Sacramento, CA Home Business: Zoning & Home Occupation Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Two tracks
- Administrative permit or CUP
- Admin-eligible list
- § 17.228.210 A–M occupations
- CUP trigger
- Unlisted use or unmet condition
- General rules
- § 17.228.230 applies to all
- Prohibited outright
- § 17.228.240 (auto repair, towing, etc.)
- Permit status
- Non-transferable, § 17.228.250
Summary
Running a business from a Sacramento house needs either an administrative permit or a conditional use permit under City Code §§ 17.228.210–17.228.220. Listed occupations qualify for the faster administrative track if the applicant signs a declaration promising to meet every special condition; anything else, or any listed use that can't meet its condition, goes to the zoning administrator for a discretionary CUP.
The following occupations are permitted with an administrative permit. The application for an administrative permit for a home occupation shall include a signed declaration of the applicant confirming that all of the special conditions stated in this section, and the general conditions stated in section 17.228.230 that are applicable to the proposed occupation, will be satisfied. ... Except for the prohibited home occupations listed in section 17.228.240, the following home occupations are permitted with a zoning administrator conditional use permit: A. A home occupation not listed in section 17.228.210; B. A home occupation listed in section 17.228.210 that does not comply with one or more of the applicable special conditions there listed; and C. A home occupation that does not comply with the requirements stated in section 17.228.230.
Full Breakdown
250) is Sacramento's home-business framework, built around two permit tracks. 210 lists occupations eligible for the administrative permit, general office uses (accountants, brokers, consultants), direct-sale and mail-order business, dressmaking, mobile vehicle detailing, pet services, contracting and landscaping offices, tutoring, small-equipment repair, healing-arts scheduling, hair styling, swimming instruction, and cottage food operations under Health & Safety Code § 113758, each carrying its own special condition (no on-site pet grooming, tutoring must stay indoors, and so on). 230. 230: incidental and subordinate use of the dwelling, no more than one nonresident worker on-site, client visits capped at one per hour and eight per day, one business vehicle up to one ton, and no exterior sign.
250 makes any home occupation permit non-transferable, it dies with a change of occupation or address, per Ord. 2013-0020 § 1 and its later amendment, Ord. 2024-0017 § 78.
Violations & Fines
A home occupation running without the required administrative permit or CUP is an unpermitted use subject to the city's standard zoning enforcement. Exceeding a special condition, for example the one-employee or no-sign rules in § 17.228.230, pushes the use into CUP territory under § 17.228.220.B, and the permit is void the moment the occupation or address changes under § 17.228.250.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to run a business from my Sacramento home?
What has to go in the application?
Can the city waive the standard requirements?
Does the permit move with me if I relocate?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Sacramento
How Sacramento compares: Easiest Cities to Run a Home Business·California rules heatmap·Compare Sacramento to another location·View the California home business overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.
Zoning & Home Occupation Permits in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Sacramento County handle zoning & home occupation permits.