 Form instead of a W-2 need to have a City of Santa Ana Business License.

The Business License Tax Holiday is a temporary program authorizing the waiver of: (1) prior year taxes, penalties, and interest due for unlicensed businesses; (2) unpaid current year penalties and interest assessed upon licensed businesses who owe current year business license taxes; and (3) penalties and interest assessable on underreported or misfiled taxes by licensed … Continued