San Jose Municipal Code Title 20 zoning prohibits operating a commercial automotive repair business out of a residence. Home occupation rules forbid customer vehicle traffic, outdoor storage, hazardous materials, and noisy mechanical work in residential zones.
SJMC Title 20 limits home occupations to low-impact activities clearly secondary to the dwelling's residential use. Standards require the business have no employees outside household members, no signage, no customer visits, no outdoor storage of equipment or merchandise, and no use of hazardous materials beyond ordinary household quantities. Commercial vehicle repair, body work, painting, transmission service, and engine rebuilding involve customer traffic, oil and solvent storage, noise, and visible parked vehicles, all of which violate home-occupation standards. Vehicles owned by the resident may be worked on for personal use, but offering services to the public, accepting payment, or storing customer cars is prohibited. Stormwater rules also bar washing automotive fluids into the gutter.
Running an unpermitted residential auto repair business can trigger code enforcement administrative citations, daily fines, abatement orders requiring vehicle removal, and possible referral to environmental health for hazardous waste violations.
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