A Santa Monica business license is required for anyone doing business in the city. It costs $75 plus a percentage of gross receipts over $60,000, and it renews every July 1 with a grace period to August 31. Culver City, West Hollywood, and Beverly Hills each run their own version, on their own calendar. If you work in more than one of them, you probably need more than one certificate.
This guide is for owners who operate on the Westside: a shop or office in one city, clients or job sites in the others. You will learn who each city requires to register, what each tax is based on, and when each one renews. Then we show how to keep the books so all four renewals take an hour instead of a weekend. We prepare these renewals for Los Angeles clients every year at Books LA, and the mistakes below are the ones we fix most.
The four Westside cities compared
All four cities tax gross receipts, not profit. All four require a certificate before or shortly after you start doing business there. The details differ in ways that matter. We checked the figures below against each city’s own pages in September 2026. The exact rate for your business type comes from the city’s schedule, which each site links.
| City | Who must register | Tax basis | License year and renewal | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Monica | Every person or entity engaging in business in the city, taxable or not | $75 plus a percentage of calendar-year gross receipts above $60,000, rate by classification | July 1 to June 30; due July 1, no penalty through August 31 | Small business exemption under $103,000 worldwide receipts; the license and fees still apply |
| Culver City | All businesses operating in the city, wherever the main office is; within 30 days of starting | Gross receipts, rate by business activity per the municipal code | Calendar year; notice mailed early December; delinquent after the last day of February | Late penalty 20 percent per month, up to 100 percent |
| West Hollywood | Businesses operating in the city; certificate required before operating | Prior calendar-year gross receipts, rate by classification (professional services $1.44 per $1,000, per the city’s FAQ) | Certificates expire February 1; renew and pay by May 1 | Tax for the May 1, 2026 renewal is on 2025 receipts |
| Beverly Hills | Any entity doing business in the city, whether or not the location is inside city limits; within 30 days of starting | Gross receipts for most classifications, per the city’s schedule of taxes, fees and charges | Registrations expire December 31, per the municipal code | Some classifications tax receipts above $60,000; check the schedule |
Where these figures come from
Sources: the Santa Monica renewal page, the Culver City business license page, the West Hollywood business tax page, and the Beverly Hills business tax page. The City of Los Angeles is a fifth calendar for many Westside businesses. Our Los Angeles business tax guide covers it, including the $100,000 small business exemption and the March 2, 2026 renewal deadline.
Santa Monica business license: what the city actually charges
Santa Monica’s structure is the easiest to explain. The tax is $75 plus a percentage of your calendar-year gross receipts above $60,000. The percentage depends on your classification, and the city publishes a tax calculator for it. Two details trip people up.
- The exemption is not a pass on the license. Businesses under $103,000 in worldwide gross receipts can qualify for the small business exemption. However, the license itself is still required and the fees are still due. Renew after August 31 and the exemption is lost.
- The city can audit your books. The municipal code lets the Finance Department examine the records of anyone doing business in the city. Gross receipts on the renewal should match the books, and the city can ask you to prove it.
The license year runs July 1 to June 30, so a Santa Monica business license renews on a different calendar from every other city on this list. Our Santa Monica bookkeeping guide covers the rest of the local calendar.
Culver City, West Hollywood, and Beverly Hills: the differences that matter
Culver City and Beverly Hills both run on the calendar year. Both give you 30 days from starting business to register. Culver City mails renewal notices in early December, and the tax is delinquent after the last day of February. So Culver City’s deadline lines up with the City of Los Angeles, which helps if you operate in both. The penalty does not help: 20 percent per month, up to 100 percent of the tax.
West Hollywood is the odd one out. Certificates expire February 1, but the city gives until May 1 to renew and pay, on the prior year’s receipts. Professional services pay $1.44 per $1,000 of gross receipts, per the city’s FAQ. Other business types have their own rates. Beverly Hills registrations expire December 31. Most business types there are taxed on gross receipts per the city’s fee schedule, some only above $60,000. Confirm your business type with the city, because that one choice sets the rate.
