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

Per Zoning Ordinance Section 21.94.010, applications for home occupations are administered by the Department of Planning and Community Development; applicants apply through the County (the Planning Department can be reached at 209.525.6330). To qualify, the home occupation must satisfy every criterion in Section 21.94.020: it must be clearly incidental and subordinate to residential use, use no more than 20 percent of the dwelling's habitable floor area, be staffed only by dwelling occupants on site, produce no property-line-detectable noise/dust/odor/vibration (max 65 dBA), involve no outdoor storage or product display, generate no more than normal residential traffic, and add no more than two parked vehicles. Section 21.94.020(J) lists specific permitted uses with added limitations — beauty/barber shops limited to one operator, contractor and subcontractor offices (no outdoor storage of materials/equipment and no more than one non-residential commercial vehicle), furniture repair/reupholstery limited to one occupant with no public pickup or delivery, and trucking operations parking up to three tractor-trailer combinations only in the A-2 zone on parcels of at least one acre subject to detailed conditions. Section 21.94.030 expressly prohibits certain uses as home occupations: on-site repair/reconditioning of motor vehicles, manufacturing (including cabinet shops), repair of major household appliances, repair of boats or recreational vehicles, and medical, dental and chiropractic clinics and offices.