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

207(a) permits conducting a business in or from a dwelling as an accessory residential use, but only if it satisfies a list of conditions running well beyond a simple registration. The operator must reside on the premises full-time and the business must remain clearly incidental and secondary to the residential use; the home's appearance cannot be altered through remodeling or new construction in a way that calls attention to the property, and the business must be conducted entirely within buildings built for normal residential use, with no outside activity, storage, or display permitted.

The section also limits business vehicles to one per premises, used only by a resident, and bars trucks or construction equipment from being stored on or near the property. 207(a)(14) lets a severely impaired or handicapped person, as defined by state law, employ up to two non-resident workers on site and advertise more broadly than other home businesses may. 204. 207(d) requires a permit from the Director before that license issues, meaning a resident cannot simply start operating and later register. 207 is punishable as an infraction, giving code enforcement a straightforward citation path rather than requiring a nuisance abatement case.