Doing Business

Whether you’re a long established business in the Old Sacramento Waterfront or you’re looking to grow, you can find valuable resources you’ll need below.

Grand Opening Assistance Program

We want you to have the grand opening of your dreams! Opening your own business requires so many moving parts, which can take away from planning a day to celebrate your new milestone. With our assistance, we can provide you the tools to host a successful grand opening, reach media outlets, advertise on social media and create a welcoming atmosphere for consumers. Fill out this form to get started!

Sign Ordinances & Application Process

To download the complete sign guidelines for the Old Sacramento Waterfront, click here.

To download the sign permit instructions, click here.

To download the sign design application, click here.

To download the city sign permit application, click here.

Business/Employee Parking

Street parking in the Old Sacramento Waterfront is designed for short-term visitors and should not be used for your business or employee parking needs. The city offers many programs from monthly passes in the garages to discounted parking for your employees.

For general information including business deliveries, permits, monthly parking passes, etc, click here.

For information and the application for the Discounted Employee Parking Program (DEPP), click here.

For information and the application for the Part-time Employee Parking Program (P-TEP), click here.

Employee & Resident Perks

Sign up today! Click here.

Validation Program

Offer your customers an added benefit to shopping in your store or dining in your restaurant with the City of Sacramento Validation Program.

To download the application to join the validation program, click here.

Once you have applied and been approved, you may contact the Old Sacramento Waterfront District office at (916) 846-7922 or jfortuna@downtownsac.org. Minimum order quantity equals 100 validations / $50.

Merchant Alerts & Merchant Meetings

The Old Sacramento Waterfront District Office of the Downtown Sacramento Partnership communicates through email merchant alerts and quarterly merchant meetings. If you are a merchant in the district and you are not receiving emails, please email us at info@oldsacramento.com with your name, your business name and your email address so we can add you to the directory.

Business Operation Tax Certificate

All businesses that operate in the city limits or do business with the City of Sacramento must have a Business Operation Tax certificate. The certificate is the equivalent of a business license in other jurisdictions.

For more information about the Business Operations Tax click here.

For FAQs and online services, click here.

Business Marketing Tools

Take your business to the next level by becoming a marketing expert!

Marketing is crucial in the beginning stages of branding a business. Learning essential marketing tools will give insight on what consumers are interested in and how your company is growing overtime. Below are several “how-to” guides that explain the functions of popular social media sites and customer relationship management (CRM) tools. Learn more here!

Business Development

The Downtown Sacramento Partnership is the direct liaison for the business community and is on-call to help current and new businesses navigate their way through public processes to ensure a profitable residency in Old Sacramento Waterfront. Let us help you make the connections and access the resources you need to succeed from small business financing and business planning to assistance with public permits and licenses.

Contact Scott Ford, Economic Development Director, for more information at (916) 442-8575 or sford@downtownsac.org

Join our Newsletter

To learn more about events, possible road closures, new businesses, and more, in the Old Sacramento Waterfront District  join our monthly newsletter here!  

Job Opening Submission Form

If you would like to share your current job openings on the Old Sacramento Waterfront website, please fill out this form to share who you are looking for to join your team.

District Perks Program Submission Form

If you would like to offer perks for Employees or Residents on the Old Sacramento Waterfront website, please fill out this form.

Join District Events

Here is where you’ll find seasonal events you can take part in to help cultivate community in Old Sacramento, and build more recognition for your business!