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

Municipal Code Section 24.01.100 defines a home occupation as a limited business conducted within a dwelling unit by the permanent residents, which is clearly incidental and secondary to the residential use and does not change the character of the home. Section 24.05.020(D)(7) lists home occupations operated by residents of the property, conducted wholly within the dwelling unit, among the permitted accessory uses and structures allowed in every residential zone, so no conditional use permit or discretionary hearing is required for a qualifying home business. The same definition section draws firm lines around what stays a home occupation: it shall not involve deliveries, employees at the residence, signs or advertising on the property, storage of supplies, products or equipment not normally found in a residence, sales or customer traffic to the property, or activities that significantly disrupt the surrounding neighborhood through light, noise, odors, hours of operation or other intrusive characteristics that create a nuisance.

A separate list of examples treats specific activities as automatically changing a dwelling's character, and therefore disqualifying, including manufacturing or assembling products, using special equipment or wiring not customarily found in a house, storing or parking equipment tied to an off-premises extension of the business, and using the home as a meeting place. Because these are drafted as zoning definitions rather than a licensing chapter, they control whether a home business is a lawful accessory use at all, before any city business license for a home-based office comes into play.