San Benito County, CA Home Business: Zoning & Home Occupation Permits (2026)

004 governs home occupations and rural home enterprises in the unincorporated county. A HOME OCCUPATION is 'the operation of a business in a dwelling by an occupant as an accessory use,' and it is allowed by right in the AR, AP, R, RT, RR, R-1, and RM zoning districts, including where overlaid by a combining zone (unless the combining zone would prohibit the use). No permit is required for a home occupation. The use must be operated entirely inside the primary dwelling or an accessory dwelling unit, the dwelling must be the operator's primary residence, and no non-resident may work on site - though any number of resident occupants may.

Home occupations may not generate pedestrian or vehicular traffic beyond that normal to the district, may not store materials or supplies outdoors, and may not produce noise, vibration, smoke, odor, lighting, or other effects detectable at the property line that would identify the premises as non-residential. Certain uses are barred outright, including animal hospitals, vehicle repair, vehicle dealerships, day care centers, and massage parlors. For a more intensive operation, the county provides a separate 'RURAL HOME ENTERPRISE' category - a business run in a dwelling or accessory structure with a limited number of non-resident employees.

Rural home enterprises are allowed only in the AR, AP, R, and RT zones and require an administrative use permit (a conditional use permit for certain expansions).