Chino Hills, CA Home Business: Customer Traffic Restrictions (2026)

Chino Hills regulates home-based businesses through its Home Occupation Permit (HOP) program in Chapter 16.56 of the Development Code. Section 16.56.020(I) sets the cap for foot traffic directly: visitors or customers are limited to three persons per day. That limit works alongside Section 16.56.020(K), which bars operating the residence as a retail storefront where potential customers browse merchandise, but expressly permits occasional client visits under the 16.56.020(I) cap to complete paperwork, tender payment, or take delivery of products already ordered. Deliveries to or from the HOP residence are capped at three per day under Section 16.56.020(J) and cannot use commercial trucks, though Fed Ex, UPS, and similar home-delivery vehicles are exempt.

The Community Development Department issues the HOP after review under Section 16.56.050, and any home business that exceeds the visitor cap can have its permit suspended or revoked by the Director under Section 16.56.070 upon a showing of probable cause, with a right to appeal to an impartial hearing officer within thirty days. Personal-service uses such as barbering, hair styling, and personal training are listed among permitted home occupations in Section 16.56.030 specifically on condition that maximum attendance still complies with the Section 16.56.020(I) visitor cap.

A business that requires more foot traffic than three people a day, such as a walk-in retail operation, does not qualify for a Chino Hills HOP and needs a commercial location instead.