Yes. An L-2 spouse is employment-authorized incident to status, which includes self-employment and starting a business, without first obtaining a separate employment authorization document.
L-2 work authorization covers employment and self-employment alike
The spouse of a Torbay L-1A manager enters in L-2 status and, under USCIS policy in effect since 2021, is authorized to work incident to that status. The authorization is not limited to employment by a company; the spouse may form a business, contract as a freelancer or take a job, and the admission record annotated as an L-2 spouse is the evidence of authorization that a bank, a state licensing body or an employer may ask to see. A spouse may still apply for an employment authorization document as a convenience, but it is not a precondition. The spouse's business would be a U.S. business subject to U.S. licensing and tax rules, which are outside immigration law. Children in L-2 status have no such authorization and may only study, and they lose L-2 status on their 21st birthday. All L-2 status ends when the principal's L-1A ends, so a spouse's business plan should account for the seven-year ceiling and the possibility of non-renewal.
Hypothetical example: the spouse of a Torbay coastal-mapping executive opens a U.S. bookkeeping studio after entering as an L-2 spouse. The first review should retain the spouse's correctly annotated admission record and calendar the principal's remaining L-1A time, because that record supports the work authorization but does not outlast the principal's status. A bank account, local licence or client contract does not independently extend immigration permission. The business needs a contingency plan before the seven-year maximum approaches.