Imperial County Business License: Fee Exemption for Veterans

The ordinance. Imperial County Code section 5.01.070(A), from Ordinance No. 1486 of December 18, 2012: "Pursuant to California Business and Professions Code Section 16102, every applicant who has received an honorable discharge or a release from active duty under honorable conditions from military service may receive a business license without paying any license fee whatsoever, except for a license to peddle or vend liquor. The veteran applicant must provide form DD-214 or a similar form to claim such veteran exemption." What it saves. Section 5.01.060 sets the regular license at $250 a year and a short-term license at $50, plus "a twenty-five dollar ($25.00) non-refundable processing fee charged for every application, excepting applicants who meet the qualifications of Section 5.01.070 (A)." So a qualifying veteran pays neither the license fee nor the processing fee; a nonprofit, by contrast, still pays the $25. What it does not do. The licence is still required: no one may do business in the unincorporated county without a license from the Treasurer-Tax Collector or an exemption from licensure, applied for at least 30 days before starting. Other departments' inspection fees under section 5.01.060(D) are separate. The ordinance covers only the unincorporated county; each city licenses its own businesses. Where. The Treasurer-Tax Collector's licensing division, Imperial County Administration Center, 940 West Main Street, Suite 106, El Centro; (442) 265-1250. The code was read in Supplement 62 (published June 24, 2025, posted December 2, 2025), and the Board's agendas of October 2025 to October 2026 carry no amendment to Title 5.