Home Business in Costa Mesa, CA (2026)
4 verified home business rules for Costa Mesa, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Zoning & Home Occupation Permits
Costa Mesa treats a home business as a secondary use of a residential property and requires a home occupation permit before any business license issues. Section 13-168 sets eleven evaluation standards the planning division applies, including a single-room limit, no outside employees, no on-site retail sales, and no exterior signage.
Costa Mesa Home Occupation Zoning Standards
Significant RestrictionsCosta Mesa, CA, Municipal Code § 13-168
(a) There shall be no employment of persons other than permanent residents of the premises. (b) There shall be no direct sale of products, either wholesale or retail on the premises. (c) No more than one room in the dwelling may be used for the home occupation. ... (h) No signs shall be displayed in connection with the home occupation, and there shall be no advertising using the home address, w...
Signage Rules
Home occupations in Costa Mesa may display no signs at all and cannot advertise using the home address, except in the telephone directory, under Municipal Code Section 13-168(h), one of the evaluation standards every home occupation permit must meet.
Costa Mesa Home Business Sign Ban
Heavy RestrictionsCosta Mesa Municipal Code § 13-168(h)
No signs shall be displayed in connection with the home occupation, and there shall be no advertising using the home address, with the exception of advertising in the telephone directory.
Customer Traffic Restrictions
Costa Mesa allows a home occupation to see customers, but caps it at one client at a time and no more than eight per day. Cross that threshold and section 13-164 requires a minor conditional use permit on top of the standard home occupation permit, reviewed through the planning application process.
Costa Mesa Home Business Customer Traffic Limit
Some RestrictionsCosta Mesa, CA, Municipal Code § 13-164
No person shall engage in a home occupation, as defined in this Zoning Code, within any residentially zoned area of the city without first applying for and securing a permit. No business license shall be issued until a home occupation permit has been approved and issued. Home occupations that generate customer traffic and do not involve more than one customer/client at a time and no more than e...
Home Daycare
A Costa Mesa home caring for 7 to 14 children is a large family day care home under Sec. 13-37, permitted only in a single-family dwelling and required to sit at least 700 feet from another large family day care home on the same street or block. Closer spacing needs a minor conditional use permit.
Costa Mesa Large Family Day Care Home Rules
Some RestrictionsCosta Mesa Municipal Code Sec. 13-37
Applications for large family day care homes shall be submitted to the planning division for development review per Chapter III, Planning Applications, prior to the commencement of the use. A large family day care home may only be permitted in a single-family dwelling and shall not be located within 700 feet of an existing large family day care home on the same street or block, unless the appli...
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County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Costa Mesa city rules.
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