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El Dorado County, CA Local Taxes & Fees: Business Tax Classification (2026)

Some Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified August 2026

Key Facts

Standard license fee
$61 per business
Door-to-door fee
$76
High-risk category fee
$186 (pawnbrokers, fortunetellers, etc.)
Duplicate license fee
$10
Late renewal penalty
$25 per license
Unlicensed operation
Misdemeanor, daily separate offense

Summary

El Dorado County classifies business license fees by activity type rather than gross receipts: a flat $61 covers most businesses, door-to-door sellers pay $76, and fortunetellers, carnivals, secondhand dealers and pawnbrokers pay $186, under Section 5.04.030 of the County Business License Ordinance.

These county ordinances apply to unincorporated areas of El Dorado County. Incorporated cities within the county may have their own rules that take precedence over county-level regulations.

The Treasurer-Tax Collector will hereafter collect the following business license fees: 1. All businesses, except for those listed below $61.00. 2. Door-to-door soliciting and selling (itinerant businesses) $76.00. 3. Fortunetelling, carnivals, secondhand dealers and pawnbrokers $186.00. 4. Duplicate business license, Fee, per license, to produce a duplicate business license $10.00. 5. Business license renewal late fee, Per license, for late renewal $25.00. The authority for the fees established herein is found in the California Business and Professions Code Sections 16100 and 16101 and Government Code Sections 66016 and 66018.

View official code

Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 13 Update 4).

Full Breakdown

020). 030 sets five fee tiers: $61 for all businesses not listed elsewhere, $76 for door-to-door soliciting and itinerant selling, $186 for fortunetelling, carnivals, secondhand dealers and pawnbrokers, $10 for a duplicate license, and a $25 late-renewal penalty per license. 040). 14 layers a special business license on top of the base fee for enterprises the Board has flagged as needing extra investigation. 140. 150).

Violations & Fines

Operating a business in unincorporated El Dorado County without a valid, unexpired county business license, or violating any Title 5 licensing provision, is a misdemeanor punishable under the general penalty provisions of Chapter 1.24, and each day of unlicensed operation counts as a separate offense (Section 5.36.040). The unpaid license fee also becomes a civil debt the Tax Collector or District Attorney can sue to collect, whether or not the business was ever licensed (Section 5.36.030).

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a business license cost in unincorporated El Dorado County?
Most businesses pay a flat $61 annual fee under Section 5.04.030 of the County Business License Ordinance. Door-to-door and itinerant sellers pay $76, while fortunetelling operations, carnivals, secondhand dealers and pawnbrokers pay $186 because the Board classifies them as needing extra oversight. A duplicate license costs $10, and renewing late adds a $25 penalty per license.
Is the county business license a tax on gross receipts?
No. Section 5.04.020 states the ordinance is adopted under the County's police power authority in Business and Professions Code Section 16100 to regulate lawful businesses, not to raise general tax revenue based on receipts. The fee schedule in Section 5.04.030 is a flat amount tied to the type of business, not its sales volume.
What happens if I operate without a business license?
It is a misdemeanor under Section 5.36.040, and each day the business operates without the required license is treated as a separate offense. The Tax Collector or District Attorney can also sue in civil court to collect the unpaid fee as a debt owed to the County, whether or not the business was ever licensed.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in El Dorado County

Fence Regulations: Height LimitsSome RestrictionsNoise Ordinances: Decibel LimitsSome RestrictionsParking Rules: EV ChargingSome RestrictionsFence Regulations: Fence Permit RequirementsSome RestrictionsFence Regulations: Material RestrictionsSignificant RestrictionsFence Regulations: Retaining WallsSome Restrictions

All El Dorado County rules

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