Union City requires any business operating from a residence to complete a Zoning Compliance Review with the Planning Division before getting a business license. The residential application carries a $59 fee, and an approved review is valid for 180 days and is not itself an entitlement.
Union City does not issue a standalone 'home occupation permit'; instead, any business operating from a residence must obtain a Zoning Compliance Review (Residential Application) from the Planning Division, then a business license from the Finance Department. The residential application fee is $59, and applicants complete a Home Occupation Questionnaire confirming compliance with the 18.32.020.G rules (floor area, employees, signage, vehicles, noise, cottage food). The Planning Division marks the use approved or disapproved; an approved form must reach Finance within 180 days. The review is not an entitlement, and the business must follow all applicable rules. Business licensing is required citywide under Municipal Code Chapter 5, and non-compliance is an infraction under Chapter 1.16. Contact Planning at 510-675-5379.
Operating a home business without the required zoning compliance review and business license is an infraction under Municipal Code Chapter 1.16, subject to citation. Incomplete applications may be rejected, and resubmittals are subject to another $59 fee.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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Union City does not restrict backyard composting, and its Water Efficient Landscape ordinance (UCMC 18.112) requires compost in permitted landscape installat...
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Union City has no ordinance banning artificial turf on private property, and California Civil Code 4735 voids HOA rules prohibiting synthetic grass. For perm...
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Union City's Water Efficient Landscape ordinance (UCMC Chapter 18.112) implements California's MWELO. New landscapes of 500+ sq ft and rehab projects of 2,50...
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Union City does not prohibit residential rainwater capture. California's Rainwater Capture Act allows rooftop collection without a water right, and the City'...
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Union City's water purveyor is the Alameda County Water District (ACWD), serving the Tri-City area. ACWD enforces permanent water-waste prohibitions year-rou...
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All weeds on streets, sidewalks, and private property in Union City are declared a public nuisance under UCMC Chapter 7.08. The Fire Chief gives a ten-day no...
Side-by-side rule comparisons with other cities in Alameda County.
See how other cities in Alameda County handle home occupation permits.
See how Union City's home occupation permits rules stack up against other locations.
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