Starting Your Business In Vacaville Handbook

8/9/2019 Starting Your Business In Vacaville Handbook

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VAC AVILLE

STARTING YOUR BUSINESS IN

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STARTING YOUR BUSINESS IN VACAVILLE

This guide is designed to help you navigatethe many rules, regulaons, permingprocesses and other steps on your way to

opening your business in the City ofVacaville. We hope you nd this informaonhelpful, informave, and worth sharing with

other budding entrepreneurs!

Good luck, and we welcome your businessto the City!

Geng Started

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YOU HAD A GREAT IDEA for a new product orservice. You built a prototype; got cered;maybe you even quit your day job. You testedit out on friends, relaves, and coworkers.

Everybody loved your ideain fact, they evensuggested you go into business and start

prong from your product or service.

You

took a deep breath, conjured up all your

courage and decided to become your ownboss.

Now what?


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Contents

STEP 1:Make a Business Plan

STEP 2:Choose a Structure

STEP 3:Zoning and Building Resources

STEP 4:Naming Your BusinessSTEP 5:Taxes

STEP 6:City Licenses

STEP 7:Permits and Inspecons

STEP 8: Other Licenses and Permits

STEP 9:If You Have Employees

STEP 10:Other Resources

STEP 11:Get Involved!

Notes

Why Vacaville? 6

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Why Vacaville?Theres just something about Vacaville thatsets it apart for those who call it home. Maybe

its sing down for your favorite meal at oneof the citys local landmark restaurants.Maybe its watching the Fiesta Days Paradekick o the summer on Merchant Street every

May, or enjoying the bright lights of CandyCane Lane on a Holiday evening stroll. Or, justmaybe, its taking pride in the fact that the

teachers, police ocers, and city workers whokeep the city going strong are some of thesame folks who you have over for company on

the weekends.

You can feel Vacavilles unique charm

everywhere you goits in the people thatmake up this wonderful town. And asappealing a place it is to live, its an equally

appealing desnaon to start up or relocatea business. As you are about to discover,Vacavilles desirable locaon and its availability

of retail, oce and industrial space make itamong the most eligible Northern Californiacies to do business.


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Welcome

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OUR LOCATION

JUST AN HOURS DRIVEfrom San Franciscoand a 40-minute trip from our states capital,

Vacaville is the home base of countless Bay Area

and Sacramento workers. Because of Vacavilles

locaon on the I-80 corridor, over 75 million people

travel through our City each yearthats 75 million

people who need to shop, eat, and avail themselves

of services being oered here.

Sing in the heart of Northern California, Vacaville is

a convenient half-hour drive from the vineyards of Napa Valley,

45 minutes from the nearest beaches and just 2 hours from

Reno, Lake Tahoe and the Sierra Nevada slopes. Interstate 505,

which begins in Vacaville, oers a direct route north toward

Redding, Mt. Shasta and the Pacic Northwest. Vacaville is

also within a short commute of top-notch higher educaon:

UC Davis is just 15 miles away, and UC Berkeley and

Sacramento State are each within 45 miles.

WHY VACAVILLE?

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SMALL TOWN, BIG BUSINESS

VACAVILLES HISTORIC DOWNTOWN, safe neighborhoods

and strong sense of community contribute to a small-townatmosphere that residents love, while its rapidly growing

industrial park and naonally-famous retail sector make it an

enviable locaon to start or expand a business. Vacaville is also

more aordable than both the Bay Area and the Sacramento

Valley when it comes to seling down or seng up shop.

The Vacaville Premium Outlets and the Nut Tree Shopping

Center are the Citys famous retail desnaons, each day

bringing visitors from around the state, around the country and

around the world.

STARTING YOUR BUSINESS IN VACAVILLEWHY VACAVILLE?

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Major pharmaceucal companies Genentech and Alza

Corporaon each operate large-scale manufacturing facilies inthe north of Vacaville, each providing of jobs to City residents.

ICON Aircra, developer of high-end consumer sport planes,

manufactures its vehicles in its new Vacaville headquarters.

Numerous new housing developments facilitate the connued

expansion of employment opportunies in the Cityfor as fastas Vacavilles business sector is growing, there remains ample

development-ready space available for purchase or lease.


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STEP 1: Make aBusiness Plan

A BUSINESS PLAN IS the rst step to starng a successfulbusiness. This plan will help you evaluate your idea,esmate costs, and determine the strengths and

weaknesses of your proposal. A business plan is usually

required to apply for a commercial loan and it will

establish a road map to your business future.

Contact the following local resources for valuable

informaon and assistance in formulang your business

plan.

HELPFUL HINT: GET HELP!

SBDCoers seminars and free one-on-one counseling onall aspects of small business management, including busi-

ness plans, accounng systems, and nancing.

