Vacaville, CA Home Business: Zoning & Home Occupation Permits (2026)

120 sets the zoning framework for running a business from a residence. Every home occupation needs a separate City business license, and a home occupation permit must be obtained before the business starts and is processed at the same time as the license application. Operationally, the business must stay entirely inside the dwelling unit, garage, or an accessory building on the lot, and no more than 20 percent of a building's total floor area may be devoted to the occupation. Owners cannot alter the dwelling to add an entrance serving only the home occupation or to create features that are not customary in residential construction.

Only residents of the dwelling may work on site, with a narrow carve-out for cottage food employees. The Director of Community Development can grant exceptions to these operational standards on a finding that an exception will not make the occupation inconsistent with the section's purpose and that special circumstances, such as a physical disability, justify it. Nine business types are barred outright as home occupations regardless of floor area or permit status, including automobile sales and service, animal care and sales, cannabis retail, eating and drinking establishments, firearm sales, hospitals and clinics, lodging, personal services, and retail sales. The section does not apply to state-licensed family day care.