Santa Rosa, CA Home Business: Home Occupation Permits (2026)

Permit Sonoma guideline PJR-048 and Zoning Code Section 26-88-121 govern home occupations in the unincorporated County. As of Ordinance No. 6363 (effective December 14, 2021), no zoning permit is required; the home occupation is allowed by right if it meets the code standards. Those standards include: not more than four customers or clients may visit the dwelling for any service or product during any one day, and not more than two customers or clients at any one time; customer visits and deliveries are limited to 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and cannot occur on state and federal holidays; a maximum of ten deliveries and/or pickups of materials, goods, supplies, or products is allowed per week; and no more than one single one-ton-or-smaller commercial vehicle related to the business may be kept at the dwelling site. Only residents of the dwelling may work in the home occupation, and the use is confined to up to 25 percent of the dwelling or up to 500 square feet of a garage or detached accessory structure. The property owner and applicant must sign affidavits agreeing to abide by the standards and acknowledging that the home occupation cannot authorize any activity contrary to the Sonoma County Code or that would be a nuisance under state or local law. A countywide business license is not separately required, but other regulatory approvals (such as state licensing for the underlying activity) may still apply.