Welcome to La Cañada Flintridge! Doing business here makes community life so unique. To have a thriving business in La Cañada Flintridge means becoming involved in your community. With more than 350 businesses in our main business corridor, and over 400 home-based businesses, LCF merchants are decision-makers at the forefront of issues affecting community life.
Because most of our community businesses fall under the SBA classification of small businesses (those with 250 employees or less), joining our business community is not complex. Our City’s permitting process is quick and easy. Although zoning laws do not allow industrial uses or heavy manufacturing, a variety of retail and commercial uses are permitted.
Your Chamber’s Business Support and Development Committee (BSDC), serves as the voice of business by maintaining active communications with City government. We work with neighboring chambers and other regional planning groups to ensure ongoing prosperity throughout our geographic region. We serve as the liaison with dozens of action groups, committees, and ad-hoc groups to monitor local, state, and federal events and legislation that affects business here. And of course, we are constantly working with our local government leaders to enhance and improve our business environment.
For specific information on how to start a business in LCF, call the La Cañada Flintridge City Hall at (818) 790-8880. Additionally, the City of LCF website provides new accessibility to a variety of community and business information. To discuss our business environment in general, please call the Chamber’s office at (818)790-4289, or email us.
Business Licenses
Anyone conducting business within the City of La Cañada Flintridge must have a business license. Business Licenses are issued at City Hall.
Fictitious Business Name
You need to apply for a Fictitious Business Name Statement, or DBA (Doing Business As), in order to set up your company’s checking account. This must be applied for and filed in the county in which you are doing business, ie: Los Angeles County. Fictitious Name statements must be renewed every 5 years. The filing fees are: [$26 for 1 FBN and 1 registrant plus $5.00 for each additional FBN/registrant.]
You may obtain your DBA by applying in person at the Registrars Office-Recorder/County Clerk, Business Filing and Registration. Mailing address: P.O. Box 1208, Norwalk, CA 90651, Phone: (562) 462-2077. The Registrar’s offices are located at: 12400 Imperial Hwy in the city of Norwalk, or online here.
The La Cañada Valley Sun Newspaper is one of many publications that can publish your DBA once a file number has been issued by the County Recorder.
SCORE
SCORE, the Service Corps of Retired Executives, offers a monthly series of inexpensive workshops designed to help new business owners and operators conduct their business successfully. Staffed by volunteers, all of whom have had successful careers as owners or executives in a wide variety of businesses, SCORE also offers FREE one-on-one counseling at its Glendale headquarters.
Services include New Business, Getting Financing, Business Plan, Do-it-yourself Marketing, Starting a Retail Business, Advertising for Small Business, Secrets To Using The Web Effectively, and many more.
Contact SCORE at (818) 552-3206 or visit their website to learn more.