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

Riverside County's zoning is governed by Ordinance 348 (Land Use Planning and Zoning Regulations). Residential zone articles list 'Home occupations' among the uses permitted by right - for example, Article VI, Section 6.1 (R-1 One-Family Dwellings) includes home occupations in its list of permitted uses, so no plot plan or conditional use permit is required simply to run a qualifying home occupation. The defining standards are in Section 21.36, which describes a home occupation as a use customarily conducted in a residence that is incidental and secondary to the dwelling's use as a residence. Key operating limits: the occupation must be conducted entirely within the dwelling; it may not be conducted in an accessory structure, and no equipment or supplies may be stored in an accessory structure or outside building; the residential character of the exterior and interior must not be changed; and no vehicles or trailers other than those normally incidental to residential use may be kept on site. Employment is generally limited to residents of the dwelling, with the only exception being the assistants allowed for small and large family day care homes. Certain uses such as real estate and insurance offices are expressly recognized as conductible as home occupations in some zones.