Business Licensing & Operations in Santa Clara, CA (2026)
6 verified business licensing & operations rules for Santa Clara, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Adult Entertainment
Santa Clara confines adult-oriented businesses to the C-R commercial zone, and only with a Conditional Use Permit, then layers on strict spacing rules under Zoning Code Section 18.62.020. No adult bookstore, theater, cabaret, hotel/motel, or similar use can locate within 500 feet of a residential or mixed-use zone, another adult business, a restricted personal-services use, or a school or day-care facility.
Santa Clara Adult Business Location Rules
Significant RestrictionsSanta Clara, CA, City Code § 18.62.020 (Location of Adult-Oriented Business Uses)
C-R Zone. Adult-oriented business uses are only allowed with the approval of a Conditional Use Permit in the C-R zone as shown in Table 2-4 (Commercial Zones Allowed Uses and Permit Requirements). Distances. ... No adult-oriented business uses shall be established or located within: 500 feet from a parcel, located within or outside the City limits, situated in a Residential or a Mixed-Use zone....
Massage Establishments
Santa Clara requires a Police Chief-issued massage establishment permit before anyone opens or operates a massage business, on top of a business license and each therapist's state CAMTC certificate. Operating without a valid permit lets the City order the business to shut down immediately.
Santa Clara Massage Establishment License
Significant RestrictionsSanta Clara, CA, City Code (SCCC) § 5.40.040
It is unlawful for any owner, as defined herein, to own, manage, or operate in or upon any premises within the city a massage establishment without first having obtained a massage establishment permit issued by the Chief of Police pursuant to the provisions hereinafter set forth. A permit shall be valid for twelve (12) months from the date of issuance, unless revoked or suspended. A separate ma...
Tattoo & Body Modification
Santa Clara zones tattoo and body piercing shops as a "Restricted Personal Service" under City Code Section 18.60.170, requiring a Minor Use Permit and a 500-foot buffer from other restricted personal services, schools, hotels, childcare centers and residential-zoned parcels citywide.
Santa Clara Tattoo Shop Zoning Rules
Significant RestrictionsSanta Clara, CA, City Code § 18.60.170 (Personal Services, Restricted)
Anti-Skid-Row Regulations. Excepting the provisions of Article 5 (Nonconformities) pertaining to nonconforming uses, no parcel of property in any zone or any structure thereon, or any portion thereof, within the City, shall be used for a Restricted Personal Service use at a location closer than 500 feet from another Restricted Personal Service use nor 500 feet from the below-indicated uses (whe...
Secondhand Dealers
Santa Clara requires secondhand dealers, businesses that buy, sell, trade or take in secondhand goods for consignment or auction, to hold a Chief of Police permit before operating, under City Code § 5.30.030. Applicants file a CPA-reviewed financial statement, submit fingerprints for a California Department of Justice background check, and pay a DOJ investigation fee plus a City processing fee before the Chief approves the permit.
Santa Clara Secondhand Dealer Licensing Rules
Significant RestrictionsSanta Clara, CA, City Code §§ 5.30.020(b), 5.30.030
"Secondhand dealer" shall include any person, corporation, firm, or corporation whose business includes buying, selling, trading, taking in pawn, accepting for sale on consignment, accepting for auctioning or auctioning secondhand tangible personal property pursuant to Section 21626 of the Business and Professions Code, as amended from time to time. ... It shall be unlawful for any person to en...
Pawnbrokers
Santa Clara requires anyone running a pawnbroker business to hold a permit from the Chief of Police before opening, under City Code § 5.30.030. Applicants submit fingerprints for a California Department of Justice background check and a CPA-reviewed financial statement, then pay a DOJ investigation fee plus a City processing fee. The Chief of Police can deny, suspend or revoke a permit for fraud or a property-crime conviction.
Santa Clara Pawnbroker Licensing Rules
Significant RestrictionsSanta Clara, CA, City Code §§ 5.30.020(a), 5.30.030
"Pawnbroker" is every person engaged in the business of receiving goods, including motor vehicles, in pledge as security for a loan pursuant to Section 21000 of the Financial Code, as amended from time to time. ... It shall be unlawful for any person to engage in the business of a pawnbroker or secondhand dealer within the city limits without first obtaining a permit issued by the Chief of Poli...
Auto Repair on Residential Property
Santa Clara flatly bans vehicle repair as a home occupation. Title 18 Section 18.60.120 lists vehicle storage, cleaning, dismantling, installation, manufacture, repair, and service among the uses that can never qualify for a home-business Zoning Clearance, no matter how small the operation or how it's advertised.
Santa Clara Home Auto Repair Ban
Heavy RestrictionsSanta Clara, CA, City Code (Title 18 Zoning Code) § 18.60.120 (Prohibited Home Occupations)
Prohibited Home Occupations. The following uses and activities are prohibited as Home Occupations: ... f. Vehicle storage, cleaning, dismantling, installation, manufacture, repair, service; g. Vehicle sale, lease, rental, or dispatching including via e-commerce platforms;
Looking for Santa Clara County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Santa Clara city rules.
Business Licensing & Operations in Santa Clara County →