Each business in the city shall be classified into one of the following business classifications:
A. 
Administrative Headquarters. Any business operation where the principal business transacted consists of providing administrative or management-related services to other locations where the operations of the business are conducted which lead more directly to the production of gross receipts. Administrative or management-related services include, but are not limited to, recordkeeping, data processing, research, advertising, public relations, personnel administration, legal and corporate headquarter services.
B. 
Contractors, General. Any person who undertakes or offers to undertake to or purports to have the capacity to undertake to or submits a bid to, or does by or through others, construct, alter, repair, add to, subtract from, improve, move, wreck or demolish any building, highway, road, railroad, excavation or other structure, project, development or improvement, or to do any part thereof.
C. 
Contractors, Specialty and Subcontractors. Any person whose operations as such are the performance of construction work requiring special skill and the use of specialized building trades or craft, whose principal contracting business involves serving as a subcontractor to a general contractor on construction jobs.
D. 
Gardeners. Any business providing gardening services to businesses or persons, including but not limited to mowing, weeding, planting and/or fertilizing.
E. 
Home Occupation. Any business conducting, managing or carrying on a business activity out of the home as defined in MMC Title 10.
F. 
Manufacturing. Any person conducting, managing or carrying on a business consisting mainly of manufacturing, packing or processing any goods, wares, merchandise or produce.
G. 
Massage Business. Any business that offers massage therapy in exchange for compensation, whether at a fixed place of business or at a location designated by the customer or client through outcall massage service.
H. 
Independent Massage Practitioner. Any independent contractor who is not an employee or owner of a massage business, and who provides massage services to the public for compensation.
I. 
Miscellaneous. Any person engaged in a business not specifically taxed by other provisions of this chapter and not otherwise exempt.
J. 
Pawnbroker. Any business involved in the loaning of money upon any personal property, personal security, or purchasing personal property and reselling or agreeing to resell such articles to the vendor or other assignees at prices previously agreed upon. It does not include any bank authorized under the laws of the state of California to loan money on personal property or personal security.
K. 
Professionals. Any person, group, association, partnership, firm or corporation engaged in a profession or vocation licensed by the state, related to a licensed profession or vocation, and/or requiring a period of specialized training such as, but not limited to, physicians, dentists, attorneys and accountants.
L. 
Public Utility. Any person engaged in the business of providing utility services to the general public or to private businesses including such services as electrical, gas, sanitary and garbage, cable television and telephone.
M. 
Real Estate Agents. Any independent contractor who is not an employee of a real estate broker or, notwithstanding MMC § 7.05.010(A), any employee of a real estate broker, who brings buyers and sellers together for negotiations, or negotiates or arranges terms and conditions for buyers and sellers, for the purpose of effecting a sale of real property.
N. 
Real Estate Brokers. Any premises from which there is conducted the business of bringing buyers and sellers together for negotiations, or from which negotiations or arrangements of terms and conditions for buyers and sellers take place, for the purpose of effecting a sale of real property.
O. 
Recreation and Entertainment. Any person engaged in the business of providing directly, and not on an isolated basis, recreation, entertainment or amusement services not specifically identified or defined elsewhere in this section.
P. 
Rental of Real or Personal Property, Commercial. Any person engaged in the business of renting or letting real or personal property, including but not limited to, a building, structure, warehouse, equipment, computer, office machine or tools, to a tenant or lessee for the purpose of conducting business. This classification includes property owners and those who are in the business of leasing space for the express purpose of subletting for commercial uses. This classification also includes property owners who are in the business of leasing office machines, equipment and tools to a lessee for the purpose of conducting business. Leasing agents and property managers are included under the services classification.
Q. 
Rental of Property, Residential. Any person engaged in the business of renting or letting a building or structure with three or more units for purposes of dwelling, sleeping or lodging (i.e., apartments, boardinghouses and other residential property rentals). This classification does not include hotels or motels, which are classified under services.
R. 
Research and Development. Any person engaged in the activity of research and development as a separate and independent activity in support of business, industry and other vocations including, but not limited to, study, testing, design, analysis and experimental development of products, processes or services. Such activities may include incidental manufacturing of products or provision of services.
S. 
Retailing. Any person conducting, managing or carrying on the business consisting mainly of selling at retail any goods.
T. 
Seasonal Sales. Any person engaged in a temporary or transient business in the city, selling or offering for sale goods, wares, merchandise, food or food products, plants or plant products, beverages, holiday or special wares, or any other article of value, with the intention of conducting such business for a period not to exceed ninety days in any fiscal year.
U. 
Services. Any business providing services, repairs or improvements to or on real and personal property; renting or leasing personal property to businesses or persons, including the rental of vehicles; operating a hotel or motel; or providing services to persons including, but not limited to, laundries, cleaning and dyeing, shoe repair, barber and beauty shops, and photographic studios. This classification excludes any business activity specifically identified and defined in other subsections of this section.
