Business Licensing & Operations in Costa Mesa, CA (2026)
7 verified business licensing & operations rules for Costa Mesa, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Adult Entertainment
Costa Mesa requires a sexually-oriented business license from the city before any adult bookstore, cabaret, modeling studio or similar use can open, and confines those uses to the CL, C1, C2, C1-S and PDC zones. Storefronts must sit at least 500 feet from residential zones, 1,000 feet from schools, parks or religious institutions, and 1,000 feet from another sexually-oriented business outside the PDC zone.
Costa Mesa Adult Business Permit and Spacing Rules
Significant Restrictions§ 13-132(a); § 9-451(a)
It is unlawful for any person to engage in, conduct or carry on... the activities of a regulated sexually-oriented business without a valid license issued for the specific activity pursuant to the provisions of this chapter for each and every such regulated sexually-oriented business... The establishment of a sexually-oriented business shall be permitted only in the CL, C1, C2, C1-S or PDC Zone...
Massage Establishments
Costa Mesa requires every massage business to hold a police-issued massage establishment permit, and every practitioner to carry a valid California Massage Therapy Council certificate plus a city registration certificate and photo ID badge, under §§ 9-330 and 9-326. Practitioners cannot work from their own homes, and holders of the old city-issued massage permit had 180 days after the 2011 ordinance to convert to a CAMTC certificate.
Costa Mesa Massage Establishment Permit
Significant RestrictionsCosta Mesa, CA Municipal Code § 9-330(a)
Except as otherwise provided, it is unlawful for any person to engage in, conduct, or carry on, or to permit the engagement in, conducting of, or carrying on the business or operation of a massage establishment within the city without a massage establishment permit. Massage establishment permits shall also be required of any permanent or semi-permanent seated massage or reflexology installation.
Tattoo & Body Modification
Costa Mesa regulates tattoo parlors under Municipal Code Chapter VI, requiring hot and cold running water, sterile metal operating tables, and adequate lighting before the Orange County health officer will sign off on a location. Operators must disclose their dye and ink sources, sterilize every needle and stencil, and wear a clean smock. Violating any sanitation requirement is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $1,000.
Costa Mesa Tattoo Establishment Regulations
Some RestrictionsCosta Mesa, CA, Municipal Code § 8-137
All tattooing establishments shall be equipped with running hot and cold water, with adequate toilet facilities and all such appliances, furnishings and materials as may be necessary to enable persons employed in and about such establishments to comply with the requirements of this chapter. The floors, furnishings and equipment of tattooing establishments shall be kept clean at all times during...
Tobacco Retail License
Costa Mesa Municipal Code section 11-18 bans selling tobacco products by self-service display or vending machine, requiring every tobacco sale in the city to be vendor-assisted, meaning a store employee physically hands over the product. Dedicated tobacco shops, cigar lounges and restricted tobacco sales areas meeting strict access rules are exempt.
Costa Mesa Tobacco Vendor-Assisted Sales Rule
Some RestrictionsCosta Mesa, CA, Municipal Code Sec. 11-18
It is unlawful for any person, business or tobacco retailer to sell, permit to be sold, or offer for sale any tobacco product by means of a self-service display, including a cigarette vending machine, or by any means other than vendor-assisted sales. This prohibition shall not apply to tobacco shops, cigar lounges, or restricted tobacco sales areas.
Secondhand Dealers
Costa Mesa requires anyone doing business as a secondhand dealer to hold a police-chief-issued license before opening, layering a local license on top of California's statewide secondhand-dealer law. Applications go through the director of finance, and an unused license lapses after six months of inactivity. A stolen-property conviction, as defined by the state attorney general, bars an applicant outright.
Costa Mesa Secondhand Dealer License
Some RestrictionsCosta Mesa, CA Municipal Code § 9-210
No person, firm, corporation or other entities shall engage in the occupation of secondhand dealer as defined in State of California Business and Professions Code, section 21626, without first obtaining a license from the chief of police to engage in said activity. Application for said license shall be made with the director of finance of the City of Costa Mesa.
Auto Repair on Residential Property
Costa Mesa bars auto repair as a home occupation outright: no garage may be used for the business and no mechanized equipment beyond normal household tools is allowed, so a residential mechanic operation cannot get a home occupation permit under Municipal Code Article 6.
Costa Mesa Home Auto Repair Restrictions
Heavy RestrictionsCosta Mesa Municipal Code § 13-168(d), (f)
(d) No building, space outside of the main building, or garage, attached or detached, shall be used for the home occupation. Storage of necessary supplies or equipment used in the home occupation may be permitted in a garage if the storage does not diminish the usable parking space in the garage. ... (f) No use of material or mechanized equipment not recognized as being associated with a normal...
Towing Companies
Every tow truck operating on Costa Mesa streets, including private-property tows, needs a chief-of-police-issued towing operator permit under Municipal Code § 9-273. The chief must deny an application on any of 13 grounds, from falsified paperwork to a felony conviction within the past five years, and vehicles towed from private property must go to a storage yard within five miles of the police station.
Costa Mesa Towing Operator Permit Rules
Significant RestrictionsCosta Mesa, CA Municipal Code § 9-273(a)
(a) No person shall operate, or cause to be operated, nor shall any person employ, permit or allow another to operate or cause to be operated a tow unit on the streets of the city, including towing and/or storing of vehicles from private property without first having obtained a towing operator permit in accordance with the requirements of this article.
Looking for Orange County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Costa Mesa city rules.
Business Licensing & Operations in Orange County →