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Can I run a business from home in Danville, California?

Danville, Contra Costa County · Ordinances checked 2026-10-05 · Reviewed · 15 cited sections

Allowed with a permit

Yes. Home occupations are allowed in all of Danville's single-family districts if you file a Home Occupation Application with your business license application and the Town confirms the business meets the rules. You can have one non-family employee, appointment-only client visits (one per hour, Monday to Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.), and a single nameplate sign of up to 2 sq ft. These rules come from a 2019 copy of the zoning code, so confirm them with the Town.

ApprovalHome Occupation Application with a Business License application [1]
Client visitsBy appointment, 1 per hour, Mon-Sat 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m. [2]
EmployeesHousehold members plus 1 non-family employee [3]
Floor areaLesser of 25% or 600 sq ft of the house, plus up to 600 sq ft in accessory structures [4]
SignsOne nameplate up to 2 sq ft, attached to the house [5]
Retail salesNo in-person retail sales on site (except cottage food) [6]
Business vehiclesUnder 19,500 lbs GVWR; max 2 between 14,001 and 19,500 lbs [7]
Cottage food employees1 full-time equivalent beyond family [9]

These rules come from a November 2019 printout of Danville's single-family zoning code (Sec. 32-22), the only copy we could obtain; later amendments may have changed them, so confirm with the Planning Division before you build.

Approval

Home occupations are an allowed use in all of Danville's single-family districts if they comply with Sec. 32-22 [10]. You submit a Home Occupation Application report with your business license application, and the Town must find the activity complies with the zoning rules, other Town ordinances and state licensing [1].

Customers, employees and deliveries

Client visits must be by appointment, no more than one per hour, Monday through Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Individual home instruction (such as tutoring or music lessons) can run 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. daily [2]. Besides household members, you can have one non-family employee, working only 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday [3]. No in-person retail sales are allowed on site, except for cottage food operations [6].

Space, signs and appearance

The business can use no more than 25% of the house's gross floor area or 600 sq ft, whichever is less, plus up to 600 sq ft in accessory structures [4]. The home must keep its residential look: no advertising signs or window displays, except one nameplate sign of up to 2 sq ft attached to the house near the business entrance [5]. No exterior storage of business equipment or materials is allowed [8].

Vehicles and nuisances

Business vehicles must be under 19,500 lbs gross vehicle weight, with at most two in the 14,001 to 19,500 lb range [7]. Dump trucks, tow trucks, limousines, construction equipment and trailers can't be parked on site for the business [14]. The business can't create noise, odor, dust, smoke or other interference with neighbors [11].

Cottage food

A cottage food operation (selling home-made low-risk foods) follows the home occupation rules plus its own: Planning Division review of a business narrative and site and floor plans [12], a limit of one full-time-equivalent employee beyond family [9], and appointment-only sales of one customer per hour [13]. You'll also need the county health department's registration or permit.

Family daycare

The 2019 text lists a large family day care home among uses needing a land use permit [15]. State law now treats licensed small and large family daycare homes as a residential use by right, so state law may override that permit requirement.

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Next steps

  1. Apply for a Danville business license and submit the Home Occupation Application report with it.
  2. Plan client visits by appointment only (one per hour, Mon-Sat 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m.) and limit staff to household members plus one employee.
  3. For a cottage food operation, submit a business narrative, site plan and floor plan to the Planning Division and get Contra Costa County Health registration or permit.
  4. Limit signage to one nameplate sign of 2 sq ft or less on the house.

Common questions

Can I run a business from home in Danville, California?
Yes. Home occupations are allowed in all of Danville's single-family districts if they comply with the zoning rules. These rules come from a 2019 copy of the zoning code, so confirm them with the Town.
Do I need a home occupation permit in Danville, California?
Yes. You submit a Home Occupation Application with your Danville business license application, and the Town must find the activity complies with the zoning rules, other Town ordinances and state licensing.
Can clients come to my home business in Danville, California?
Yes, by appointment only, no more than one per hour, Monday through Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Individual home instruction such as tutoring or music lessons can run 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. daily. No in-person retail sales are allowed on site, except for cottage food operations.
How many employees can a home business have in Danville, California?
Besides household members, you can have one non-family employee, working only 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday. The business can use no more than 25% of the house or 600 sq ft, whichever is less, plus up to 600 sq ft in accessory structures.
Can I have a sign for my home business in Danville, California?
Only one nameplate sign of up to 2 sq ft attached to the house near the business entrance. Other advertising signs, window displays and exterior storage of business equipment aren't allowed.

California state protections for home-based businesses

California has no general statewide home-occupation law. Cities and counties set the rules on employees, signs, customer visits and parking. State law protects a few specific home businesses:

Family child care homes (Health & Safety Code §1597.45):

  • A licensed small (up to 8 children) or large (7 to 14 children) family daycare home is a residential use by right under all local ordinances, including zoning. A city can't require a use permit.
  • Cities can't charge a business license, fee or tax for operating one, and it isn't a change of occupancy under building codes.
  • Local rules may apply only if they are identical to those for other homes in the same zone, whether the home is rented or owned.

Cottage food operations (Gov. Code §51035; AB 1616, effective 2013):

  • Cities and counties can't prohibit home cottage food operations. They must allow them as a permitted use or through a permit limited to reasonable spacing, traffic, parking and noise standards.
  • A cottage food operation has no more than one full-time-equivalent employee besides family or household members. Class A (direct sales only) is capped at $75,000 a year and Class B at $150,000, adjusted for inflation (H&S Code §113758).
  • You must register (Class A) or get a permit (Class B) from the county environmental health agency.

