Renew a business license

If you operate a business in the City of Piedmont, you need to renew your business license every year. If you don’t have one yet, you can apply for a business license. If you had one in the past, but it hasn’t been kept current, you should renew instead of applying for a new one.

If your business is located outside of the City of Piedmont and you are not currently doing business in Piedmont, you do not need to renew and can let your license expire. If you do business in Piedmont again, you can renew at that time.

If your business is a rental property, you need to pay an annual rental tax.

Need to know

  • Your license is valid for 1-year from the issue date. Your renewal is due on the anniversary of your issue date.
  • Cost of renewal is based on your gross receipts.
  • If you don’t renew your business license, you may be subject to fines.

Before you start

To renew, you’ll need:

  • SIC code
  • A Tax Identification number (BOE number, SEIN, FEIN, or your social security number)
  • Workers Compensation Insurance policy (if applicable)
  • Proof of your annual gross receipts for work in the city of Piedmont, such as a Schedule C

Proof of gross receipts

All businesses, regardless of the amount of annual gross receipts, need to show proof. The most common way to do so is to include a copy of the schedule C from your last tax return.

How to calculate what you owe

Your renewal tax is based on your annual gross receipts for all income generated in Piedmont.

If you are a home-based or commercial business based in Piedmont, this is likely all of your gross receipts. If you are a business that’s not based in Piedmont, this is only the gross receipts from the work you performed in Piedmont.

If your annual gross receipts exceed $50,000

Multiply the last 12 months of your gross receipts by .002. For example: $56,000 x .002 = $112 renewal cost.

If your gross receipts are less than $50,000

For most businesses, your renewal tax is $100.

If you are a contractor with gross receipts less than $25,000, you can renew for:

  • 3-months for $50
  • 12-months for $100

Your renewal tax is $50 if you are a:

  • Gardener, chimney sweep, pest control, craft/art with gross receipts less than $5,000
  • Interior designer with a seller’s permit and gross receipts less than $3,000

Film and auctions

  • Film is $500 per day
  • Auctions are $200 per day

Steps

  1. Download the business license application form.
  2. Check the box for Renewal in the top right corner. Complete the required fields outlined in red, plus the section called Renewal License Rates. It’s important to include your email address so we can easily contact you. Sign the form.
  3. Submit the following documents to the City Clerk’s office:
    • Completed and signed application form
    • Proof of annual gross receipts
    • Proof of worker’s compensation insurance (if applicable)
    You can submit by mail or drop it off in-person.
    City Clerk
    City of Piedmont
    120 Vista Avenue
    Piedmont, CA 94611
  4. Pay fees by cash, check, or credit card. If you want to pay by credit card, indicate that on your application. We will email you an invoice. Credit card payments are subject to a processing fee of 2.9% plus a $0.30 charge for each transaction.

What’s next

After you pay, your business license renewal certificate will be emailed to you.

You need to keep your business license current while you are doing work in Piedmont. If you are a home based or a commercial business, this means renewing your license every year on the anniversary of your issue date.

If you are a contractor or another business that’s not based in Piedmont, you need your license to be current while you are doing business in Piedmont. If you let it expire, but do business again in Piedmont, you can renew at that time.

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