The multi-city trap for mobile and service businesses
Every one of these cities requires a certificate from businesses that operate inside its limits, wherever the office is. Culver City says so directly: “no matter where their main office may be located.” Beverly Hills says “whether or not the physical location is within city limits.” Think of a contractor based in Culver City with a job in Beverly Hills. Or a caterer in Santa Monica serving events in West Hollywood. Or a consultant who visits client offices in three cities. Each of them is doing business in more than one city.
The practical rules we give clients:
- Register where you regularly work, not only where you sit. A one-time delivery is a judgment call; a recurring client site is not.
- Apportion, do not double-count. Santa Monica publishes a method for splitting receipts earned inside and outside the city. Report the receipts earned in each city, and keep the worksheet.
- Keep the certificates with the books. Every city can ask for the certificate at a job site or during an audit. Attach each one to the fee payment in QuickBooks Online or Xero, so it is one click away.
How to keep the books so renewals take an hour
Four renewals on four calendars is manageable. The books just need to answer the one question each city asks: what were your gross receipts, and how much was earned here?
- Track receipts by city. Use a class in QuickBooks Online or a tracking category in Xero, set on every invoice. At renewal, one report gives each city its number.
- Define gross receipts the way the city does. Each city publishes a definition. Sales tax collected, for example, is generally not gross receipts. Match the report to the definition before you file.
- Code license taxes as taxes, not as fees. Business license tax belongs in a taxes and licenses account, apart from bank fees and software. It matters for the P&L, and for the next renewal when someone asks what you paid last year.
- Put the four dates on one calendar. Culver City and Los Angeles at the end of February, West Hollywood May 1, Santa Monica August 31 at the latest, Beverly Hills December 31. Our California sales tax guide covers the CDTFA dates that sit between them.
How Books LA handles this
We track gross receipts by city for every client who works across the Westside. We tie the number to the filed sales tax returns, then prepare each renewal from the books rather than from memory. When a city audits, the worksheet is already there. Our monthly packages include local tax support at the levels that need it.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a Santa Monica business license if my office is in Los Angeles?
If you regularly do business inside Santa Monica, yes. The city requires every person or entity engaging in business there to obtain a license, taxable or not. Receipts earned in Santa Monica go on the Santa Monica renewal. The rest stay with your home city.
How much is a Santa Monica business license?
The tax is $75 plus a percentage of calendar-year gross receipts above $60,000. The percentage depends on your business type. Regulatory fees may apply to specific activities. The city’s online calculator gives an estimate once you know your business type and receipts.
When is the Santa Monica business license renewal due?
July 1 each year, for the license year running July 1 to June 30. The municipal code allows a 60-day grace period, so the last day to renew without penalty is August 31. Renewing after that also forfeits the small business exemption.
Is the Santa Monica small business exemption automatic?
No. Businesses under $103,000 in worldwide gross receipts can claim it on a timely renewal, but the license and associated fees are still required. Miss the August 31 deadline and the city charges the full tax plus late penalties.
When does Culver City business tax become delinquent?
After the last day of February. The certificate covers the calendar year and renewal notices go out in early December. Late payment carries a penalty of 20 percent per month, up to 100 percent of the tax due.
When is the West Hollywood business tax certificate due?
Certificates expire February 1, and the city’s last day to renew and pay on time is May 1. The tax for the May 1, 2026 renewal is based on 2025 calendar-year receipts. Rates vary by business type. The city’s FAQ lists professional services at $1.44 per $1,000.
Does Beverly Hills require a business license for out-of-town contractors?
Yes. Any entity doing business in Beverly Hills must get a Business Tax Registration Certificate before or within 30 days of starting. It does not matter whether the location is inside the city. Contractors have their own registration procedure in the municipal code.
Can I pay one license and cover all four cities?
No. Each city issues its own certificate and collects its own tax on the receipts earned there. Report to each city only the receipts earned inside it, and keep the worksheet that shows the split.
If your business works across more than one Westside city and the renewals have become a guessing game, book a short call and we will map your receipts to each city with you.
This post is general information, checked against each city’s published pages in September 2026. Rates, business types, and deadlines change, so confirm yours with the city before filing. Books LA provides bookkeeping and local tax support and does not advise on income tax.