At SCORE, rered business professionals volunteer to pro-vide free counseling to individuals starng

small businesses.

TheVacaville Chamber of Commerce ConsultaonProgramprovides 15 minutes of free consultaon fromChamber members on a variety of topics ranging from

business law to nance.

WHO TO CONTACT

Solano College Small BusinessDevelopment Center (SBDC)

360 Campus Lane #102

Faireld, CA 94534www.solanosbdc.org

(707) 864-3382

Service Corps of ReredExecuves (SCORE)

492 9th St., Suite 350Oakland, CA 94607

www.eastbayscore.org

(510) 273-6015

Vacaville Chamber of Commerce

300 Main St.Vacaville, CA 94534

www.vacavillechamber.com(707) 448-6424

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STEP 2: Choosea Structure

IT IS IMPORTANTto determine the structure ofyour business for operang and business reporng

purposes. Will you operate your business as a sole

proprietor, partnership, limited liability company (LLC),

or corporaon? Each business structure has certain

advantages and disadvantages in terms of costs, taxaon,

and liability. With respect to formaon, each structure

has dierent requirements.

If you are starng a limited liability company or

corporaon, you will want to contact the California

Secretary of States Oce. Online, you will nd

addional informaon and forms needed for formaon.

You may also want to consult an aorney or tax

accountant for more guidance.

Sole Proprietorship:No formaon document isrequired to be led with the California Secretary of State.

A cous business name statement may be required to

be led in Solano County.

Partnership:No formaon document is required to beled with the California Secretary of State. A cous

business name statement is required to be led in Solano

County.

Limited Liability Company:Arcles of Organizaon

must be led with the California Secretary of State. No

cous business name statement is required unless the

LLC does business under a dierent name.

Corporaon:Arcles of Incorporaon must be ledwith the California Secretary of State. No cous

business name statement is required unless the

Corporaon does business under a dierent name.

WHO TO CONTACT

California Secretary of State

1500 11th StreetSacramento, CA 95814

www.sos.ca.gov/business(916) 657-5448

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BEFORE SIGNINGa building/property lease or purchaseagreement, contact the City of Vacavilles Community

Development Department to determine the zoning of

the site. If Community Development determines the

use is allowed, then check with the Building Division

at (707) 449-5152 to see if a Cercate of Occupancy

is required. Also, you will want to ask Community

Development sta about any sewer impacts fees that

may be required for your space. If you are planning toremove ooring or tear down walls or ceilings you need

to contact the Yolo Solano Air Quality District at

(530) 757-3650 to see what they require.

Not all spaces are suitable for certain types of business

uses. City zoning and building codes exist to protect

you and your neighbors from incompable uses. For

example, it may not be safe for a childcare center to be

located next door to a chemical manufacturing plant,

and zoning and building code restricons help avoid this

potenal hazard. Community Development sta will also

inform you of any reviews, permits, or fees that may be

necessary for your proposed locaon. Certain kinds of

businesses may require a use permit and a public hearing

in order to comply with the Citys zoning regulaons. All

permit fees are separate and in addion to the businesslicense fee.

STEP 3: Zoning and BuildingResources

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Zoned for what you want to do?New businessesneed to check zoning at the Permit Center, open

Monday through Friday at City Hall, 650 Merchant St.

before lling out a business license form, purchasing

property or signing lease agreements.

Want to modify the space before opening your

business?The Building Division has a program that

allows for a one stop/same day Tenant Improvement or

Alteraon Permit issuance. For most businesses, every

Tuesday from 10 a.m.-noon and 2-3:30 p.m. at the

Building Division Counter at 650 Merchant St., you or

your contractor can obtain a permit for your proposed

work. If you dont come in on Tuesday, the normalprocessing me is a minimum of 30 days.

BEFORE SIGNING A LEASE:

CHECK AND CLEAR ZONINGAND BUILDING REGULATIONS!


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STEP 4: Naming YourBusiness

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IF YOU CREATE A NAMEfor your business that is dierentthan your/its legal name, you need to register the

Ficous Business Name with Solano County Clerks

Oce. This step needs to be completed before obtaining

a business license from the City of Vacaville. Also, public

noces announcing your new business name must

be posted for four weeks in the local newspaper to

complete the registraon process.

HELPFUL HINT: DECIDING

YOUR NEW BUSINESS NAME

To make sure your cous business name doesntconict with other businesses, you can see if it is

already in use within Solano County by checking theFicous Business Name Database at hp://

www.solanocounty.com/depts/cc/county_clerk/n/searchcname.asp.

To make sure your corporate or limited liability nameis available, you may contact the Secretary of States

oce to determine if it is already in use. If it is not, youmay reserve the name for a period of 60 days.

