Shasta County, CA Home Business: Zoning Restrictions (2026)

Shasta County Zoning Code (Title 17) treats a home occupation as a use permitted with a residence, defined in Section 17.02.255 as 'an income-producing activity conducted within a residence or a residential accessory building and carried on only by the inhabitants thereof,' that is 'clearly incidental and secondary to the use of the structure for residential purposes.' Section 17.88.175 sets the operating standards: there must be no exterior evidence of the activity, including no outside storage, electrical interference, dust, smoke, vibration, noise, odors, fumes, or advertising signs of any kind; it must be conducted in the home, an attached garage, or a residential accessory building; the floor space used may not exceed 25 percent of the dwelling unit if inside the home, or 400 square feet if in an attached garage or accessory building; except for articles produced on the premises, no stock-in-trade may be displayed or sold on site; and it must be conducted only by persons residing in the dwelling, with no other persons engaged or employed. A basic home occupation under 17.88.175 must also generate no customer vehicle trips. If customers will come to the home, the operator must instead qualify under Section 17.88.205 (see permits). These provisions apply throughout the unincorporated county's residential and rural zones; the incorporated cities of Redding, Anderson, and Shasta Lake have their own separate home-occupation rules.