Article 2. Permits of California Revenue And Taxation Code >> Division 2. >> Part 1. >> Chapter 2. >> Article 2.

(a) Every person desiring to engage in or conduct business as a seller within this state shall file with the board an application for a permit for each place of business. Every application for a permit shall be made upon a form prescribed by the board and shall set forth the name under which the applicant transacts or intends to transact business, the location of his place or places of business, and such other information as the board may require. An application for a permit shall be authenticated in a form or pursuant to methods as may be prescribed by the board. The application shall state that the applicant will actively engage in or conduct business as a seller of tangible personal property.
  (b) An application filed pursuant to this section may be filed using electronic media as prescribed by the board.
  (c) Electronic media includes, but is not limited to, computer modem, magnetic media, optical disk, facsimile machine, or telephone.

(a) A city, county, or city and county may collect information from persons desiring to engage in business in that jurisdiction for the purposes of selling tangible personal property under this part and shall transmit that information to the board. The information shall be provided to the board in a format to be determined by the board after consulting with the League of California Cities and the California State Association of Counties.
  (b) The information submitted to the board under subdivision (a) shall serve as all of the following:
  (1) The preliminary application for a seller's permit.
  (2) Notification to the board by the city, county, or city and county of a person desiring to engage in the business of selling of tangible personal property in that jurisdiction.
  (3) Notice to the board for purposes of redistribution under Section 7209.
  (c) The board shall issue a determination regarding issuance of a seller's permit and receipt of notification for purposes of paragraphs (2) and (3) of subdivision (b). The board shall provide a copy of that determination and receipt of notification to the city, county, or city and county from which the board has received information under subdivision (a). The board shall make its determination as follows:
  (1) For persons for whom a determination can be made based on the information submitted, the determination shall be issued within 30 days of receipt of the information.
  (2) For persons for whom additional information is required before a determination can be made, the determination shall be issued within 120 days of receipt of the information.
  (d) The board shall, after consulting with the League of California Cities and the California State Association of Counties, adopt standardized data addressing and naming conventions that are compatible with local jurisdiction conventions for new registrants and, to the extent possible, for current accounts.
  (e) A city, county, or city and county may not charge applicants a fee for collecting and transmitting information pursuant to this section.

A city, county, or city and county may require each person desiring to engage in business in that jurisdiction for the purposes of selling tangible personal property to provide his or her seller's permit account number, if any.

At the time the board provides the applicant with an application form, the applicant shall be provided with a written notice in a form prescribed by the board outlining the provisions of Sections 6072 and 6094.5 and the penalties that will accrue to the applicant should the permit be used in a manner which is prohibited by those sections.

After compliance with Sections 6066 and 6701 by the applicant, and after giving the applicant the notice required by Section 6066.5, the board shall grant and issue to each applicant a separate permit for each place of business within the state. A permit is not assignable and is valid only for the person in whose name it is issued and for the transaction of business at the place designated therein. It shall at all times be conspicuously displayed at the place for which issued.

Upon such notification of a change of address as may be required by the board, a permit may be reissued for the new address of a business place of a permitholder without the filing of a new application.

A seller whose permit has been previously suspended or revoked shall pay the board a fee of one hundred dollars ($100) for the renewal or issuance of a permit.

Whenever any person fails to comply with any provision of this part relating to the sales tax or any rule or regulation of the board relating to the sales tax prescribed and adopted under this part, the board upon hearing, after giving the person 10 days' notice in writing specifying the time and place of hearing and requiring him to show cause why his permit or permits should not be revoked, may revoke or suspend any one or more of the permits held by the person. The board shall give to the person written notice of the suspension or revocation of any of his permits. The notices herein required may be served personally or by mail in the manner prescribed for service of notice of a deficiency determination. The board shall not issue a new permit after the revocation of a permit unless it is satisfied that the former holder of the permit will comply with the provisions of this part relating to the sales tax and the regulations of the board.

