Eureka, CA Home Business: Home Occupation Permits (2026)

Per the Humboldt County Planning and Building Department, Current Planning Division (3015 H Street, Eureka, 707-445-7541), home-based businesses in the unincorporated county are regulated through two parallel permit tracks. The Home Occupation Permit covers any use customarily carried on within a dwelling by the inhabitants thereof that is clearly incidental and secondary to the residential use of the dwelling; the related Address of Convenience covers non-residential activities with no employees, no deliveries to the address, and use of the residence only for receiving mail, phone calls, or related record keeping (typically a mobile business). Cottage Industry Permits cover establishments primarily engaged in the on-site production of goods by hand manufacturing, such as ceramic studios, custom jewelry, and small furniture or cabinet manufacturers. Both permit applications are processed by the Planning and Building Department and must be submitted alongside a Business License application to the Humboldt County Tax Collector, Courthouse, 825 Fifth Street, Eureka, CA 95501. The applicant must certify compliance with the conditions in the cited Humboldt County Code sections.