Business Licensing & Operations in Corona, CA (2026)
8 verified business licensing & operations rules for Corona, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Adult Entertainment
Corona confines adult businesses to the M-3 zone and requires an adult use planning permit plus a city adult business license. Sec. 17.41.140 bars locating within 500 feet of homes, churches, schools, parks or funeral homes, and within 200 feet of another adult business.
Adult Business Permits and Spacing in Corona
Significant RestrictionsCorona Code of Ordinances § 17.41.140
(A) An adult business shall not be established or located within 500 feet of: (1) Any residential zone, residential land use district, or conforming residential land use, including conforming mobilehome parks and trailer parks, within the city; (2) Any church, chapel or similar place of worship or property zoned, planned or otherwise designated for such use by city action; ...
Massage Establishments
Corona requires anyone operating a massage establishment to obtain a permit from the Chief of Police under Corona Code of Ordinances § 5.28.030, on top of a standard business license. Every massage therapist must hold current California Massage Therapy Council certification, and establishments must close to patrons between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m.
Massage Establishment Permit in Corona
Significant RestrictionsCorona Code of Ordinances § 5.28.030
No person shall operate a massage establishment within the city without first obtaining a massage establishment permit pursuant to §§ 5.28.035 and 5.28.040 of this chapter, securing the necessary business license as required by this code and complying with Title 5 of this code. Permits are in effect when approved by the Chief of Police and shall be for a uniform period of time.
Tattoo & Body Modification
Corona zones tattoo and body piercing salons as a supplemental use under Municipal Code Sec. 17.33.140, banning body-art displays on storefront windows, requiring privacy screening for patrons, and mandating County Health Department compliance for sanitation.
Tattoo and Body Piercing Salon Rules in Corona
Some RestrictionsCorona Code of Ordinances § 17.33.140
17.33.140 Tattoo and body piercing salons – Supplemental development standards. (A) Body art designs and styles shall not be displayed on storefront windows or the exterior of the building. Only the name of the business shall be advertised on the building's exterior. (B) Patrons receiving tattoo or body piercing services shall be screened from the main entrance or lobby and from any storefront ...
Tobacco Retail License
Corona requires every tobacco retailer, including vape and e-cigarette sellers, to hold a tobacco retailer's license from the Chief of Police for each location before making a single sale, under Corona Code of Ordinances § 5.19.030. Sales must be vendor-assisted unless the store qualifies as a dedicated retail tobacco store, and every point of sale must post an age-21 warning sign.
Tobacco and Vape Retailer License in Corona
Significant RestrictionsCorona Code of Ordinances § 5.19.030
(A) It shall be unlawful for any person, business, or tobacco retailer, except for a retail tobacco store, to sell, permit to be sold, offer for sale, or display for sale any tobacco product or tobacco paraphernalia by means other than vendor-assisted sales. A vending machine, as defined in § 5.19.020(L) above, is not a vendor-assisted sale. ... (D) It shall be unlawful for any person to ac...
Secondhand Dealers
Corona requires every secondhand dealer and pawnbroker to hold a city license before buying, selling or trading used property, under Corona Code of Ordinances § 5.42.020(A). Dealers must report each purchase to the Chief of Police and hold every item for 30 days before resale, and junk dealers and collectors run through the same licensing chapter under Chapter 5.26.
Secondhand Dealer License in Corona
Significant RestrictionsCorona Code of Ordinances § 5.42.020
No personnel shall carry on the business of a secondhand dealer without first having obtained a license from the city to do so in the manner provided in this chapter, which license shall be posted and maintained in a conspicuous place on the premises where such business is conducted.
Pawnbrokers
Corona pawnbrokers must hold a permit for each separate location, file a daily transaction report with the Police Department before 10:00 a.m., hold pledged articles at least 15 days before sale, and stay closed between midnight Saturday and 7:00 a.m. Monday.
Pawnbroker Licensing Rules in Corona
Significant RestrictionsCorona Code of Ordinances § 5.32.030
No pawnbroker shall sell or otherwise dispose of any article within 15 days after such article has been pledged to, purchased or received by such pawnbroker. Hours. No pawnbroker or any agent or employee of such person shall accept any pledge or loan any money or personal property or purchase or receive any goods, wares or merchandise or in any manner whatsoever engage in or conduct any busines...
Auto Repair on Residential Property
Corona flatly prohibits running an auto repair, auto detailing, or large equipment repair business out of a residential home. Section 17.80.020(C) bars regular or permanent display or sale of products or rendering of such services as a home occupation, with no permit path around it.
Corona Bans Home-Based Auto Repair
Heavy RestrictionsCorona Code of Ordinances § 17.80.020(C)
There shall be no regular or permanent display or physical sales of products or rendering of services, such as but not limited to auto detailing, large equipment repair, auto repair on the premises. Notwithstanding the foregoing, cottage food operations may sell cottage food products directly to customers at the residential dwelling where the cottage food operation is located so long as there i...
Towing Companies
Corona bars any towing company from performing non-consensual tows in the city unless it has signed a towing service agreement with the city under Chapter 5.52. The Police Chief runs a rotational program, selecting authorized towing contractors through a competitive RFP process at least every five years.
Non-Consensual Towing Rules in Corona
Significant RestrictionsCorona Code of Ordinances § 5.52.030
No person, including, without limitation, a towing company shall perform or provide non-consensual towing services in the city unless the person has entered into a towing service agreement with the city to perform or provide such services.
Looking for Riverside County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Corona city rules.
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