Tustin, CA Home Business: Zoning Restrictions (2026)

Per the City of Tustin's official Home Occupation Questionnaire, a home occupation is defined as 'an occupation carried on wholly within a dwelling by an occupant of the dwelling, as a secondary use,' in connection with which there is: no person employed who is not a resident of the premises; no exterior display; no stock-in-trade or commodity sold upon the premises; no mechanical or electrical equipment used except such as is customary for housekeeping purposes; no outside operations or storage; no alteration of the residential appearance of the premises; no alterations which negatively impact the health, safety, or welfare of the general public or which emit smoke, dust, fumes, odors, vibrations, glare, or electrical disturbances onto any other premises; no activity which generates excessive pedestrian or vehicular traffic or parking in excess of that otherwise normally found in the zone; and no parking or use made of any vehicle over 3/4-ton carrying capacity. The questionnaire cites Tustin City Code Sections 9271gg and 9297 as the controlling provisions. Because the activity must remain secondary and indistinguishable from normal residential use, a home business is allowed in residential zones only so long as it does not change the residential character of the neighborhood. Operating from a P.O. box or commercial mailbox as the business address is identified as a misdemeanor on the city's business forms.