Calaveras County, CA Home Business: Zoning & Home Occupation Permits (2026)

140 of the Calaveras County Code applies to home occupations conducted in any residential unit in the unincorporated county, regardless of the zoning district, though it does not cover licensed family day care, which is regulated separately. Operating a home occupation requires a separate county business license where applicable, and the use must be conducted entirely within the residential unit, an attached garage, or another accessory structure on the property, never spreading outdoors or into a separate commercial space. No more than thirty-three percent of the total floor area of all structures on the parcel can be used for the business, and the property must keep its residential appearance, with no exterior sign of commercial activity other than signage otherwise allowed under the county's sign chapter.

Staffing is capped at one employee or independent contractor beyond the people who live on the property, except for cottage food operations, which get an added food employee. Outdoor storage of business materials must meet the same outdoor storage standards that apply to the zoning district generally, and equipment or materials cannot change the fire safety or occupancy classification of the residence or use utilities beyond what a home would normally need; only the types and amounts of hazardous materials found in an ordinary household are allowed.

A home occupation cannot generate noise, dust, vibration, odor, smoke, glare, or other nuisance perceptible beyond the lot line. Subsection E flatly bars three categories of home occupation outright: eating and drinking establishments, hotels and motels, and retail sales.