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

Under the City of Indio's Unified Development Code Chapter 4.15, no home occupation is permitted unless the Director certifies that it conforms to the home occupation regulations of the chapter. In practice this is a home-occupation clearance reviewed by the Community Development Department's Planning Division rather than a full discretionary permit. In addition to that certification, every home occupation must obtain a City of Indio business license to operate, which is handled through the city's business licensing process. The chapter limits who may work in the business: no one other than a resident of the dwelling may be employed in the conduct of a home occupation, so the operation must be run by the people who live in the home. The use must be conducted entirely within the dwelling (or an allowed accessory structure), use no more than 400 square feet, and not generate noise, dust, vibration, odor, smoke, glare, electrical interference, fire hazard, or other nuisance beyond what an average residential neighborhood normally experiences. Activities incompatible with residential uses are excluded, including storing or shipping flammable liquids or hazardous materials beyond normal household quantities and welding, machining, or open-flame work. Applicants should apply through the Planning Division and the city's business license office before starting. State-protected uses such as cottage food operations and licensed family daycare follow separate rules and cannot be barred by these standards.