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Business Licensing & Operations in Salinas, CA (2026)

8 verified business licensing & operations rules for Salinas, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.

Verified from official government sources

Adult Entertainment

Salinas bans adult entertainment facilities within two thousand feet of another such facility and within one thousand to two hundred fifty feet of schools, the downtown core, churches, parks, and residential districts, and requires a conditional use permit under Sec. 37-50.020 before one can open.

Salinas Adult Entertainment Facility Spacing Rules

Significant Restrictions

Salinas, CA, Municipal Code Sec. 37-50.020(c) (Adult entertainment facilities, Location)

(c)Location of Adult Entertainment Facilities.(1)No person shall own or operate any adult entertainment facility if that facility is located:(A)Within two thousand feet of any other adult entertainment facility;(B)Within one thousand feet of any pre-existing public or private school attended primarily by minors under eighteen years of age;(C)Within one thousand feet of any pre-existing parcel i...

Massage Establishments

Operating a massage establishment in Salinas requires both a city business license and a police department permit, and every therapist must hold a CAMTC certificate. Businesses may open only between 7:00 a.m. and 12:00 midnight, and the police chief can suspend or revoke a permit for any code or state law violation.

Salinas Massage Establishment Licensing Rules

Significant Restrictions

Salinas, CA, Municipal Code Sec. 5-04.04 (Business License Required); Sec. 5-04.05 (Permit Required); Sec. 5-04.11(b) (Operating Hours)

It shall be unlawful for any person, association, partnership or corporation to operate a massage establishment without a business license issued by the city... It shall be unlawful for any person to engage in or conduct a massage establishment in the city for compensation or to practice as a massage practitioner in the city for compensation without having first obtained a permit to conduct suc...

Tattoo & Body Modification

Salinas zoning confines tattoo and body-piercing parlors to the Commercial Retail (CR) district, and only with a discretionary Conditional Use Permit from the Planning Commission. The use is marked Not Permitted in the Commercial Office/Residential, Commercial Office, and Commercial Thoroughfare districts under Table 37-30.90 of the Zoning Code.

Salinas Tattoo & Body Piercing Parlor Zoning

Significant Restrictions

Salinas, CA, Municipal Code Sec. 37-10.440 ("T" Definitions); Table 37-30.90 (Sec. 37-30.200, Commercial Districts Use Classifications)

Tattoo and/or Body Piercing Parlor. An establishment whose principal business activity is the practice of placing of designs, letters, figures, symbols, or other marks upon or under the skin of any person, using ink or other substance that results in the permanent coloration of the skin by means of the use of needles or other instruments designed to contact or puncture the skin. Also includes a...

Tobacco Retail License

Salinas requires every tobacco retailer, including vape and e-cigarette shops, to hold a tobacco retailer's license before selling tobacco products. Municipal Code Sec. 16-119.1 adopts Monterey County Code Chapter 7.80 by reference, substituting "Salinas Police Officer" for county law enforcement and "City Attorney" for the district attorney throughout the enforcement provisions.

Salinas Tobacco Retailer License Requirement

Significant Restrictions

Salinas, CA, Municipal Code Sec. 16-119.1

Monterey County Code Chapter 7.80 entitled Tobacco Retailer License, pertaining to tobacco retailer permits, is hereby adopted by the City of Salinas and incorporated by reference into this Code and shall be enforced within the limits of the city.(b)For purposes of the City of Salinas the following shall apply to the incorporation of the Monterey County ordinance into the Salinas Municipal Code...

Secondhand Dealers

Salinas requires anyone buying or selling old rope, iron, brass, copper, rags, bottles, paper, or other junk, whether from a fixed shop or as an itinerant peddler, to apply to the city council for permission under Municipal Code Sec. 23-17. The police chief investigates the applicant's character, dealers must log every purchase, hold goods five days before resale, and wear a metal license badge.

Salinas Junk Dealer & Secondhand Peddler Permits

Significant Restrictions

Salinas, CA, Municipal Code Sec. 23-17 (Permit—Required)

Before any person shall engage in the business of buying or selling old rope, iron, brass, copper, tin, lead, rags, slush, empty bottles, paper, bagging or other junk, whether at a fixed place of business or as an itinerant peddler, he shall make an application to the council for permission to engage in such business.

Pawnbrokers

Salinas no longer runs a dedicated pawnbroker permitting scheme, Chapter 23's regulatory article was repealed by Ordinance No. 2299, but every pawnbroker in the city still must hold a business license and pay a flat $500-a-year license tax under Chapter 19.

Salinas Pawnbroker Business License Tax

Some Restrictions

Salinas, CA, Municipal Code Sec. 19-35 (Miscellaneous businesses enumerated); Ch. 23, Art. I (Repealed by Ord. No. 2299 (NCS))

Every person conducting, carrying on or managing a business listed below shall pay the license tax specified: ... Pawnbroker $500 per annum ... (Sec. 19-35). CHAPTER 23. - PAWNBROKERS, SECONDHAND JEWELRY DEALERS AND JUNK DEALERS. Article I. - Repealed by Ordinance No. 2299 (NCS). Article II. - Junk Dealers.

Auto Repair on Residential Property

Salinas flatly bans vehicle repair as a home occupation. Municipal Code Sec. 37-50.100(e)(1)(H) lists on-site vehicle repair alongside barbershops, food preparation, and animal boarding as businesses that may never operate under a home occupation permit, and the same section also bars storing prohibited vehicles or equipment at the site.

Salinas Bars Home-Based Vehicle Repair

Heavy Restrictions

Salinas, CA, Municipal Code Sec. 37-50.100(e)(1)(G), (H)

(G)No prohibited vehicles or equipment as defined in Section 37-50.190: Recreational vehicles, prohibited vehicles, and equipment parking and storage may be parked or stored at the site in conjunction with the home occupation.(H)No on-site vehicle repair, beauty or barbershop, food preparation, or boarding or training of animals shall be permitted.

Towing Companies

Salinas won't let a tow company respond to police-ordered impounds without first winning one of the city's nonexclusive towing franchises under Article XV of Chapter 20. Operators must submit a sworn proposal, survive a public council hearing, carry council-set liability insurance, and pay an annual franchise fee due every July 1.

Salinas Police Tow Franchise Requirement

Significant Restrictions

Salinas, CA, Municipal Code Sec. 20-177 (Article XV, Franchises for Police Towing)

Sec. 20-177. - Activities that are unlawful unless authorized—Activities not covered. Except as specified in this article, it is unlawful for any person to solicit or perform the business of police towing in the city unless: (a)A franchise therefore has first been granted pursuant to the provisions of this article and such franchise is in full force and effect; and(b)A written franchise agreeme...

Looking for Monterey County county-wide rules?

County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Salinas city rules.

Business Licensing & Operations in Monterey County