Imperial County, CA Home Business: Cottage Food Operations (2026)

Section 90404.01(D) of Title 9, Division 4, Chapter 4 names 'Cottage food operation' as a permitted home occupation in the unincorporated area, citing the California Health & Safety Code. Because the County folds cottage food into its home-occupation framework, the Section 90404.03 standards apply: the operation must be run solely by the resident, conducted within the home using no more than 20% of the floor area, generate no nuisance, involve no outside storage, and post no on-site sign — and it requires a Home Occupation Permit under Section 90404.04. State law sets the substantive food rules and limits how far the County can go. California Health & Safety Code 113758 defines a cottage food operation as a home enterprise with no more than one full-time-equivalent employee (excluding family) producing non-potentially-hazardous 'cottage foods,' split into Class A (direct sales, registration with the local environmental health agency) and Class B (direct and indirect sales, requiring a permit and inspection). Government Code 51035 prohibits a city or county from banning a cottage food operation in a residential dwelling; the local agency must instead either classify it as a permitted residential use, grant a nondiscretionary permit, or require a use permit, and may impose only reasonable standards on spacing/concentration, traffic, parking and noise. Note: the County text cross-references 'Section 114365'; the controlling cottage food definition is Health & Safety Code 113758.