Escondido, CA Home Business: Signage Rules (2026)

Section 33-852(g), governing minor home occupations, provides that no sign or advertising shall be displayed on the premises except where specifically required by law, and that any required signs shall be no larger than the minimum size required by law. The same subsection bars minor home occupations from using their residential address in any advertising, including newspaper advertisements, bulletin boards, and paid electronic advertisements, unless otherwise required by law, though business cards and letterhead are excluded from that restriction as long as they do not draw attention or customers to the property.

Section 33-853(g), the parallel provision for major home occupations, imposes the identical no-sign default but relaxes the address restriction: a major home occupation may use the residential address in print or electronic advertising, provided the advertisement makes clear that on-site services are by appointment only, and again exempts business cards and letterhead from triggering unannounced drop-in visits. Both tiers also prohibit any exterior display of goods or merchandise visible from the exterior of the premises under their respective subsections (h). Because the sign ban is a default rule, the exception only opens when some other section of law affirmatively calls for a sign; it is not a general allowance for home business owners to post their own advertising signage.