Business Licensing & Operations in Huntington Beach, CA (2026)
8 verified business licensing & operations rules for Huntington Beach, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Adult Entertainment
Huntington Beach Municipal Code Chapter 5.70 bars anyone from operating a sex-oriented business without both a sex-oriented business permit from the Police Chief and a City business license. The Police Chief must act on a complete application within 10 business days, and every performer needs a separate sex-oriented performer permit, renewed annually.
Huntington Beach Sex-Oriented Business Permit Rules
Significant RestrictionsHuntington Beach Municipal Code § 5.70.020 (Permit Required)
No person, association, partnership or corporation shall own, operate, engage in, conduct or carry on, in or upon any premises within the City of Huntington Beach any "sex-oriented business," defined in this chapter, without a sex-oriented business permit and a business license from the City of Huntington Beach.
Massage Establishments
Every massage business in Huntington Beach, including a sole practitioner, must get an Establishment Registration Certificate from the Police Chief before opening, per Municipal Code Section 5.24.020, and new locations must sit at least 1,000 feet from any other Massage Establishment under Section 5.24.035.
Huntington Beach Massage Establishment Permit
Significant RestrictionsHuntington Beach, CA, Municipal Code Sec. 5.24.020 (Establishment Registration Certificate); Sec. 5.24.025 (Application); Sec. 5.24.035 (Approval or Denial)
§ 5.24.020. Establishment Registration Certificate. All Massage Establishments seeking to open and/or conduct business in Huntington Beach must first obtain an Establishment Registration Certificate. It is unlawful to open or operate a massage business in Huntington Beach without having first obtained an Establishment Registration Certificate. ... § 5.24.035(A)(2): For new Massage Establishment...
Tattoo & Body Modification
Any tattoo, body piercing or permanent cosmetics establishment in Huntington Beach must hold a City business license and operate only in a zoning district approved for that use under HBMC Chapter 8.72. Practitioners need annual health certificates, sterilize equipment, and cannot work on anyone under 18, and violations of the chapter are misdemeanors under Section 8.72.170.
Huntington Beach Tattoo & Piercing Shop Rules
Some RestrictionsHuntington Beach Municipal Code §§ 8.72.030, 8.72.170
§ 8.72.030. License Required. All owners of a tattoo and/or body piercing establishment, or those establishments providing tattoo and/or body piercing, must obtain a business license from the City of Huntington Beach. All independent contractors, or any person providing any service relating to tattoo and/or body piercing who is not an employee must obtain a business license from the City of Hun...
Tobacco Retail License
Huntington Beach bans smoke and tobacco shops from residentially zoned property and keeps them 1,000 feet from any hospital, youth-populated site, or other smoke shop. Smoking on the premises is prohibited and age-restriction signage is mandatory at every entrance.
Huntington Beach Smoke & Tobacco Shop Zoning
Significant RestrictionsHuntington Beach, CA, Zoning and Subdivision Ordinance § 230.54(B)
Residential Zone. Smoke or tobacco shops shall not be permitted in any locations zoned exclusively for residential uses. Adjacent Uses. No smoke or tobacco shop shall be located within 1,000 feet of a hospital or youth-populated area. The distance requirement shall be measured by a straight line from the nearest point of the property line of the site of a youth-populated area to the nearest poi...
Secondhand Dealers
Buying, selling or dismantling used metal, parts or scrap in Huntington Beach as a junk dealer or auto wrecker requires an annual business license taxed at $187.50 under Municipal Code Section 5.16.170; a junk collector who merely gathers rags, bottles, cans and other junk pays the same $187.50 annual fee or $40.00 for a single day under Section 5.16.160.
Huntington Beach Junk Dealer License
Some RestrictionsHuntington Beach, CA, Municipal Code Sec. 5.16.170 (Junk Dealer and Auto Wrecking); Sec. 5.16.160 (Junk Collector); Sec. 5.08.010 (License—Required)
§ 5.16.170. Junk Dealer and Auto Wrecking. For every person conducting, managing or carrying on the business of junk dealer or auto wrecker, the fee shall be: $187.50 A. § 5.16.160. Junk Collector. For every person conducting, managing or carrying on the business of junk collector, the fee shall be: $187.50 A Or at the option of the licensee: $40.00 D
Pawnbrokers
Operating a pawnshop in Huntington Beach requires an annual business license taxed at $487.50 under Municipal Code Section 5.16.220, one of the highest flat license fees in the City's business tax schedule, on top of any bond the City Treasurer requires before issuing the license under Section 5.08.120.
Huntington Beach Pawnbroker License
Some RestrictionsHuntington Beach, CA, Municipal Code Sec. 5.16.220 (Pawnbroker); Sec. 5.08.120 (Bonds—Required When); Sec. 5.08.010 (License—Required)
§ 5.16.220. Pawnbroker. Every person conducting, managing, or operating a pawnbroker business shall pay a fee of $487.50 A. ... § 5.08.120. Bonds—Required When. Where, by the terms of this title, a bond is required to be furnished by any person accruing or applying for a license, such person shall, before the issuance to him or her of such license, deliver to the City Treasurer a bond, executed...
Auto Repair on Residential Property
Huntington Beach's home occupation ordinance flatly bans commercial motor vehicle repair as a home business. Section 230.12(C)(6) allows no exceptions, and the companion rule in (C)(1) already forbids using a garage for anything but parking the business's own vehicles, closing off the space most home mechanics would use.
Huntington Beach Bans Home-Based Auto Repair
Heavy RestrictionsHuntington Beach, CA, Zoning and Subdivision Ordinance § 230.12(C)(1), (6)
Required Conditions. Home occupations shall comply with the following conditions: 1. A home occupation shall be conducted entirely within one room in a dwelling, with the exception of swimming lessons. No outdoor storage shall be permitted. Garages shall not be used in connection with such business except to park business vehicles. ... 6. No motor vehicle repair for commercial purposes shall be...
Towing Companies
Huntington Beach Municipal Code Chapter 5.67 covers nonconsensual private-property and fire-lane vehicle tows performed under California Vehicle Code Sections 22658 and 22953, whenever the tow is not directed by the Huntington Beach Police Department. Section 5.67.030 caps what any towing operator may charge at the rate the City Council sets by resolution and bars billing above that authorized fee.
Huntington Beach Nonconsensual Towing Fee Rules
Some RestrictionsHuntington Beach Municipal Code §§ 5.67.020, 5.67.030
As used in this chapter, "towing operation" means the activity of towing and storing of vehicles, and the performance of other services incident thereto, for compensation within the City of Huntington Beach, without the implied or express consent or knowledge of the owner(s) of the vehicle pursuant to California Vehicle Code Section 22658(a) [illegal parking on private property] and Section 229...
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