Alhambra, CA Home Business: Zoning Restrictions (2026)

The City of Alhambra's home occupation standards are set in zoning Section 23.22.160, within Chapter 23.22 (Standards for Specific Uses). The provisions are intended to allow home enterprises that are incidental to and compatible with surrounding residential uses, and the section applies to home occupations in any residential unit in the city regardless of the zoning designation - so the use is tied to a residence rather than to commercial or industrial zoning. Family day care is regulated separately and is expressly excluded from this section. A home occupation must be confined completely to one room within the dwelling, and that space may not occupy an area equivalent to more than 25% of the gross area of one floor or 100 square feet, whichever is less. The residential appearance of the unit must be maintained, and no exterior indication of a home occupation is permitted. Operations may not generate a volume of pedestrian, automobile or truck traffic inconsistent with the surrounding neighborhood or create a need for additional parking. No offensive or objectionable noise, dust, vibration, smell, smoke, heat, humidity, glare, refuse, radiation, electrical disturbance, interference with communications or other nuisance may be perceptible at or beyond any lot line, and the activity may not change the fire-safety or occupancy classification or use utilities beyond normal residential use. There may be no exterior storage of materials, supplies or equipment, and no vehicle larger than a three-quarter-ton truck may be used in connection with the business. Because uses depend on each property's zoning designation, the Planning Division reviews each application.