Unincorporated San Diego County allows home occupations as accessory residential uses under Section 6156 of the County Zoning Ordinance and PDS-304 standards. No discretionary permit is required if the use meets all standards: conducted entirely within the dwelling or attached garage, no exterior evidence, no on-premise sale of goods (except a permitted Cottage Food Operation under Health and Safety Code Section 114365), and no more than one non-resident employee. Uses that exceed these standards require a Minor Use Permit.
Home occupations in unincorporated San Diego County are regulated as accessory uses under Section 6156(m) of the County Zoning Ordinance, with the standards codified on County PDS Form PDS-304 (Home Occupations). The County does not require a discretionary home-occupation permit, business license, or registration for a home occupation that meets the by-right standards: (1) the home occupation must be conducted entirely within a dwelling unit or an attached garage; (2) the residents of the dwelling, plus no more than one non-resident employee, may be engaged in the home occupation; (3) there must be no exterior evidence of the conduct of a home occupation - no separate entrance, no display of products, no advertising signage on the property; (4) the establishment and conduct of the home occupation must not change the principal character or use of the dwelling unit or the property; (5) there must be no on-premise sale of goods, except as allowed for a Cottage Food Operation under California Health and Safety Code Section 114365 - which itself requires a separate County of San Diego Department of Environmental Health Cottage Food permit; occasional transport of goods from the premises for off-site sale is allowed; (6) the use must not generate vehicular or pedestrian traffic, parking demand, noise, vibration, glare, fumes, odors, dust, or electrical interference beyond that normal for the residential zone. Home occupations that propose more than one non-resident employee, exterior evidence, on-site customer visits beyond the residential norm, or any other deviation from Section 6156(m) standards require a Minor Use Permit (or Major Use Permit) processed by the County Department of Planning and Development Services under Section 7300 et seq. of the Zoning Ordinance, which involves discretionary review, public notice, and appealable findings. Specific uses (auto repair, kennels, clinics, etc.) are not permitted as home occupations regardless of standards. Occupations ancillary to Agricultural use types and Cottage Food Operations are addressed in separate subsections of Section 6156. Federal and state professional licensing (e.g., contractor, real estate, daycare) is independent of zoning compliance.
Operating a home occupation that exceeds the Section 6156(m) by-right standards - more than one non-resident employee, exterior signage or evidence, on-premise retail sales without a Cottage Food permit, or generating non-residential traffic/noise/odor - without a Minor or Major Use Permit is enforced by the County of San Diego PDS Code Enforcement Division. Penalties may include correction notices, daily administrative fines under County Code, recorded notices of violation, and orders to cease the use. A Cottage Food Operation without a County DEH permit also violates Health and Safety Code Section 114365.
See how other cities in San Diego County handle home occupation permits.
See how El Cajon's home occupation permits rules stack up against other locations.
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