Daly City, CA Home Business: Zoning & Home Occupation Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Code Chapter
- DCMC Ch. 17.36 (Home Occupations)
- Floor Area Limit
- One room, max 1/4 of one floor
- Garage / Accessory Building
- Cannot be used for the business
- Interior Storage Cap
- 100 cubic feet
- Workers
- Residents of the dwelling only
Summary
Under DCMC Chapter 17.36, a home occupation must be clearly secondary to the dwelling, confined to one room no larger than one-fourth of one floor, and conducted so 'the average neighbor, under normal circumstances, would not be aware of its existence.' Garages, accessory buildings, and open space are off limits, and a long list of occupations is excluded outright.
I know that the existence of my home occupation can not be evident from outside the dwelling nor shall my home occupation create a nuisance detectable to the normal senses beyond my property lines or beyond the walls of my home. I cannot use my garage or an accessory building (e.g., "storage shed") to conduct my home occupation. Storage of items is permissible so long as a parking space is not occupied. If I have employees, they cannot report to my house for work. We will meet at the jobsite instead. I cannot have customers pickup up things from my house or and/or make deliveries to my house. I cannot use more than one vehicle to conduct my home occupation and that vehicle cannot be longer than my driveway or have a payload over three-quarters of one ton. I cannot have any signs installed on my home or yard that advertise my home occupation.
Full Breakdown
DCMC Sec. 020 defines a home occupation as 'a business, art or profession, the offering of a service, or the handicraft manufacture of products within a residential dwelling' that is secondary to the residential use. Sec. 030 requires that only residents of the dwelling conduct the work; limits the occupation to one room no greater than one-fourth the total square footage of any one floor; prohibits use of garage space, accessory buildings, or open space for the business or its storage; caps interior storage of equipment, materials, and supplies at one hundred cubic feet; bans sales and exchange of merchandise at the dwelling; and prohibits exterior alterations, a direct outside entrance to the business, hazardous or flammable materials storage, and equipment exceeding fifteen amperes at one hundred ten volts.
Sec. 040 excludes occupations including automobile repair and detailing, spray finishing, welding, tow services, limousine and delivery services, mail order (except telephone only), food preparation, beauty salons, barber shops, photography studios, health care clinics, massage studios, kennels, firearm sales, contractor offices where employees report before going to a job site, and roofing businesses. The city's application requires signing an acknowledgment of these rules.
Violations & Fines
A home occupation that violates the Chapter 17.36 conditions is subject to immediate permit revocation under Sec. 17.36.060. Sec. 17.36.030(I) makes parking or storing prohibited business vehicles on residential property or any public street in a residential district a prima facie violation, whether or not a home occupation license has been obtained.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I run my business out of my garage in Daly City?
Which businesses can never qualify as a Daly City home occupation?
Can I sell products from my house?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Daly City
How Daly City compares: Easiest Cities to Run a Home Business·California rules heatmap·Compare Daly City to another location·View the California home business overview
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