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Solano County Clerk

675 Texas St., Suite 1900Faireld, CA 94533

www.solanocounty.com/depts/cc/county_clerk/info.asp

(707) 784-7510

Vacaville Reporter

916 Cong LaneVacaville, CA 95688

www.thereporter.com(707) 448-6401

WHO TO CONTACT
http://www.solanocounty.com/depts/ttcc/county_clerk/fbn/searchficname.asphttp://www.solanocounty.com/depts/ttcc/county_clerk/fbn/searchficname.asphttp://www.solanocounty.com/depts/ttcc/county_clerk/fbn/searchficname.asphttp://www.solanocounty.com/depts/ttcc/county_clerk/info.asphttp://www.solanocounty.com/depts/ttcc/county_clerk/info.asphttp://www.solanocounty.com/depts/ttcc/county_clerk/fbn/searchficname.asphttp://www.solanocounty.com/depts/ttcc/county_clerk/fbn/searchficname.asphttp://www.solanocounty.com/depts/ttcc/county_clerk/fbn/searchficname.asphttp://www.solanocounty.com/depts/ttcc/county_clerk/info.asphttp://www.solanocounty.com/depts/ttcc/county_clerk/info.asp


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STEP 5: Taxes

ALL BUSINESSES ARE REQUIREDto le both state andfederal tax returns. All small businesses need a Taxpayer

Idencaon Number (TIN), even if they do not have

employees. A TINis an idencaon number used by the

Internal Revenue Service in the administraon of tax laws.

It is issued either by the Social Security Administraon or

the IRS. Taxpayer Idencaon Numbers include Social

Security Numbers and Employer Idencaon Numbers.

Contact the California Franchise Tax Board and the

Internal Revenue Service to learn more about specic

requirements.

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WHO TO CONTACT

Internal Revenue Service

1301 Clay St.Oakland, CA 94612

www.irs.gov(209) 548-7388

California Franchise Tax Board

3321 Power Inn Road, Suite 250Sacramento, CA 95862

www.b.ca.gov1 (800) 883-5910

State Board of Equalizaon2480 Hilborn Road, Suite 200

Faireld, CA 94534www.boe.ca.gov

1 (800) 400-7115

Social Security Administraon

700 Main St.Suisun City, CA 94585www.ssa.gov/employer

(866) 964-5021

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Whether self-employed or an employer with one or more

employees, you must also pay Social Security taxes.

Will you sell a product? The California Board of

Equalizaon will help you determine whether you need a

Sellers Permit; you may also be required to collect sales

tax. To do so, the Board of Equalizaon will issue a resale

number in order to report the sales tax.


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STEP 6: City Licenses

ALL INDIVIDUALS, partnerships, corporaons and soleproprietors conducng business in the City of Vacaville

are required to have a business license. This includes

persons dealing with residenal and commercial real

estate rentals or who operate home-based businesses

within the City.

Licenses expire on April 30. Fees for new licenses are

prorated from June to April. In the middle of March each

year, renewal noces are sent out to all exisng license

holders to inform them that the annual renewal period

has begun, to request updated informaon, and payment

of fees by April 30 of the renewal year.

Closing a business?Remember, if you are closing a

business in Vacaville, let the City business license sta

know. Failure to nofy could result in addional fees,

interest, and penales being assessed against your

account.

Working from Home? If you are working from home

or in an area zoned residenal, you will need a Home

Occupaon Permit.

WHO TO CONTACT

Finance Dept.

Vacaville City Hall650 Merchant St.(707) 449-5129

Community Development Dept.

Vacaville City Hall

650 Merchant St.(707) 449-5140

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STEP 7:Permits andInspections

YOUR BUSINESS MAYREQUIREsite inspecons by the Fireand/or Building Department as part of your applicaon

approval, depending on your business type and/or if you

are making improvements to a building. Permit fees mayvary depending on the size and locaon of the project.

The permit technicians at the Citys Building Division will

be happy to meet with you to discuss your project and

provide you with a fee esmate.

Building Permits:Building Permits are how the City ofVacaville ensures construcon is safe for occupancy and

use. A Building Permit is needed for all new construcon

in Vacaville.

Cercate of Occupancy:A cercate of occupancyis required for all new businesses in Vacaville. This is

required even if no construcon is taking place. Your

business must be located in a building constructed

appropriately for your use. A permit is also required for

most modicaons, replacement construcon, addions,

or remodeling. Any changes to a building must comply

with the federal Americans with Disabilies Act (ADA).

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NEED FORMS?

Most of the forms listed on pages24-27 are downloadable from

the Citys Department of Financewebsite or from the Community

Development Department.


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Sign Permits:If your business would like to display asign that is visible from outside a building, a sign permit

is required. The Planning Division will perform a Design

Review assuring your sign is code compliant. TheBuilding Division will issue a permit for its installaon to

assure it is safely aached to your building.

