Business Licensing & Operations in Ceres, CA (2026)
7 verified business licensing & operations rules for Ceres, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Adult Entertainment
Ceres requires adult businesses to obtain a Chief of Police-issued regulatory permit and confines them to the M-1, M-2, and C-3 industrial and wholesale commercial zones, keeping them out of residential and most other commercial areas.
Ceres Adult Business Permit and Zoning
Significant RestrictionsCeres Municipal Code § 5.15.070
Every person who proposes to maintain, operate or conduct an adult business in the City shall file an application with the Chief of Police upon a form provided by the City and shall pay a filing fee, as established by resolution adopted by the City Council from time to time, which shall not be refundable. Adult business regulatory permits are nontransferable, except in accordance with section 5...
Massage Establishments
Ceres requires a City-issued massage establishment permit before anyone opens or operates a massage business, on top of state CAMTC certification for every practitioner.
Massage establishment license in Ceres
Significant RestrictionsCeres Municipal Code § 5.16.040
No person shall conduct, or permit the operation of a massage establishment on their premises, without first having obtained a massage establishment permit issued by the City. It is unlawful for a massage establishment to continue to operate following the sale or transfer of any interest in the massage establishment to any person who was not identified as an owner in the massage establishment p...
Tobacco Retail License
Ceres outlaws the retail sale of electronic smoking devices and vape paraphernalia anywhere in the city, not just near schools: a total citywide sales ban under Municipal Code Chapter 6.10.
Ceres bans e-cig retail sales citywide
Heavy RestrictionsCeres Municipal Code § 6.10.050
It shall be unlawful for any tobacco retailer, tobacco store or their agents or employees to sell or offer for sale, give or furnish at no cost or nominal cost, or to possess with intent to sell or offer for sale, any electronic smoking device and related paraphernalia, which includes, but is not limited to; cartridges, cartomizers, e-liquid (i.e. any liquid or substance that can be used by an ...
Secondhand Dealers
Junk dealers and scrap metal recyclers in Ceres must get a Police Department permit, pass a background review, and report every transaction daily under Municipal Code Chapter 5.07.
Ceres Junk & Scrap Dealer Permit
Significant Restrictions§ 5.07.100
Any person desiring a permit, or to renew a permit, hereunder shall make application to the Police Department upon a form provided by the City. ... the applicant shall attach to the application documentation to the satisfaction of the Police Department that the applicant holds a current and active California Weighmaster License. A copy of the applicant's current Weighmaster License shall be dis...
Pawnbrokers
Ceres exempts pawnbrokers from its junk-dealer and scrap-metal-recycler permit chapter, so pawnshops operate instead under the City's general business license and state pawnbroker law.
Pawnbroker Licensing in Ceres
Light Restrictions§ 5.07.030
This chapter shall not apply to any of the following: A. Secondhand furniture merchants; B. Pawnbrokers; C. Secondhand car dealers or merchants in connection with automobile and motor vehicle sales agencies but not carried on and conducted in conjunction with a junk yard; D. Persons engaged in the business of selling new automobile tires or batteries or other equipment taking in part payment us...
Auto Repair on Residential Property
Ceres lets residents fix their own vehicles and boats at home, but bans running a paid repair business there and caps how visible and how long the work can be.
Auto Repair at Home in Ceres
Significant Restrictions§ 10.04.210
no person shall perform major repairs in public view in a residential district on a vehicle or a boat unless ... [i]n a fully enclosed garage or building, or behind a six-foot fence or gate capable of screening the boat or vehicle and parts thereof from public view ... No monies or anything of monetary value may be charged, exchanged, given or received for major repairs or routine maintenance p...
Towing Companies
Towing companies that respond to Ceres police calls must hold an annual Police Department permit, sign a service agreement, meet minimum truck and staffing standards, and keep their business office within one mile of city limits.
Ceres towing companies need police permit
Significant RestrictionsCeres Municipal Code § 10.20.070
Every towing service operator and tow attendant on the rotation list must have a valid permit issued by the Police Department to provide towing services for the Department.