Business Licensing & Operations in Berkeley, CA (2026)
7 verified business licensing & operations rules for Berkeley, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Adult Entertainment
Berkeley keeps adult-oriented businesses at least 300 feet from any residential district boundary, 1,000 feet from any other adult business, and 600 feet from parks, schools, libraries, clinics, and religious assembly uses.
Berkeley Adult Business Spacing Rules
Significant RestrictionsBerkeley Municipal Code § 23.302.070(A)
A. Adult-Oriented Businesses. 1. General Limitations. An adult-oriented business may not be established: (a) Within 300 feet of the boundary of a Residential District, as measured along the public right-of-way; (b) Within a radius of 1,000 feet from any other adult-oriented business; or (c) Within a radius of 600 feet of any public park, public health clinic, public library, school or religious...
Massage Establishments
Operating a massage establishment in Berkeley without a permit is unlawful under BMC § 9.32.060. Establishments that employ only CAMTC-certified therapists can skip the permit under narrow conditions, but everyone else must apply through the Department of Finance, pass a police background check, and renew every two years.
Berkeley Massage Establishment Permit Rules
Significant RestrictionsBerkeley Municipal Code § 9.32.060
It is unlawful for any person to operate a Massage Establishment in the City without first having obtained a permit to operate such pursuant to this Chapter. Every applicant for a Massage Establishment permit shall file an application with the Department of Finance upon a form to be provided by said Department and pay a filing fee which shall be non-refundable. The following entities are exempt...
Tattoo & Body Modification
Tattoo and piercing work in Berkeley requires both a City registration for the practitioner and a health permit for the facility, issued by the Division of Environmental Health under Chapter 11.70. Operating without either is unlawful.
Berkeley Body Art Facility Permits
Significant RestrictionsBerkeley Municipal Code § 11.70.030
It shall be unlawful for any person to perform body art in the City of Berkeley without first registering with the City. As a condition of registration, the applicant shall provide to the City all of the evidence required by Health and Safety Code Section 119306(b) as amended from time to time and pay a nonrefundable registration fee.
Tobacco Retail License
Berkeley bars pharmacies from holding or renewing a tobacco retailer license and blocks new tobacco or e-cigarette retail licenses within 600 feet of any school, with sales of electronic nicotine devices near schools separately prohibited since 2017.
Berkeley Tobacco and Vape Retailer License Limits
Significant RestrictionsBerkeley Municipal Code § 9.80.035(A)-(D)
A. No new tobacco retailer license may be issued to a pharmacy. B. No existing tobacco retailer license may be renewed by a pharmacy. C. No new tobacco retailer license may be issued to authorize the sale of tobacco products within six hundred (600) feet of any school as measured by a straight line from the nearest point of the property line of the parcel on which the school is located to the n...
Secondhand Dealers
Berkeley secondhand dealers, from pawnbrokers to used bike shops, must log every purchase, pledge, or exchange in a police-supplied record book under BMC § 9.36.010. The book must be turned over to the Police Department weekly and goods held at least 30 days before resale.
Berkeley Secondhand Dealer Recordkeeping Rules
Some RestrictionsBerkeley Municipal Code § 9.36.010
Every person, firm or corporation buying, selling, exchanging, receiving in pledge, or otherwise dealing in, whether as a separate business or in connection with other business, secondhand bicycles, bicycle accessories, motorcycles, motorcycle accessories, automobiles, automobile accessories, typewriters, adding or calculating machines, garden hoses, harness, robes, whips, diamonds, jewelry, si...
Auto Repair on Residential Property
Berkeley lets a resident run a repair business from home only as a home occupation, but every repair activity must happen indoors, capped at 400 square feet, with no outdoor work, storage, or noise beyond the unit.
Berkeley Home-Based Auto Repair Limits
Significant RestrictionsBerkeley Municipal Code § 23.302.040(C)(7), (C)(9)
7. Storage, services, repairs and other business activities, other than permitted arrival and departure of customers and goods in transit, may not be conducted outdoors. ... 9. A home occupation shall not create offensive or objectionable noise, vibration, odors, smoke, heat, dirt, electrical or other disturbance perceptible by the average person beyond the unit in which the home occupation is ...
Towing Companies
Berkeley lets a private property owner, their agent, or a designated police officer remove a vehicle parked without consent once the property carries police-approved signage. BMC § 13.52.060 authorizes removal to the nearest garage or a City-designated garage, and the person who wrongly triggers a tow, not the tower, pays the towing and storage bill.
Berkeley Private Property Vehicle Towing
Some RestrictionsBerkeley Municipal Code § 13.52.060
13.52.060 Illegally parked vehicle--Removal--Authorized when. Any regularly employed and salaried employee of the Police Department designated by the Chief of Police, the owner of any private property, or the authorized agent of either, may remove or cause to be removed, any motor vehicle that has been parked or left standing on any private property, driveway or private parking lot or property ...
Looking for Alameda County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Berkeley city rules.
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