Contra Costa County is broadly divided into three sub-areas: West County, including of the cities of El Cerrito, Richmond, San Pablo, Pinole, and Hercules, as well as the unincorporated communities of Kensington, El Sobrante, North Richmond, Rodeo, Crockett, and Port Costa.
In most cases, you must file a petition with your local court to change your name. To do so, you may need to file paperwork and appear before a judge to complete the process. Find your local government website and contact your circuit court to get information about how you can legally change your name.
The County Ordinance requires that you obtain a license for conducting business within the unincorporated areas, - even if your business is located outside our limits or you have a business license from another city.
Change your legal name Once the judge decides, you pick up a court decree (court order) with your new name. The process generally takes up to 3 months. Choose any part of the process below to get step-by-step instructions.
To do this, you file a petition with the court and publish a notice in a newspaper. Then, you'll either have a court date (a hearing) where a judge will make a decision, or the judge may make a decision without a hearing. Once the judge decides, you pick up a court decree (court order) with your new name.
As long as your business location and all business activity are conducted outside the City, there is no need to obtain a business license. If you are conducting business from your residence, or your residence is your business location, you will need to obtain and maintain a business license.
Local business licenses in California Many California counties require businesses to obtain a business operating license before doing business in the county. This requirement applies to all businesses, including one-person, home-based operations. Many cities require a business license in addition to the county license.
New property owners will usually receive an exemption application enclosed with their notice of supplemental assessment, approximately 90 to 120 days after the deed is recorded. If you acquired the property more than 120 days ago, and have not received an application, please call (925) 313-7481 for an application. 9.