Del Norte County, CA Home Business: Signage Rules (2026)

Signage for home-based businesses in unincorporated Del Norte County is tightly limited by the home occupation standards in the county zoning ordinance. Section 21.04.330 of the coastal zoning code (Title 21) requires that a home occupation produce no evidence of its existence beyond the dwelling except for an unlighted sign of not more than one square foot. The same provision lists noise, smoke, odors, and vibration as examples of prohibited outside evidence, reinforcing that a home occupation is meant to be invisible to neighbors apart from that single small, unlit sign. In practice this means a home business may not erect a large freestanding sign, an illuminated or internally lit sign, or multiple signs at a residence; the permitted identification is a single sign no larger than one square foot, with no lighting. The ordinance does separately define outdoor advertising signs and outdoor advertising structures (sections 21.04.620 and 21.04.630), which are commercial sign categories governed elsewhere in the code and not intended for residential home occupations. Because the county maintains both a coastal (Title 21) and a non-coastal (Title 20) zoning code, a resident should confirm which title governs their parcel and whether any additional sign permit requirements apply. For most home-based businesses, the practical rule is simple: keep any sign to one square foot or smaller and do not light it. Questions about signs in the unincorporated county go to the Planning Division at (707) 464-7254.