Santa Rosa, CA Home Business: Signage Rules (2026)

Sign regulation for home-based businesses sits at the intersection of two Santa Rosa Zoning Code chapters. First, the home occupation standard itself - Section 20-42.070 - requires that a home occupation have 'no exterior signs, except limited name identification allowed by Code,' per the City's published Home Business Permits page. Second, Chapter 20-38 (Signs) governs what residential sign is permissible at all: the City's published sign-standards summary explains that 'signs on a lot zoned for single-family residential shall not exceed six square feet in area and six feet in height,' and 'signs shall be located not less than five feet inside the property line in residential zones.' For non-single-family residential lots, a maximum of 12 square feet per freestanding or wall sign applies on lots of 20,000 square feet or less and up to 24 square feet on larger lots, with no wall sign exceeding 20 feet in height. The City's Sign Regulations page (srcity.org/582) confirms that most signs require a Sign Permit, including installing a new sign or replacing or modifying an existing sign, with limited exemptions for interior signs, certain temporary signs, and small directional or informational signs. Prohibited sign categories explicitly include off-site signs (billboards), moving, flashing, or windblown signs, and signs that create safety hazards or obstruct visibility; the City's Common Codes Enforced page also lists un-permitted billboards, wind-blown signs and A-frames, and anything taped or posted on public property as prohibited. The relevant code sections are 20-38.040 (Signs allowed without a Sign Permit), 20-38.060 (Zoning District Sign Standards), and 20-38.080 (Prohibited Signs). For cottage food operations, Cal. Gov. Code Section 51035(a)(2)-(3) permits Santa Rosa to apply reasonable signage standards, but only consistent with the local sign and noise rules - it does not authorize a higher restriction on cottage food than on other home occupations.