Business License

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New licenses, renewals, mobile vending, home occupation, tax and more

Apply for a Business License
Apply for a new business license online
Renew Your Business License
Renew your business license online
Home Occupation Permit Application
Home-based businesses need a one-time Home Occupation Permit from the Community Development Department
Zoning Business Review
All new in-town businesses need a one-time Zoning Business Review from the Community Development Department
Sidewalk Vending Permit Application
A Sidewalk Vendor needs to submit an annual Sidewalk Vending Permit Application to the Finance Department
Business License Tax Rates
Calculate your 2026-2027 Business License Tax Rate
Mobile Vending

INSTRUCTIONS FOR SUBMITTING YOUR BUSINESS LICENSE RENEWAL

Business License renewals were mailed and emailed to all active/current business license accounts on Wednesday, February 11, 2026. Before getting started, you will need the Account Number and PIN found on your Renewal Form to update or renew your license. If you cannot locate your Renewal Form, please contact HdL or the City's Business License Division as listed in the Customer Support Section below.

1. Filing Online
To renew your City of Manhattan Beach business license online, please visit https://ManhattanBeach.hdlgov.com and select the “Go to Business License Portal” button to begin. At the main menu select “Renew a Business License” to file your renewal. Online payments can be processed by credit card or electronic check.

2. Filing by Mail
To renew your City of Manhattan Beach business license by mail, please complete and sign the Renewal Form that has been mailed to your business and mail the Form and associated payments to the address below. Mailed payments can be processed by check only. Please ensure your check is payable to the City of Manhattan Beach and remit your return form and payment to:

City of Manhattan Beach
Business Support Center
8839 North Cedar Avenue #212
Fresno, CA 93720

CUSTOMER SUPPORT

For assistance with renewing your business license, you may contact the City as follows:

City - Business License Division
Monday – Thursday: 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM and Friday: 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Email: BusinessLicense@manhattanbeach.gov
Phone: (310) 802-5559, Option 2

For any technical assistance while using the payment portal, you may contact HdL directly at:

HdL - Business Support Center
Monday – Friday: 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Website: https://manhattanbeach.hdlgov.com
Email: manhattanbeach@hdlgov.com
Phone: (310) 272-5216, Option 3

Sub-Contractor List

SUB-CONTRACTOR LIST

The City requires the completion and approval of a Sub-Contractor listing as a condition of finalizing the planning and building of City developments. All Contractors and Sub-Contractors working on a project in the City must have a valid City of Manhattan Beach Business License for the dates during which they are working.

A blank Sub Contractor List Form is available below. Sub-Contractor lists should be completely filled out prior to submitting the list to the Finance Department. The Sub-Contractor list may take up to 5 days to review. Incomplete Sub-Contractor lists may take longer to be processed or may be returned to the submitter to complete.

Sub-Contractor List Form (Word)/ Sub-Contractor List Form (PDF) - to be completed by General Contractor or Owner/Builder
- submit by email to revenue@manhattanbeach.gov

A listing of Contractor/Sub-Contractors’ City Business License numbers is available below. Please note: while the Sub-Contractor Book lists the City Business License number, it is not a confirmation that the Sub-Contractor's City Business License was valid for the dates during which they were working in the City.

Contractor - Subcontractor Book(PDF) - updated quarterly

General Contractor/Owner-Builder shall require all Sub-Contractors working on the project to have a current Manhattan Beach Business License before permitting them to begin work for the duration of the job, per Manhattan Beach Municipal Code Section 6.01.300.

Return of top of Sub-Contractor List section

OTHER BUSINESS LICENSE INFORMATION

Business License Tax Forum

The City of Manhattan Beach and the Manhattan Beach Chamber of Commerce held the first ever Business License Tax Forum on Thursday, April 23, 2026 at 12:00 pm in the City Council Chambers and via Zoom. Approximately 68 community members attended the Forum with 53 attending on Zoom and 15 attending in-person.

The purpose of the Forum was to share information and engage the business community regarding the City's Business License Tax Modernization Plan and potential changes to the City’s Business Licensing program.

This meeting also included a presentation on the City’s Business License Tax structure and explored alternative tax structures/models that aim to clarify, simplify, and modernize the tax code, enhance fairness and equity and maintain fiscal sustainability for the City.

Throughout the Forum, community members were able to participate in real-time polling regarding the type of tax structure and gross receipts category their business falls under.

Towards the end of the Forum, all attendees had an opportunity for Public Comment/Q&A and the meeting concluded with attendees voting on which Tax Model they prefer.

View the PowerPoint Presentation or Video Recording of the Business License Tax Forum.

For additional information, please contact Revenue Services by phone (310) 802-5558 option #2, or email.

Download the Business License Tax Forum flyer (PDF).

Business License System

The City has partnered with HdL Companies to implement a new Business License System in February 2025, that provides enhanced features to streamline the process for remitting annual business license taxes. These new features are now available as of February 2025 and offer the following enhancements:

A self-service portal that allows businesses the ability to:

Receive renewal forms via email.
Renew annual business licenses online.
Make payments online.
Download an electronic copy of a business license certificate.
Update mailing address and/or contact information online.

A Business Support Center bi-lingual in Spanish and available on-demand interpretation services in Mandarin, Vietnamese and most major languages.

In order to support the implementation of this system, a $17.00 fee per account, with annual CPI adjustments, was approved at the January 21, 2025, City Council meeting.

INFORMATION SESSION ON NEW BUSINESS LICENSE SYSTEM

In an effort to communicate all the impacts and features of the new system, the City hosted two information sessions in January 2025. If you were unable to attend either session, a video recording is available below. The Information Sessions provided an introduction to HdL and their web portal, a live demonstration on how to renew a business license online, a timeline of when to look out for renewal forms, and an opportunity to engage in a Q&A session regarding the new online system.

This is the recording from the second information session held on Tuesday, January 28, 2025 at 10:00 AM.

General Business License Information

GENERAL INFORMATION

The Manhattan Beach Municipal Code requires all businesses operating in the City to pay an annual business license tax. The business license tax year begins March 1st and ends the last day of February the following year. For new businesses the Business License tax is prorated quarterly.

The Business License tax is paid in advance. Some businesses pay a flat business tax. Most businesses pay the Business License tax based on their calendar year gross receipts, which includes a base tax is paid plus a percentage based on the total gross receipts that were collected for the previous calendar year. A new business may pay the initial tax based on estimated gross receipts; after the first year this tax will be adjusted based on the actual gross receipts.

Business License Tax Rates by Category: 2026-2027 Business License Tax Rates (PDF)

Renewals are mailed out in February and are delinquent if received on or after May 1st – if you change your mailing address you must promptly notify the Business License Office at (310) 802-5559. If you do not receive a renewal notice by March 1st, please contact the Business License Office to obtain a duplicate copy. Failure to receive a renewal notice does not relieve the business owner of the responsibility to renew the Business License.

Other Licensing Resources:

MBMC Chapter 6.01 – Licensing Regulations

MBMC 10.52.070 – Home Occupation in Residential Districts Regulations