Business Licensing & Operations in Tracy, CA (2026)
5 verified business licensing & operations rules for Tracy, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Adult Entertainment
Tracy confines adult businesses to the Community Shopping Center, Light Industrial and General Highway Commercial zones under Municipal Code Section 10.28.806, and even there bars them within 1,000 feet of any residential zone, school, park, religious institution or another adult business. Operators also need an adult business use permit under Section 10.28.808 before opening, on top of ordinary zoning approval.
Tracy Adult Business Permit and Zoning Buffers
Significant RestrictionsTracy Municipal Code § 10.28.806
(a)No adult business shall be established or located in any zoning district in the City other than: community shopping center (CS); light industrial (M-1); and general highway commercial (GHC); subject to the limitations of this chapter.(b)In those zoning districts where an adult business is otherwise permitted, it is unlawful to establish an adult business if the location, at the time the appl...
Massage Establishments
Operating a massage business in Tracy without a police-issued permit is a misdemeanor under TMC 4.20.150. Chapter 4.20, rewritten by Ordinance No. 1366 in December 2025, requires CAMTC-certified therapists, background checks for non-certified owners, permits that expire every June 30th, and limits massage establishments to 10:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. closing hours.
Tracy Massage Establishment Permit Requirements
Significant RestrictionsTracy Municipal Code § 4.20.150(a)
4.20.150(a) It is unlawful for any person to operate a massage establishment within the City without first obtaining a massage establishment permit from the Tracy Police Department... 4.20.170(e) Term. A massage establishment permit issued pursuant to the terms of this chapter shall be valid until June 30th of each year, regardless of when the permit was issued... 4.20.230(a) No massage establi...
Tobacco Retail License
Tracy zoning bars tobacco and vape retailers from locating within 600 feet of any school, day care center or youth center, and adds a second 600-foot buffer from residential zones for shops that devote more than 10 percent of floor space to tobacco products.
Tracy Tobacco Retailer Location Buffer
Significant RestrictionsTracy Municipal Code § 10.08.3194(c)
(c)Location Restrictions for Tobacco Retailers.(1)The following location restrictions apply to all tobacco retailers operating in the City:i.Tobacco retailing shall only be conducted at fixed locations; andii.Tobacco retailers shall be located at least six hundred (600) feet from a sensitive youth use; andiii.If located on separate parcels, the distance between the tobacco retailer and the sens...
Auto Repair on Residential Property
Tracy's home occupation ordinance names vehicle and appliance repair shops among the uses flatly banned from residential properties. Tracy Municipal Code section 10.08.4610(a), part of Article 36 of the zoning code, prohibits "appliance or vehicle repair shops" as a home occupation in every residential district, alongside animal hospitals, beauty parlors and pet grooming, no matter how small the operation or whether the resident applies for a home occupation permit.
Tracy Bars Vehicle Repair as Home Occupation
Heavy RestrictionsTracy Municipal Code § 10.08.4610
(a)Prohibited uses. The following uses, and those with similar characteristics, are prohibited as home occupations: photography studio, beauty parlor, barber shop, pet grooming, appliance or vehicle repair shops, animal hospital, medical practitioner, clinic, music school, dancing school, business school, any other school with organized classes, except for individual instruction.(b)Individual i...
Towing Companies
Tracy Police Department dispatches non-consent tows only to operators on its Chapter 3.44 rotation list. Responding to a police radio call or soliciting tow work without a specific department request is unlawful, approved operators must reach the scene within thirty minutes, and each must carry at least $500,000 in liability coverage and a storage lot within two miles of the city limits.
Tracy Police Towing Rotation Rules
Significant RestrictionsTracy Municipal Code §§ 3.44.040, 3.44.200
3.44.040 - Unlawful responses: It is unlawful for any person, towing service operator or the agent, attendant or other employee of a towing service operator, whether or not on the rotation list, to respond to any police radio call for the purpose of removing from the public streets and towing away any vehicle subject to the provisions of this chapter unless specifically requested to do so by an...
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