Business Certificates

The City of Solana Beach welcomes you and your business. Our small town atmosphere encourages close and lasting relationships between companies and the community they serve, while the nearby large city life brings a constant flow of new customers to your door.

Business Certificates

All businesses with a home address, business address or conducting business in Solana Beach are required to obtain a business certificate issued by the City of Solana Beach. You can complete a business certificate application form online; however, all applications must be delivered to the City, as applications are not accepted via the Internet.

• Business Certificate Application 
• Business Certificate Renewal Application 2025
• Form A - Home Occupation or Kiosk
• Form B - Annual Fire Inspection Fee Form
• Business Certificate Closing Form

Please complete and return with application fee to: City of Solana Beach, 635 S. HWY 101, Solana Beach, CA 92075. For more information, please contact our Finance Dept. at (858) 720-2460.

Some types of business require additional regulatory permits and licenses to operate in Solana Beach. Visit our Code Compliance page for details.

Online Business Certificate Applications

Exciting news! The City has officially rolled out online Business Certificate Applications through eTrakit! 

Please note: there is a 2.95% fee for credit/debit card payments.

1. You will need to create a public account in order to access your records and make payments. Here is the link to create an account: https://solab-trk.aspgov.com/eTRAKiT/publicUserAccount.aspx?action=npa
2. After creating an account and logging in – select “Apply for New Licenses” under Business Certificates on the left side of the page.
3. Application Step 1
   1. Select “A New Business Application” in the Type drop down
   2. Select the Subtype for your Business
      1. Outside City (Business is located outside City limits)
      2. Inside City
      3. Home Occupation (Inside City only)
   3. Answer additional required questions about your business & your relationship to business
   4. Review the forms under the attachments and please upload all necessary completed forms before continuing to next step
4. Application Step 2
   1. Search for business address
      1. If it doesn’t come up when searching – select not listed and type in address
   2. Enter Business Name, email, phone number
   3. Enter Mailing Address
   4. Enter Business Owner Information
   5. Enter any additional contact information, if applicable
5. Application Step 3
   1. Review all information listed for accuracy and edit if necessary
   2. Ensure all required attachments are uploaded
   3. Review calculated fees – if amount shown is different than expected, please contact us
6. Application Step 4
   1. Checkout summary – last chance to review amount due before paying
   2. Click Pay Now
7. This will take you to Paymentus to complete the payment information

City Staff will review the payment information and attachments when received. Based on the subtype, it will go through the necessary review and approval processes. If a fire inspection is a required, someone will reach out to schedule. Once complete and fully processed, your business certificate will be emailed to you.

City Business Associations

• Solana Beach Chamber of Commerce
• Cedros Design District/Cedros Property Owners Association