Legal Question in Business Law in California

I currently run a home based business in one city (Redondo Beach), but to protect my privacy when filling for an LLC, I want to use a different address to put on record. To do so, I signed up for a mailbox service in a different, but neighboring city (Hawthorne) to use on the application and other legal documents. However, when applying for a business license, which city should I be getting a license from? Redondo Beach, where I actually conduct the majority of my business, or Hawthorne where I have a mailbox for legal purposes? Is there an alternative approach that I am missing?


Asked on 2/26/21, 2:49 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys

You will need a business license in any city in which you actually conduct business on a regular basis. Where you get mail is of no concern. Just be aware that when the city where the mailbox is located gets word from any government entity, such as the Franchise Tax Board, that a business is using an address in their city, they will probably try to get you to take out a license (which really is just a tax anyway). If they do, all you have to do is show them that it is a mailbox service, and they should drop it.

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Answered on 3/08/21, 9:57 am


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