Madera County Business License Fee Exemption for Veterans

Madera County charges a qualifying veteran no unincorporated-county business licence fee: Code section 5.04.190 exempts every honorably discharged veteran who qualifies under Business and Professions Code section 16102 from the licence fee itself, keeps the application requirement, and refers every claim to the county's Veterans Service Office for investigation and recommendation.

Also called: business license, license fee, vendor, peddle, 16102, license collector, exemption, Madera, Chowchilla, Firebaugh, Oakhurst, Coarsegold, Planada, Madera Acres, Bonadelle Ranchos, Rolling Hills.

For: Veteran or service member.

Where it applies

Written for the jurisdictions listed here.

Madera County, CACounty

The ordinance. County Code section 5.04.190, read on 2026-10-21: "The following persons shall be exempt from the payment of only business license fees, but shall be required to file an application with the license collector: A. Every honorably discharged veteran who qualifies pursuant to the provisions of Business and Professions Code section 16102. All claims for such exemption shall be referred to the Veterans' Service Office for investigation and recommendation." What that reaches. Business and Professions Code section 16102 lets "every soldier, sailor or marine" who received an honorable discharge or a release from active duty under honorable conditions hawk, peddle and vend goods he or she owns "without payment of any license, tax or fee whatsoever, whether municipal, county or State" - no rating or war service needed, and in Brooks v. Santa Clara County (1987) the Court of Appeal read it to reach regulatory fees for vending, not only revenue licences. The county ordinance narrows its own promise to "only business license fees" and still requires the application; the wider statutory reach belongs to the California entry, which carries section 16102 beside the counties chapter. The Veterans Service Office investigates and recommends on every claim, so the free-licence route runs through the office at 1620 Sunrise Avenue.

Thresholds

Thresholds for Madera County Business License Fee Exemption for Veterans
Gate	Rule
Veterans under Business and Professions Code 16102	Discharge under honorable conditions and ownership of the goods sold are the tests; the ordinance names section 16102. No rating is needed; the licence application must still be filed.

Sources

Updated

Last updated 2026-10-21.

What changed then:

First published.

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Disclaimer

VetTOC is not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or the Department of Defense. Information is for reference only and is not an eligibility determination. Verify with VA, the relevant state or territory, or an accredited VSO.