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

Article 31 of the Zoning Code, Sections 9-4.3101 through 9-4.3111, is Pacifica's home occupation ordinance. Section 9-4.3102 is the permit requirement itself: no person shall commence or carry on any home occupation within the City without first having procured a permit from the Zoning Administrator, who issues it once the applicant shows the use meets every requirement in Section 9-4.3101. Those requirements go well beyond the daily traffic cap: the occupation cannot use more than 200 square feet of the dwelling's floor area, whether inside the house or in an accessory building, and no more than 100 square feet of that space can be used to store stock-in-trade. The home cannot be altered or operated so it may be reasonably recognized as serving a nonresidential use, whether through exterior color and materials, added lighting, noise, or vibration, and no mechanical or electrical equipment causing undue noise or interference is allowed. The occupation must be conducted inside an enclosed building, main or accessory, and it cannot employ anyone who is not a resident member of the family living on site, though off-premises service work is not barred.

Permits are non-transferable under Section 9-4.3104, must be renewed with an annual business license under Section 9-4.3108, and expire automatically if that license lapses. The Zoning Administrator decides an application within ten working days under Section 9-4.3105, and a denial or condition can be appealed to the Planning Commission within ten days, with a further appeal to the City Council available under Title 1, Chapter 4.