(a) The board may refuse to issue a permit to any person submitting an application for a permit as required in Section 6066 if the person desiring to engage in or conduct business as a seller within this state has an outstanding final liability with the board for any amount due under this part.
  (b) In addition to the provisions of subdivision (a), the board may also refuse to issue a permit if the person desiring to engage in or conduct business as a seller within this state is not a natural person or individual and any person controlling the person desiring to engage in or conduct business as a seller within this state has an outstanding final liability with the board as provided in subdivision (a). For the purposes of this section, "controlling" has the same meaning as defined in Section 22971 of the Business and Professions Code.
  (c) For purposes of this section, a liability will not be deemed to be outstanding if the person has entered into an installment payment agreement pursuant to Section 6832 for any liability and is in full compliance with the terms of the installment payment agreement.
  (d) If the person submitting an application for a seller's permit has entered into an installment payment agreement as provided in subdivision (c) and fails to comply with the terms of the installment payment agreement, the board may seek revocation of the seller's permit obtained by the person pursuant to this section.
  (e) (1) Whenever any person desiring to engage in or conduct business as a seller within this state is denied a permit pursuant to this section, the board shall give to the person written notice of the denial. The notice of the denial may be served personally, by mail, or by other means deemed appropriate by the board. If served by mail, the notice shall be placed in a sealed envelope, with postage paid, addressed to the person at the address as it appears in the records of the board. The giving of notice shall be deemed complete at the time of deposit of the notice at the United States Postal Service, or a mailbox, subpost office, substation or mail chute, or other facility regularly maintained or provided by the United States Postal Service, without extension of time for any reason. In lieu of mailing, a notice may be served personally by delivering to the person to be served and service shall be deemed complete at the time of the delivery. Delivery of notice by other means deemed appropriate by the board may include, but is not limited to, electronic transmission. Personal service or delivery by other means deemed appropriate by the board to a corporation may be made by delivery of a notice to any person listed on the application as an officer.
  (2) Any person who is denied a seller's permit pursuant to this section may request reconsideration of the board's denial of the permit. This request shall be submitted in writing within 30 days of the date of the notice of denial. Timely submission of a written request for reconsideration shall afford the person a hearing in a manner that is consistent with a hearing provided for by Section 6070. If a request for reconsideration is not filed within the 30-day period, the denial becomes final at the end of the 30-day period.
  (f) The board shall consider offers in compromise when determining whether to issue a seller's permit.

A person who engages in business as a seller in this state without a permit or permits or after a permit has been suspended or revoked, and each officer of any corporation which so engages in business, is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable as provided in Section 7153.

(a) A permitholder who fails to surrender a seller's permit upon transfer of a business shall be liable for any tax, interest, and penalty incurred by the transferee if the permitholder has actual or constructive knowledge that the transferee is using the permit in any manner. The predecessor's liability shall be limited to the quarter in which the business is transferred, and the three subsequent quarters.
  (b) The limitation on liability provided for in subdivision (a) shall not apply in cases where, after the transfer, 80 percent or more of the real or ultimate ownership of the business transferred is held by the predecessor.
  (c) For purposes of this section, stockholders, bondholders, partners, or other persons holding an ownership interest in a corporation or other entity shall be regarded as having the "real or ultimate ownership" of the property of the corporation or other entity.

A permit shall be held only by persons actively engaging in or conducting a business as a seller of tangible personal property. Any person not so engaged shall forthwith surrender his or her permit to the board for cancellation. The board may revoke the permit of a person found to be not actively engaged in or conducting a business as a seller of tangible personal property. Any person who knowingly issues a resale certificate while the person is not actively engaged in business as a seller, for personal gain or to evade the payment of taxes, shall be liable for the taxes that would otherwise have been due on the transaction, plus a penalty of 10 percent or five hundred dollars ($500), whichever is greater, in addition to all other penalties imposed by this part, and interest at the modified adjusted rate per month, or fraction thereof, established pursuant to Section 6591.5, from the last day of the month following the quarterly period for which the amount or any portion thereof should have been returned until the date of payment.

(a) (1) When the board determines it is necessary for the efficient administration of this part, the board may require the operator of a swap meet, flea market, or special event as a prerequisite to renting or leasing space on the premises owned or controlled by that operator to a person desiring to engage in or conduct business as a seller, to obtain written evidence that the seller is the holder of a valid seller's permit issued pursuant to Section 6067, or a written statement from the seller that he or she is not offering for sale any item that is taxable under this part or is otherwise not required to hold a valid seller's permit.
  (2) In providing the board with documentation required by the board pursuant to paragraph (1), an operator of a swap meet, flea market, or special event may require each person desiring to engage in or conduct business as a seller at that swap meet, flea market, or special event to provide his or her driver's license number to the operator on a form authorized by the board or under Section 6073.1.
  (b) At any time as the board may specify in a written notice, but in no case more than three times in a calendar year, the board may require an operator to submit to the board a list of vendors conducting business on their premises as a seller. Each listing shall be provided to the board within 30 days after the date of the board' s notice. The list shall contain the name and seller's permit number for permitholders and the name, address, and driver's license number for vendors who do not have seller's permits. Records shall be retained to the same extent as all transactions involving sales or use tax liability as provided in Section 7053.
  (c) "Swap meet, flea market, or special event," as used in this section, means an activity involving a series of sales sufficient in number, scope, and character to constitute a regular course of business, or any event at which two or more persons offer tangible personal property for sale or exchange and at which a fee is charged for the privilege of displaying the property for sale or exchange or at which a fee is charged to prospective buyers for admission to the area where the property is offered or displayed for sale or exchange.
  (d) Any operator of a swap meet, flea market, or special event who fails or refuses to comply with this section is subject to a penalty not exceeding one thousand dollars ($1,000) for each offense.

An operator of a swap meet or flea market, as defined in Section 6073, or special event, who verifies that a seller has a valid seller's permit, or who obtains from the seller a certificate that the seller is not offering for sale any item that is taxable under this part and who completes the form requirements of Section 21663 of the Business and Professions Code, shall be deemed to have complied with the requirements of Section 6073. No additional forms will be required by the State Board of Equalization.

(a) Section 6073 shall not apply to any of the following:
  (1) An event or show for which all exhibitors' contracts prohibit any sale of tangible personal property at the event or show and at which no tangible personal property is actually sold.
  (2) An event or show that is conducted for informational or educational purposes only, and at which no sales of tangible personal property occur.
  (3) A trade show.
  (b) For purposes of this section, a "trade show" means an event or show that complies with all of the following conditions:
  (1) The event or show is not open to the general public for any portion of the show.
  (2) Only orders for tangible personal property are solicited or taken during the event or show from sellers, as defined in Section 6014, for purposes of subsequent resale.
  (3) The event or show is operated by an organization that qualifies for tax exempt status under Section 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code.
  (c) When the board determines it is necessary for the efficient administration of this part, the board may require the operator of a trade show, within 10 days from the close of that show, to provide the board with a listing of the names and addresses of the agents or representatives soliciting orders at the trade show, and their principals, including, but not limited to, manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, or suppliers.
  (d) Any operator of a trade show who willfully fails or refuses to comply with subdivision (c) is subject to a penalty in an amount not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000) for each offense.

(a) When the board determines it is necessary for the efficient administration of this part, the board may, by written notice, require any person making sales to operators of catering trucks, operated out of that person's facility pursuant to Section 114295 of the Health and Safety Code, who resell the property in the regular course of his or her business, to obtain evidence that the operator is the holder of a valid seller's permit issued pursuant to Section 6067. At any time as the board may specify in a written notice, but in no case more than three times in a calendar year, the board may require a person making sales to operators of catering trucks to submit to the board a listing of operators of catering trucks who purchase goods from that person. Each listing shall be provided to the board within 30 days after the date of the board's notice, and shall include the name and seller's permit number on file of each operator, or, for those operators who do not provide evidence of a valid seller's permit, the operator's name, address, and telephone number. The board may also, by written notice, require a person making sales to operators of catering trucks to promptly notify the board if a newly purchasing operator does not provide to the person, within 30 days of the date of the first purchase, evidence of a valid seller' s permit. Persons required by written notice of the board to obtain evidence, or provide a listing or notification, who fail to comply, may be subject to a penalty not to exceed five hundred dollars ($500) for each failure.
  (b) Persons making sales to operators of catering trucks who do not have valid seller's permits or whose permits have been revoked shall report and pay the tax on property as if the property were sold at retail at the time of the sale. Nothing in this section shall relieve any operator of a catering truck of his or her obligations as a seller under this part.
  (c) If the board finds that a person's failure to comply with this section is due to reasonable cause and circumstances beyond the person's control, and occurred notwithstanding the exercise of ordinary care and the absence of willful neglect, the person may be relieved of the penalty imposed by this section. Any person seeking to be relieved of the penalty shall file with the board a statement under penalty of perjury setting forth the facts upon which he or she bases his or her claim for relief.

(a) No permit shall be required of any person who engages in business in this state as a seller of feed, for any form of animal life, that is exempt from taxation pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 6358 and who engages in no other taxable sales of tangible personal property at retail.
  (b) In the case of any seller of hay who is also a grower of hay, the exemption provided in subdivision (a) shall apply only to growers who are either of the following:
  (1) A grower who produces hay for sale only to beef cattle feedlots or dairies.
  (2) A grower who sells exclusively through a farmer-owned cooperative.
  (c) Nothing in this section shall relieve any grower of hay that is not exempt pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 6358 from obtaining a permit.

(a) Any retail florist who fails to obtain a permit before engaging in or conducting business as a seller shall, in addition to any other applicable penalty, pay a penalty of five hundred dollars ($500).
  (b) Every mobile retail florist shall have a copy of the permit at each sales location which shall be in the possession of a person operating at that location.
  (c) For purposes of this section, the following terms have the following meanings:
  (1) "Retail florist" means any person selling any flowers, potted ornamental plants, floral arrangements, floral bouquets, wreaths, or any similar products at retail. "Retail florist" does not include any flower or ornamental plant grower who sells his or her own products.
  (2) "Mobile retail florist" means any retail florist who does not sell from a structure or retail shop, including, but not limited to, a florist who sells from a vehicle, pushcart, wagon, or other portable method, or who sells at a swap meet, flea market, or similar transient location.