Fire Code Permits:A Fire Code Permit from the FirePrevenon Services Division is required if you want

to conduct specic acvies and pracces. Use of

hazardous substances or materials may require addional

review and/or permits.

Encroachment Permits: An encroachment permitis required for any use of the public sidewalk or right of

way, such as sidewalk seang or merchandise displays.

STEP 7: PERMITS AND INSPECTIONS

7 7WHO TO CONTACT

For Building and Sign Permits:Community Development Dept.

Vacaville City Hall650 Merchant St.

For Fire Code Permits:

Fire Dept. - Administraon

Vacaville City Hall650 Merchant St.(707) 449-5452


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STEP 8: OTHER PERMITS AND LICENSES

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Retail and Wholesale Business Permits

If your business will involve sales, you will need to obtain

a Sellers Permit from the State Board of Equalizaon.

Child Care Center or Family Care Home LicenseLicensing of all child care centers and family child care

homes in California is required and can be obtained

through the California Department of Social Services.

Contractors License

Construcon is one of the largest industries in

Californias diverse economy. The Contractors State

License Board (CSLB) receive and processes applicaons

for new licenses, addional classicaons, changes oflicense records, and license renewals. An Applicaon for

Original Contractors License can be obtained from any

CSLB oce, by telephone, or online.

CalGOLD

To determine what other regional, state, and federal

permits and licenses your business may need, review the

States CalGOLD Business Permits Made Simple page

at www.calgold.ca.gov. 8

State Board of Equalizaon

www.boe.ca.gov(800) 400-7115

Employee Development Departmentwww.edd.ca.gov(888) 745-3886

Contractors State License Board (CSLB)

www.cslb.ca.gov(800) 321-2752

CalGOLD

www.calgold.ca.gov(916) 322-7394

WHO TO CONTACT


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STEP 9:If You HaveEmployees

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IF YOU HIRE EMPLOYEES,be sure to register with theCalifornia Employment Development Department. They

will provide you with the necessary forms and answer

any quesons you may have regarding your

responsibilies.

As an employer, the state requires you to:

Withhold state income tax

Withhold state disability insurance

Pay unemployment tax Pay for any unemployment training costs

You must also register with the Internal Revenue

Service (IRS) in order to receive and Employer

Idencaon Number. The IRS oers many services

to new business owners and will provide helpful

informaon explaining the types of forms used and due

dates for these forms. As an employer, you are requiredto carry workers compensaon insurance. You may

obtain this insurance through your own insurance agent

or the State Compensaon Insurance Fund of California

(SCIF). SCIFis a non-prot, public enterprise fund that

operates like a mutual insurance carrier.

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California EDD

1440 Marin Street Ste 114

Vallejo, CA 94590www.edd.ca.gov

Internal Revenue Service

1301 Clay StreetOakland, CA 94612

www.irs.gov

State CompensaonInsurance Fund

P.O. Box 254700Sacramento, CA 95865www.statefundca.org

WHO TO CONTACT


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STEP 10:Utilities and OtherResources

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UTILITIESWater and Sewer ServicesCity of VacavilleUlies650 Merchant St.Vacaville, CA 95688www.cityofvacaville.com

GAS & ELECTRIC

Pacic Gas & Electric770 Mason St., Ste. 160Vacaville, CA 95688www.pge.com(800) PGE-5000

TRANSPORTATION

The City of Vacaville operates its

own transit service CITY COACH.

CITY COACHsta can work with you

to idenfy commung resources

for you and your employees.

See www.citycoach.com for

more details.

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STEP 11: Get Involved!

NOW THAT YOU AREtaking your rst steps towardstarng your business, be sure to become part of the

vibrant and acve Vacaville business community!

The Chamber of Commerce is your entre into

specialized training, networking opportunies and

important informaon to help your business succeed.

If you are located in the historic downtown area, the

Downtown Vacaville Business Improvement District

provides resources and events to aract customers to

downtown and make its businesses successful.

Visit Vacaville, the Citys Convenon and Visitors

Bureau, markets the City and its businesses worldwide.

Be sure to contact them to see their resources and how

they may assist in your business.

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WHO TO CONTACT

VACAVILLE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

300 Main St, Ste AVacaville, CA 95688

(707) 448-6424www.vacavillechamber.com

DOWNTOWN VACAVILLE BUSINESS

IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT311 Parker St.

Vacaville, CA 95688(707) 451-2100

www.downtownvacaville.com

VISIT VACAVILLE

1633 E. Monte Vista Ave., Ste. 102Vacaville, CA 95688

(707) 450-0500www.visitvacaville.com

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Documents

Starting Your Business In Vacaville Handbook