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

Signage for a home-based business in unincorporated Tehama County is governed by the County's home occupation definition in Title 17 rather than by a separate home-business sign chapter. That definition requires the home occupation to produce no evidence of its existence beyond the premises - including no noise, smoke, odors, or vibration - except a sign of not more than one square foot. This one-square-foot limit is the operative standard for home occupations and is significantly more restrictive than the sign allowances for commercial uses elsewhere in the code. By contrast, separate Title 17 provisions set larger sign allowances for other uses (for example, bed-and-breakfast establishments and commercial or industrial development design standards), but those provisions do not apply to a home occupation. Because the small-sign limit is built into the very definition of a home occupation, exceeding it means the activity no longer qualifies as a home occupation and would be treated as a commercial use subject to commercial zoning. Operators should keep any home-business sign within the one-square-foot limit and confirm placement and any building-permit considerations with the Tehama County Planning Department, which administers Title 17 for the unincorporated county.