Montebello, CA Home Business: Customer Traffic Restrictions (2026)

The City of Montebello's home occupation ordinance, codified at Montebello Municipal Code Section 17.59.050, sets thirteen operating conditions that attach to every home occupation permit issued under Chapter 17.59. Condition two is absolute: clients, customers, and associates shall not be permitted on the subject site. The same subsection restricts staffing to the resident applicant alone, barring volunteers, interns, or independent contractors from taking part in the business, and it requires the entire operation to be conducted inside the enclosed dwelling unit rather than in a yard, garage, or accessory structure.

Storage or display of goods for sale is likewise prohibited, apart from temporary interior storage of materials that does not create a health, safety, or nuisance problem. Because in-person client visits are barred outright, a Montebello home occupation permit works only for businesses that can operate by phone, online, by mail order, or through offsite service calls; anything that depends on customers coming to the house does not qualify and will be denied or later revoked. The planning manager reviews compliance with all thirteen conditions at the application stage under Section 17.59.030, and the director of planning and community development can void an issued permit under Section 17.59.060 if a permittee later starts receiving customers at the residence.