Santa Maria, CA Home Business: Zoning Restrictions (2026)

SMMC Section 12-29.01 (Intent) limits home occupations to uses 'customarily conducted entirely within a dwelling and carried on by the inhabitant thereof, which is clearly incidental to the use of the dwelling and does not change the character thereof or does not adversely affect the uses permitted in the zone of which it is a part.' Chapter 12-29 then imposes hard operational caps: no customers, suppliers, employees, clients or patients may come to the home in connection with the business (limited exceptions for activities such as school-readiness testing/counseling for one person at a time conducted by a resident); no products may be sold on the premises; no commercial vehicle may be used for delivery of materials to or from the premises; no more than one room of the dwelling may be used for the occupation; the garage must remain clear for vehicle parking; accessory structures may not be used for the business or for business storage; outdoor storage or display is prohibited; and the dwelling cannot be altered (color, materials, signs, lighting, sounds, vibration) so as to appear nonresidential. Vehicle/vessel repair on residentially zoned property for compensation is expressly unlawful. Home occupations do not qualify as 'mixed-use projects' and so are not a back-door way to add a commercial use in R-1, RSL-1, or RMH districts.