Mendocino County, CA Home Business: Signage Rules (2026)

Sec. 015(C) of the Mendocino County Code addresses signage as part of a broader rule that a home occupation cannot result in any change to the outside appearance of the building or premises, or other visible evidence that a business is being run there, other than one nonilluminated sign not exceeding two square feet. 156, which requires no use permit as long as the operator stays within these limits. 160 allows a larger sign: Sec. 020(D) permits one nonilluminated sign up to four square feet for a Cottage Industry - Limited operation, and Sec.

025(D) allows the same four-square-foot nonilluminated sign for a Cottage Industry - General operation, both of which require an Administrative Permit rather than operating by right. The pattern across all three sections is consistent: signage stays nonilluminated in every case, and the size allowance only grows when the underlying use moves from a permit-free home occupation into a permitted cottage industry. A sign larger than two square feet, or one that is illuminated, on a property operating as a home occupation exceeds what Sec. 015(C) allows without first obtaining the Administrative Permit that comes with a Cottage Industry classification.