Home Business in Whittier, CA (2026)
4 verified home business rules for Whittier, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Zoning & Home Occupation Permits
Whittier allows home occupations on any residential lot as an accessory use, no separate permit needed, but Whittier Municipal Code Section 18.10.020(C) attaches eight standing conditions: no non-resident employees, no goods stored in the garage, no dust/fumes/noise/odor, a floor-area cap of one room or twenty-five percent of the dwelling, and no appreciable traffic increase, structural alteration or extra signage.
Whittier Home Occupation Zoning Standards
Some RestrictionsWhittier Municipal Code § 18.10.020(C)
C.Home Based Business. Home based businesses, other than cottage food operations governed by Subsection (L) below, are permitted, provided that:1.No display or storage of goods, materials or products connected with a home occupation shall be allowed in a garage or carport, attached or detached, except that such storage may be kept in cabinets, shelves or as specified in this section. Such cabin...
Signage Rules
A Whittier home-based business cannot put up any sign beyond what the zone already allows for that residential lot, under Whittier Municipal Code Section 18.10.020(C)(7): "There is no use of any sign not otherwise permitted in the zone in which the occupation is located." A home business advertising sign is simply not an available option in a residential zone.
Whittier Home Business Sign Restrictions
Light RestrictionsWhittier Municipal Code § 18.10.020(C)(7)
C.Home Based Business. Home based businesses ... are permitted, provided that: ... 7.There is no use of any sign not otherwise permitted in the zone in which the occupation is located; and
Customer Traffic Restrictions
A Whittier home-based business cannot generate "any appreciable increase of traffic, pedestrian or vehicular" beyond what the residential lot would normally see, under Whittier Municipal Code Section 18.10.020(C)(5). That single sentence is one of eight conditions a home occupation must satisfy to stay legal; exceed the traffic threshold and the business loses its accessory-use status and becomes a zoning violation subject to citation.
Whittier Home Business Traffic Limit
Some RestrictionsWhittier Municipal Code § 18.10.020(C)(5)
C.Home Based Business. Home based businesses, other than cottage food operations governed by Subsection (L) below, are permitted, provided that: ... 5.No appreciable increase of traffic, pedestrian or vehicular, results from such occupation,
Home Daycare
Whittier permits licensed family day care homes, defined as a state-licensed residence where the resident cares for children under 18 for less than 24 hours a day, in every zone where state law requires it, without a separate city zoning or use permit, per WMC § 18.10.020(K) and § 18.06.060.
Whittier Family Day Care Home Zoning
Few RestrictionsWhittier Municipal Code § 18.10.020(K); § 18.06.060
K.Family Day Care Facilities. Family day care facilities shall be permitted in all zones where required by and in accordance with state law and shall be licensed as required by law and shall be operated according to all applicable state and local regulations. [...] "Family day care home" means a day care facility licensed by the state of California, located in a residential unit where the resid...
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County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Whittier city rules.
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