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

Under the City of Pleasanton Zoning Ordinance, Chapter 18.104 (Home Occupations), Section 18.104.010 empowers the Zoning Administrator to grant home occupation permits for activities that traditionally occur in residences without changing neighborhood character. Section 18.104.050 requires the applicant to submit forms to the Zoning Administrator, who issues a zoning certificate upon determining that the home occupation complies with the chapter's requirements (the Section 18.104.030 conditions: residents only, one-room/50-square-foot limit, no signs, no vehicle over one ton, no excess noise/odor/traffic, etc.). Section 18.104.060 allows the Planning Commission to review the Zoning Administrator's decision on appeal by the Commission, the Administrator, the applicant, or an aggrieved party, and Section 18.104.070 allows the Commission to modify the required conditions if doing so would not harm public health, safety, or nearby properties. Section 18.104.080 provides that violations trigger automatic suspension; the Commission holds a hearing within 40 days and may revoke the permit, with the decision becoming final 15 days after revocation or following the next council meeting unless appealed. A lower tier of activity is exempt from needing a permit altogether under Section 18.104.020: office-type activities only, or the production of minor arts and crafts, where no employee other than one resident works there, no clients or customers come to the premises, no signs are used, and the use occupies no more than one room.