Service License Tax Bond - San Joaquin, CA in California

Brief Summary

A $1,000 bond is a small piece of a San Joaquin County service license, but the Treasurer-Tax Collector will not issue the license until it is on file. Get it in hand before you take the application downtown and the rest of the process moves on the Sheriff's timeline, not yours.

San Joaquin County requires a service license for anyone who regularly performs installation, maintenance, repair or other labor in the unincorporated county as a principal source of income. Before the Treasurer-Tax Collector issues the license, the applicant must file a surety bond of at least $1,000 that stays in force for 30 days after the license or any renewal expires. Anyone holding a business license from the County or a city in the County, or employed by such a business, is exempt from the service license.

We can help with all California bonds!

How to Apply for a Service License Tax Bond:

• Confirm you are not exempt because you or your employer already hold a County or city business license in San Joaquin County.
• Apply for the $1,000 bond with San Joaquin County as obligee and pay the premium.
• Complete Form UNS 06 and gather ID, liability insurance proof and the $180 fee.
• File everything with the Treasurer-Tax Collector at 44 N. San Joaquin Street, Suite 150, Stockton.
• Schedule the Sheriff's background check and fingerprinting and pay the $35 fee there.
• Return for the photo ID once the Sheriff approves, then keep the bond in force through renewal and 30 days past expiration.

Detailed Information About the California Service License Tax Bond:

Check the exemption first

Many people who think they need this license do not. The San Joaquin County Treasurer-Tax Collector exempts anyone who holds a business license from San Joaquin County or from any city within the County, and anyone employed by a business that holds one. The service license is aimed at independent service providers working in the unincorporated county without a local business license.

Who needs the license

The County defines service as any work or labor, or any installation, maintenance or repair of real or personal property, whether or not it is done along with selling goods. A license is required when the work happens in unincorporated San Joaquin County on a regular rather than occasional basis and is a principal source of the provider's income. The rules are in Sections 7-1037 through 7-1048 of the San Joaquin County Ordinance Code.

The bond

The Treasurer-Tax Collector will not issue a service license until the applicant files a bond of not less than $1,000 executed by an established surety company. The bond has to stay in effect for 30 days after the license, or any renewal of it, expires. The same $1,000 bond applies to solicitor licenses. Peddler licenses do not carry it.

What else the County asks for

• Completed Peddler, Solicitor or Service License application (Form UNS 06), including the background check page.
• Government issued ID, or a driver's license if you will drive for the work.
• General liability insurance with the declarations page.
• A nonrefundable $180 license fee payable to the San Joaquin County Treasurer-Tax Collector.
• A separate $35 background check fee collected by the Sheriff's Office, with fingerprinting at French Camp.

After the Sheriff's favorable report, the applicant returns for a photo ID. The license and ID card are good for one year. Honorably discharged veterans are exempt from the license fees but still go through the application.

Eligibility and Requirements for a California Service License Tax Bond:

• Bond amount of at least $1,000.
• Written by an established surety company.
• County of San Joaquin named as obligee.
• Bond term covering the license period plus 30 days after expiration or renewal.
• Applicant name on the bond matching the license application.

California Service License Tax Bond FAQs:

Official and Additional Resources for the California Service License Tax Bond: