Business Licensing & Operations in Ridgecrest, CA (2026)
5 verified business licensing & operations rules for Ridgecrest, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Adult Entertainment
Ridgecrest requires a director-of-finance license and planning commission site-plan approval before opening an adult bookstore, theater, arcade, cabaret, or similar business.
Ridgecrest Adult Entertainment Business License
Significant RestrictionsRidgecrest City Code §§ 9-231, 9-233
No person shall own, operate, conduct or maintain any adult entertainment business without first obtaining from the director of finance a license for such adult entertainment business. ... the director of finance shall grant and issue an appropriate license under this section when the director of finance receives from the city planning commission a written approval of a site plan for the operat...
Massage Establishments
Ridgecrest requires every massage/bodywork office and each individual practitioner to hold a city-issued license, renewed annually, before offering massage services anywhere in the city.
Ridgecrest Massage Establishment License Rule
Significant RestrictionsRidgecrest City Code § 9-395
No person shall engage in, conduct or carry on, or permit to be engaged in, conducted or carried on, in or upon any premises within the city, a massage without a license issued by the city in conformity with the provisions of this article. No owner, practitioner, responsible managing employee, manager or licensee in charge of or in control of a massage/bodywork office shall employ or permit an ...
Tobacco Retail License
In Ridgecrest, Kern County, California, tobacco shops are a by-right permitted use in the CG General Commercial District, with no separate city business-license category or zoning conditions specific to smoke or vape shops.
Ridgecrest Smoke Shop Zoning Rules
Few RestrictionsRidgecrest City Code § 106-327(b)(86)
(b)Permitted uses. Any use permitted in the CN district and PO district plus the following:(1)Addressograph services;(2)Apparel stores;...(85)Tire, battery and alignment services (not including large trucks);(86)Tobacco shops;(87)Travel bureaus;(88)Upholstery shops;(89)Variety stores.
Secondhand Dealers
Ridgecrest requires anyone who buys, sells, or deals in scrap metal, old bottles, rags, or other used goods to hold a city business license under the Junk Dealer classification.
Ridgecrest Junk Dealer Business License
Some RestrictionsRidgecrest City Code §§ 9-179, 9-205(g)(7)
Junk dealer means any person who engages in the business of buying, selling, or otherwise dealing in or acquiring, old bottles, scraps, pieces of metal, rags, old rope, or any old or used article not to be used in its former state or condition. ... Classification "G" shall consist of: ... (7) Junk dealer as defined in section 9-179.
Auto Repair on Residential Property
Ridgecrest's home occupation permit rules flatly prohibit auto, motorcycle, and engine repair, body work, and painting from being run out of a house in any residential zone.
Ridgecrest Bans Home-Based Auto Repair
Heavy RestrictionsRidgecrest City Code § 106-31(a)(9)d
Home occupation permits shall not be issued for the following businesses or for the following vocations:a.Reserved.b.Reserved.c.Any vocation or business involving machinery which cannot be stored or operated in the room allowed for use of the home occupation or concealed in the vehicle of not over one-ton capacity;d.Automotive, vehicular, or motorcycle repair or engine repair, body and fender r...
Looking for Kern County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Ridgecrest city rules.
Business Licensing & Operations in Kern County →