Home Business in Davis, CA (2026)
4 verified home business rules for Davis, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Zoning & Home Occupation Permits
Davis allows a home-based business as a permitted 'home occupation' use in residential districts under Section 40.26.150, but caps it at twenty-five percent of one floor's area and routes every application through the community development and sustainability department for approval.
Davis Home Occupation Permit and Zoning Standards
Some RestrictionsDavis Municipal Code § 40.26.150(a)(7),(c)
The purpose of the home occupations provisions is to permit the conduct of a business in residential districts and residential uses in other districts, and is limited to those uses which may be conducted within a residential dwelling without in any way changing the appearance or conditions of the residence and neighborhood. ... (7) No more than twenty-five percent of the area of one floor of th...
Signage Rules
Davis restricts home occupation signage to a single small nameplate under Municipal Code Section 40.26.150(a)(6). No other advertising sign, banner, or display is allowed on the premises of a home-based business operating inside city limits, whether the occupation is a tutoring service, a craft studio, or a licensed cottage food operation.
Davis Home Business Sign Limits
Significant RestrictionsDavis Municipal Code § 40.26.150(a)(6)
(6) The home occupation shall not involve the use of advertising signs on the premises except that one nameplate (name/occupation only) is permitted not to exceed one-half square foot in area. The nameplate is to be located flat against the building wall only.
Customer Traffic Restrictions
A Davis home business cannot generate pedestrian or vehicle traffic or parking demand beyond what is normal for the residential district under Section 40.26.150(a)(4), and subsection (a)(5) bars using commercial vehicles to deliver materials to or from the home.
Davis Home Occupation Traffic and Parking Limit
Some RestrictionsDavis Municipal Code § 40.26.150(a)(1),(4)-(5)
(a) Criteria. The following criteria shall be employed by the director to determine a valid home occupation. (1) No employment of help other than the members of the resident family or household and no more than one assisting full time equivalent employee. No more than one part-time employee from outside the household shall be working at any one time. ... (4) The use shall not generate pedestria...
Home Daycare
Under Municipal Code Section 40.26.270, Davis treats a small family day care home as a residential use that needs no conditional use permit, matching state law's protection for in-home child care. Larger group day care homes, nurseries, and day care centers face separate space and fencing standards and, for nurseries and centers, a required conditional use permit.
Davis Family Day Care Home Rules
Some RestrictionsDavis Municipal Code § 40.26.270(a)(1), (b)(1)
Family and Group Day Care Homes. ... Licensed by the county social welfare department, have no age restrictions, and serve as the residences of the licensees. Small family daycare homes serve a maximum of six children, or up to eight children if the criteria in Health and Safety Code Section 1597.44 are met, while large family day care homes serve from nine to twelve children, or up to fourteen...
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County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Davis city rules.
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