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

Palm Desert Municipal Code § 25.34.020 allows home occupations in all residential zoning districts, but only after the Director approves a home-based business permit. The City can require extra information to make the findings for approval, and the permit can carry specific conditions to keep the use compatible with a residential setting.

The permittee must be the operator and a resident of the dwelling. Only residents can run the business, with one exception: not more than 1 outside person who does not live there can take part. General domestic help does not count as an employee for that purpose.

The code names the permitted categories: professional office occupations such as accounting, legal services, and software development; instructional services, capped at 6 students at any 1 time; home craft occupations, which cannot sell the product on site; and cottage food operations registered as Class A or Class B with the Riverside County Department of Environmental Health. A cottage food permit is not transferable to another operator or site.

The performance standards set the physical limits. The business must be incidental to the dwelling, conducted only in the enclosed living area or in the garage without using garage space required for off-street parking, and it cannot occupy more than 25 percent of the combined floor area of the house and garage. It cannot encroach into required parking, setback, or open space areas, and no tool can have a power rating above 3 horsepower. If the dwelling is a rental, the owner's written authorization must come before the permit application. In Residential Estate zones, the business or its storage is capped at a dwelling or accessory structure not exceeding 640 square feet.