Business filing services in Los Angeles, California
LLCs, corporations, DBAs, EINs and license guidance for Los Angeles business owners — prepared and filed by a real office you can call or walk into. We also file in all 50 states.
Los Angeles is the one city where people most often get the paperwork order wrong, because the city's requirements are genuinely different from everywhere else in the county. The City of Los Angeles requires a Business Tax Registration Certificate from the Office of Finance — the BTRC — and it applies to home-based businesses and independent contractors, not just storefronts.
On top of that, the entity filing goes to the California Secretary of State, the DBA goes to the LA County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, the seller's permit goes to the CDTFA, and the EIN goes to the IRS. Four different agencies, none of which talk to each other. What we do is put them in the right order, tell you what each one costs, and file the ones we handle.
What a Los Angeles business usually needs
- A City of Los Angeles business license — nearly every city in Los Angeles County requires one, including for home-based businesses
- A California entity (LLC or corporation) or a fictitious business name, depending on how you are set up
- A federal EIN — required for a business bank account, employees and most license applications
- A fictitious business name statement filed with the LA County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, plus the four weeks of newspaper publication California requires
- A California seller's permit through the CDTFA if you sell tangible goods
- A Los Angeles County health permit if you prepare, serve or sell food
Filing a DBA from Los Angeles
Los Angeles County fictitious business name statements are filed with the LA County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, whose main office is on Imperial Highway in Norwalk — the same stretch of road as CNBB's Norwalk office.
Then comes the step most people miss: California requires the statement to be published once a week for four consecutive weeks in an adjudicated newspaper of general circulation in Los Angeles County, within 30 days of filing, with proof of publication filed back with the county. Without it the registration is incomplete. We handle the filing, the publication and the proof together.
Working with us from Los Angeles
Most Los Angeles clients handle everything by phone, text and email — nothing about a state or county filing requires you to be in a room with us. If you would rather come in, CNBB has an office at 12501 E. Imperial Hwy in Norwalk as well as our Santa Ana office.
What we do
What we file for Los Angeles businesses
LLC Formation
Form an LLC in any state. Formation documents, EIN, operating agreement and the compliance calendar your state expects.
Learn moreDBA / Fictitious Name
Operate legally under a business name. We file it with the right office and handle the newspaper publication California requires.
Learn moreIncorporation
C-Corp, S-Corp or nonprofit, in any state. Articles of Incorporation, bylaws, stock certificates and the S-Corp election.
Learn moreQuestions
Los Angeles business filing questions
What is a BTRC and do I need one?
The Business Tax Registration Certificate is the City of Los Angeles business registration, issued by the Office of Finance. If you do business within city limits — including from home, and including as an independent contractor — it generally applies to you. It is separate from your state entity filing and from your county DBA.
Where do I file a DBA in Los Angeles?
With the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, whose main office is in Norwalk. As everywhere in California, the statement then has to be published once a week for four consecutive weeks in an adjudicated LA County newspaper, with proof of publication filed back with the county.
I am starting a trucking company. What do I need?
An entity or DBA, an EIN, and the city registration — then the transportation-specific items: USDOT and MC numbers, insurance filings, and often a CA number through the CHP. We handle the entity, EIN and DBA side and tell you clearly which of the transportation registrations you will need to pursue separately.
Important: California New Business Bureau is a private document preparation and business filing service. We are not a government agency and we are not affiliated with or endorsed by any Secretary of State, the IRS, or any other government body. We are not a law firm or a CPA firm, we do not provide legal or tax advice, and we do not represent you before any agency. Government filing fees are set by the agencies and are separate from our service fees. Self-filing directly with the agency is always an option and forms are available from the agencies at their published fees.
Other Los Angeles County cities we serve
Ready to get your paperwork started?
Call us or request a free consultation. We will walk you through exactly what your filing needs in your state, what it costs and how long it takes — and if you are in Southern California, you are welcome to come in.