Home Business in Rialto, CA (2026)
6 verified home business rules for Rialto, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Zoning Restrictions
Home occupations are permitted in every Rialto residential zone district with a permit (RMC 5.68.030), but the business must stay incidental to the residence: it may occupy no more than 25 percent of the home's habitable floor area and must be conducted entirely inside the dwelling.
Home Occupations Allowed in All Residential Zones
Some RestrictionsCity of Rialto, Business License FAQs (2025), Q3
The City of Rialto has various land and zone uses that are defined in the City's Municipal Code. Please check with the City's Planning Division at (909) 820-2535 or at planning@rialtoca.gov to determine if your business use is permitted in a particular zone. Home Occupation Businesses require a Home Occupation Permit, issued by the Planning Department.
Signage Rules
Rialto bans all on-site display and advertising for home occupations except a single non-illuminated nameplate no larger than one square foot. Advertising that identifies the home's street address is also prohibited, except in telephone directories and on business cards.
Home Business Signs Limited to 1 Sq Ft Nameplate
Heavy RestrictionsRialto Municipal Code Sec. 5.68.110(A)(11)
No display or advertising shall be allowed on the premises in connection with the home occupation except a nameplate, not exceeding one square foot in area, identifying the name of the proprietor or the name of the business and his or her profession or calling. Any signage permitted pursuant to this provision shall be attached to a permanent structure, shall not be located within the front-yard...
Customer Traffic Restrictions
A Rialto home occupation may not significantly increase neighborhood traffic, and more than eight patrons in any 24-hour period is conclusively deemed a violation. Only one non-resident employee or contractor may be on site at a time.
Eight Patrons Per Day Cap on Home Business Traffic
Some RestrictionsRialto Municipal Code Sec. 5.68.110(A)(20)
The home occupation shall not generate any significant increase in pedestrian or vehicular traffic beyond that normally generated in the residential district in which the premises are located. For the purposes hereof, more than eight patrons in any twenty-four-hour period shall be conclusively deemed a significant increase in traffic.
Cottage Food Operations
California law bars Rialto from prohibiting cottage food operations in residential dwellings (Gov. Code 51035). Home food businesses register with San Bernardino County Environmental Health Services - Class A (direct sales) by registration, Class B (direct and indirect sales) by health permit - and also need City of Rialto planning approval.
Cottage Food Sales Allowed With County Registration
Some RestrictionsSan Bernardino County DEHS, AB 1616 - Cottage Food Operations FAQ (Mar. 2020), Q11
Does a CFO need a permit to operate? Planning/Zoning: All CFOs need to obtain approval from their local city or county planning department. Depending on the jurisdiction, a CFO may obtain either a Home Occupation Permit, or an Exemption Letter from San Bernardino County Land Use Services. The Cottage Food Bill gives planning departments several options to consider, so planning department requir...
Home Daycare
State law makes small (up to 8 children) and large (7 to 14 children) family daycare homes a residential use by right, and Rialto cannot impose a business license, fee, or tax on them. RMC 5.68.040(D) expressly exempts state-licensed child care from the city's home occupation permit requirement.
Family Daycare Homes Exempt From Local Permits
Few RestrictionsCal. Health and Safety Code Sec. 1597.45(a), (b)
The use of a home as a small or large family daycare home shall be considered a residential use of property and a use by right for the purposes of all local ordinances, including, but not limited to, zoning ordinances. ... A local jurisdiction shall not impose a business license, fee, or tax for the privilege of operating a small or large family daycare home.
Home Occupation Permits
Rialto requires home-based businesses to obtain both a Home Occupation Permit from the Planning Division and a city business license. Under Rialto Municipal Code 5.68.040, no business license may be issued for a home occupation until a valid home occupation permit has been issued.
Home Occupation Permit and Business License Required
Some RestrictionsCity of Rialto, Business License FAQs (2025), Q1 and Q3; City of Rialto, New Business License FAQs, Q3
Home Occupation Licenses / Fee: Home Occupation Permit Application $45.90 New Business License Application Administration $40.40 Business License Renewal Administration $25.90 State Fee $4.00 Business License Tax - Tax Calculator available at www.rialtoca.gov ... Home Occupation Businesses require a Home Occupation Permit, issued by the Planning Department. ... Please Note: All businesses must ...
Looking for San Bernardino County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Rialto city rules.
Home Business in San Bernardino County →