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Permit Sonoma › Instructions and Forms › PJR-048 Home Occupation
Instructions & Forms

PJR-048 Home Occupation

Permit and Resource Management Department Banner 750

Revised 05/25/2022

Pursuant to Section 26-88-121 of the Zoning Code, a home occupation may be conducted in agricultural and residential zoning districts (LIA, LEA, DA, RRD, AR, RR, R1, R2, and R3), the Planned Community zoning district (PC), and commercial zoning districts that permit residential uses (CO, C1, C2, C3, LC, RC, AS, and K). A home occupation is a small-scale business conducted out of a private residence or residential accessory structure. Home occupations must be secondary to the residential use of the site, and must meet certain standards to ensure compatibility with surrounding residential uses. Following the adoption of Ordinance No.6363 on 12/14/2021, a Zoning Permit is no longer required for Home Occupations.

Home occupations differ from Live/Work uses in that they do not permit any non-resident employees, and are more limited in the type of uses permitted and the number of visitors allowed.  A home business which does not meet one or more of the standards below may still be allowed with a use permit as a live/work use. Home occupations that comply with the standards and regulations of the code are considered to remain a Group R, Division 3 Occupancy (per California Building Code) if they take place within a single family dwelling, guest house or other habitable structure and a Group U Occupancy (per California Building Code) if they take place within a residential garage, residential storage building, or other non-habitable structure. 

Home Occupation Standards

Design and Development Standards

Source: Section 26-88-121(d-f) of the Sonoma County Zoning Code

    1. The home occupation shall be conducted entirely within one (1) of the following:
      1. A portion of the dwelling which does not exceed more than twenty-five percent (25%) of the total floor area of the dwelling;
      2. A garage or portion thereof, (up to a maximum of five hundred (500) square feet) which does not displace any required parking;
      3. A detached accessory structure or portion thereof (up to a maximum of five hundred (500) square feet).
    2. No person shall be employed in the home occupation other than residents of the dwelling.
    3. Hours of Operation.Customer visits and deliveries shall be limited to the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, and shall not occur on state and federal holidays.
    4. Visits and Deliveries.Not more than four (4) customers or clients shall be allowed to visit the dwelling for any service or product during any one (1) day, nor more than two (2) customers or clients at any one (1) time. Not more than a total of ten (10) deliveries and/or pickups of materials, goods, supplies or products are allowed in any one (1) week.
    5. Commercial Vehicles.No more than one (1) single one (1) -ton or smaller commercial vehicle related to the business use shall be kept at the dwelling site.
    6. Outdoor Storage/Activity.No outdoor storage of materials or equipment related to the home occupation shall be permitted. No outdoor activity related to the home occupation shall be permitted.
    7. Offsite Effects.No home occupation activity shall result in offsite dust, electrical interference, fumes, gas, glare, light, noise, odor, smoke, toxic/hazardous materials, vibration, or other hazards or nuisances as determined by the director.
    8. Noise levels generated by a home occupation shall meet the requirements of the noise element of the general plan.
    9. Activities conducted and equipment or material used shall not change the fire safety or occupancy classifications of the premises.
    10. Technical Codes.A home occupation shall comply with all of the codes adopted by reference at Sonoma County Section 7-13 (including the Uniform Building Code, Uniform Plumbing Code, National Electrical Code, Uniform Fire Code, and Uniform Mechanical Code) and shall require building, septic division and other clearances as determined necessary by the director.
    11. The home occupation shall not require any utility services modification, other than a modification required for normal residential use, that would be classed as commercial or industrial in load or design, and in no event shall electrical current to the home residence or home occupation exceed two hundred twenty (220) volts.
    12. Exterior Appearance.The home occupation shall not require any change of the residential character or the outside appearance of the dwelling, either by the use of colors, materials, lighting, noise, or signs other than signage permitted by this section.
    13. Parking Requirements.Home occupations shall comply with the parking standards set forth in Section 26-86-010. The decision maker may modify this requirement to decrease or increase the required parking as appropriate to allow for the reuse of existing structures with limited parking, so long as adequate on-site parking for clients is demolished.
    14. A home occupation shall be limited to one (1) attached, non-illuminated, two (2) square-foot sign.

    NOTE: If a proposed home occupation meets all the Design and Development Standards above, no building modifications are required to meet California Building Code requirements related to Americans with Disability Act (ADA) and no change of occupancy classification is required. 

Allowed Uses

Source: Section 26-88-121 (c)(1-5) of the Sonoma County Zoning Code

  1. Art and craft work such as ceramics, painting, photography, sculpture, woodwork, and similar cottage industries that do not involve reportable or regulated quantities of hazardous or flammable substances, where such operations will not generate noise, dust, or odors
  2. Office-only uses by architects, attorneys, consultants, writers and owners of electronic commerce businesses, and similar uses
  3. One-on-one services such as music, art, and dance lessons, tutors, licensed counseling and massage therapy
  4. Tailoring and sewing
  5. Other home occupation uses which in the opinion of the planning director are of a similar and compatible nature to those uses described above

Prohibited Uses

Source: Section 26-88-121 (b)(1-15) of the Sonoma County Zoning Code

  1. Adult entertainment activities/businesses
  2. Animal hospitals and clinics; pet care services such as grooming, doggie day cares or kennels of any size
  3. Automotive and other vehicle repair, services, painting, storage, or upholstery, or the repair of engines, including automobiles, boats, motorcycles, trucks, or recreational vehicles
  4. Boatmaking
  5. Commercial cabinet or furniture making, furniture refinishing/antique restoration and sales
  6. Dismantling, junk, scrap, or storage yards
  7. Food processing, canning, baking, etc., including catering, or motorized mobile food vendors such as coffee carts or taco trucks
  8. Gun and weapon sales
  9. Hair salons, day spas, and other uses which generate higher water and sewer demands, and higher customer visits;
  10. Uses which involve medical procedures
  11. Uses that require the handling of any hazardous (including biologically hazardous) or toxic materials, substances or wastes (as defined by California or federal law), except for small, non reportable or unregulated quantities that are used in woodworking, painting, or photography, or in the making of jewelry, ceramics, pottery, and sculpture
  12. Uses that require explosives or highly combustible materials
  13. Uses that may trigger building modifications to meet California Building Code requirements related to Americans with Disability Act (ADA) or such that a change of occupancy classification is required.  Such uses may be approved with a Use Permit as Live/Work Uses (PJR-053)
  14. Welding, machine shop operations, or metal fabricating
  15. Other uses that the director determines to be similar in impact to those listed above