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

Article 1.2 of the Zoning Code, Sections 12-17 through 12-17.10, governs home occupations citywide. Section 12-17 states the purpose: residential districts are 'quiet and safe neighborhood environments' from which businesses are excluded except for permitted home occupations meeting 'the most restrictive interpretation of conditions and criteria.' Section 12-17.3 makes it unlawful to run any non-prohibited home occupation without first getting authorization from the Planning and Building Department Director, and applicants apply by filing a home occupation questionnaire with their Business Tax Certificate registration under Section 12-17.4.

Section 12-17.4 sets the operating criteria: the activity must be clearly incidental to residential use, conducted entirely within an enclosed structure (except growing flowers or plants), confined to a single room of no more than one hundred square feet total even if multiple occupations run from the home, and it cannot use any required garage space. No employee other than a permanent resident may work there, it cannot generate added vehicle or foot traffic or need extra parking, and no equipment beyond a half-horsepower electric motor total may be used. Sales or deliveries to customers on-site are barred except for goods fabricated on the premises, and no advertisement may print the residential address.

The Director must decide within ten working days of receiving the questionnaire and business tax certificate form, per Section 12-17.5, and can waive certain restrictions for a disabled applicant. Denials or revocations can be appealed to the Planning Commission under Section 12-17.6, with the appellant bearing the burden of proof and any doubt resolved against approval.