Ontario, CA Home Business: Zoning Restrictions (2026)

Ontario Development Code (Title 9) treats home-based businesses as home occupations, a permitted accessory use in single-family and multifamily residential zones when licensed through a home occupation permit and city business license. The residence must remain the primary use, and the business must be conducted entirely inside the dwelling or fully enclosed accessory structure. Employees must be limited to residents of the dwelling, and the use must generate no noise, vibration, glare, odor, dust, or traffic beyond what a normal household would produce. No outdoor storage of business equipment, materials, or signage is allowed. Typical permitted uses include home offices, consulting, professional practice, tutoring, small-scale crafting, and telework. Prohibited uses typically include auto repair, welding, body piercing or tattooing, medical or dental offices with patients on site, and any use that requires retail walk-in traffic. California AB 1616 and AB 1240 Cottage Food Operations run under a separate state-set framework. Complaints come to Code Enforcement which may revoke the home occupation permit.