V. 
Theaters. Any premises from which performing arts presentations are made, including but not limited to, movies, plays and/or special performances, excluding any operations that are nonprofit as defined in MMC § 7.05.090.
W. 
Transportation of Persons and Goods. Any person engaged in the transportation of goods and/or persons to or from the city of Millbrae not otherwise specifically taxed under the provisions of this chapter nor specifically exempt under federal or state laws. Examples of such activities include, but are not limited to, taxis, limousine services, private transit operators, delivery trucks, and operators of parking lots located in the city that convey people to and from the airport. This classification does not include rental or leasing of motor vehicles to businesses or persons.
X. 
Vending Machines. Any person involved in the sale of goods, products or services through the use of coin operated vending machines, including laundry machines.
Y. 
Warehousing. Any business operation where the principal business activity involves the warehousing and storage of goods manufactured and/or produced outside of the city and stored in the city prior to shipment and sale outside the city. However, if goods are manufactured in the city, that activity shall be classified as manufacturing. If goods are sold in the city, that activity shall be classified as retail or wholesale.
Z. 
Wholesaling. Any person conducting, managing or carrying on business consisting mainly of selling at wholesale any goods.
(1976 Code § 7-1.401; Ord. 756 § 3; Amended by Ord. 614 § 2; Ord. 588 § 2)
Business license taxes for each business in the city shall be calculated in the manner described below; provided, however, that if gross receipts are the indicated tax measure but cannot be calculated or reasonably determined for any particular business, the tax shall be based upon its cost of operations.
Business Classification
Tax Rate
1.
Administrative headquarters
$64 plus $4.25 per employee
2.
Billiards, pool tables
$64 plus $32 per table
3.
Contractors, general
$160
4.
Contractors, specialty and subcontractors
$80
5.
Gardeners
$80
6.
Home occupations
$27 if gross receipts are less than $15,000 per year; otherwise based on applicable classification of business activity
7.
Manufacturing
$64 plus $4.25 per employee, plus application of gross receipts schedule
8.
Massage business
Initial $370; renewal $210
9.
Independent massage practitioner
$105
10.
Miscellaneous
$64 plus $4.25 per employee or unit
11.
Pawnbroker
$370
12.
Professionals
$210
13.
Public utility
$64 plus $.32 per $1,000 gross receipts
14.
Real estate brokers
$210
15.
Real estate agents
$53
16.
Recreation and entertainment
$64 plus $4.25 per employee, plus application of gross receipts schedule
17.
Rental of property, commercial
$64 plus $10.60 per 1,000 square feet
18.
Rental of property, residential
$64 plus $5.30 per unit
19.
Research and development
$64 plus $.32 per $1,000 cost of operations
20.
Retailing
$64 plus $4.25 per employee, plus application of gross receipts schedule
21.
Seasonal sales, monthly
$64 plus $120 per month
22.
Seasonal sales, yearly
$64 plus $530 per year
23.
Services
$64 plus $4.25 per room, plus application of gross receipts schedule
24.
Services, motel/hotel
$64 plus $4.25 per employee, plus application of gross receipts schedule
25.
Theaters
$64 plus $.50 per seat
26.
Transportation of persons and goods
$64 plus $64 per vehicle and driver
27.
Vending machines
$64 plus $.32 per $1,000 gross receipts
28.
Warehousing
$64 plus $.32 per $1,000 cost of operations
29.
Wholesaling
$64 plus $4.25 per employee, plus application of gross receipts schedule
(1976 Code § 7-1.402; Ord. 756 § 4; Amended by Ord. 614 § 3; Ord. 588 § 2)
For those business classifications identified in MMC § 7.05.120 that are to pay a portion of their business license tax based on their gross receipts of seven hundred fifty thousand dollars or more, the following gross receipts schedule applies:
Gross Receipts
Tax Rate
Over $750,000 and under $5,000,000
$.30/1,000 gross receipts
Over $5,000,000 and under $10,000,000
$.25/1,000 gross receipts
Over $10,000,000
$.20/1,000 gross receipts
(1976 Code § 7-1.403; Ord. 588 § 2)
For all businesses licensed under the provisions of this chapter, the maximum tax payment due will not exceed one thousand five hundred dollars in the first two years after adoption of the ordinance codified in this chapter. The city council shall review this section prior to July 1, 1994.
(1976 Code § 7-1.404; Ord. 588 § 2)
Whenever a licensee engages in business both within and outside the city and does not have a fixed place of business located within the city, the tax imposed by this chapter shall be fairly apportioned to reflect that portion of business conducted within the city. Apportionment guidelines to carry this purpose into effect shall be prepared by the tax collector subject to approval by the city council by resolution.
(1976 Code § 7-1.405; Amended by Ord. 614 § 4; Ord. 588 § 2)