Home kitchens selling meals (microenterprise home kitchen operations): allowed only where the city or county has authorized them, with a permit and a limit of 30 meals a day and 90 a week (§113825).

State sources: Health & Safety Code §1597.45 (family daycare homes as residential use) · Health & Safety Code §1596.78 (small and large family daycare definitions) · Gov. Code §51035 (cottage food operations in residences) · Health & Safety Code §113758 (cottage food operation definition) · Health & Safety Code §114365 (cottage food registration and permits) · Health & Safety Code §113825 (microenterprise home kitchen operations) · Health & Safety Code §114367.2 (MEHKO permits where authorized)

What the ordinance says

Exact text from Danville's published ordinances. Section numbers are as printed in the source.

  1. Sec. 32-22.5(b)(1), Municipal Code Sec. 32-22 Single Family Residential Districts (printed 11/15/2019, with illustrations), p. 9
    A Home Occupation Application report, which provides information regarding the proposed operation of the home occupation, must be submitted in conjunction with a Business License application. After reviewing the report, the Town must determine that the activity complies with the requirements set forth in this section, with other Town ordinances, and with applicable state laws, including any state licensing requirements.
  2. Sec. 32-22.5(b)(2), Municipal Code Sec. 32-22 Single Family Residential Districts (printed 11/15/2019, with illustrations), p. 9
    Client or customer visits associated with the home occupation use shall be appointment-only visits, shall be limited to a maximum of one (1) visit per hour and shall be limited to Mondays through Saturdays between 8:30 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. An exception shall be allowed for home occupation uses involving students engaged in individual home instruction, where instruction period may be expanded to the period of between 8:30 a.m. and 8:30 p.m., daily.
  3. Sec. 32-22.5(b)(6), Municipal Code Sec. 32-22 Single Family Residential Districts (printed 11/15/2019, with illustrations), p. 9
    The home occupation shall not involve employment of help other than the members of the household and one (1) assisting non-family employee, with the one (1) non-resident employee's hours limited to the period of 8:30 a.m. and 6:00 p.m., Mondays through Saturdays.
  4. Sec. 32-22.5(b)(5), Municipal Code Sec. 32-22 Single Family Residential Districts (printed 11/15/2019, with illustrations), p. 9
    Not more than twenty five (25%) or six hundred (600) square feet, whichever is less, of the gross floor area of the primary structure may be devoted to the home occupation and not more than six hundred (600) square feet of additional area in accessory structures may be devoted to the home occupation.
  5. Sec. 32-22.5(b)(10), Municipal Code Sec. 32-22 Single Family Residential Districts (printed 11/15/2019, with illustrations), p. 10
    The residential appearance of the site must be maintained, and there shall be no exterior indication of the business, including commercial advertising signs or window displays. An exception is allowed for the display of one (1) nameplate sign, measuring no more than two (2) square feet, which may be placed on the premises attached to the primary building near the business entrance, indicating the property address, name of the business, hours of operation, contact information, and the nature of the business activity conducted.
  6. Sec. 32-22.5(b)(3), Municipal Code Sec. 32-22 Single Family Residential Districts (printed 11/15/2019, with illustrations), p. 9
    The home occupation shall not include any direct, in-person retail sales transactions conducted at the premises, except as allowed for as part of a cottage food operation as defined in this section.
  7. Sec. 32-22.5(b)(12), Municipal Code Sec. 32-22 Single Family Residential Districts (printed 11/15/2019, with illustrations), p. 10
    Authorized business vehicles associated with home occupation business shall be limited to vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating of under nineteen thousand five hundred (19,500) lbs. and are limited to a maximum of two vehicles in the range of fourteen thousand and one (14,001) to nineteen thousand five hundred (19,500) lbs.
  8. Sec. 32-22.5(b)(8), Municipal Code Sec. 32-22 Single Family Residential Districts (printed 11/15/2019, with illustrations), p. 10
    There shall be no home occupation-related exterior storage of equipment, parts, materials, supplies, merchandise, refuse, or debris.
  9. Sec. 32-22.5(a)(2), Municipal Code Sec. 32-22 Single Family Residential Districts (printed 11/15/2019, with illustrations), p. 8
    CFOs shall be limited to a maximum of one (1) full-time equivalent employee (beyond family members).
  10. Sec. 32-22.3(a)(13), Municipal Code Sec. 32-22 Single Family Residential Districts (printed 11/15/2019, with illustrations), p. 7
    13. Home Occupations complying with this section;
  11. Sec. 32-22.5(b)(14), Municipal Code Sec. 32-22 Single Family Residential Districts (printed 11/15/2019, with illustrations), p. 10
    Without limiting the foregoing, a home occupation shall not create noise, odor, dust, vibration, smoke, electrical disturbance, or any other interference with residential uses of adjacent property and shall be invisible to the neighborhood and the home occupation shall not result in excessive use of, or unusual discharge into any one (1) or more of the following utilities: water, sanitary sewers, electrical, garbage, or storm drains.
  12. Sec. 32-22.5(a)(1), Municipal Code Sec. 32-22 Single Family Residential Districts (printed 11/15/2019, with illustrations), p. 8
    The CFO operator shall provide a business narrative, site plan and floor plan to the Planning Division for review and approval,
  13. Sec. 32-22.5(a)(4), Municipal Code Sec. 32-22 Single Family Residential Districts (printed 11/15/2019, with illustrations), p. 9
    4. Direct customer sales shall be by prior appointment only and shall be limited to one (1) customer per hour during authorized sales hours.
  14. Sec. 32-22.5(b)(13), Municipal Code Sec. 32-22 Single Family Residential Districts (printed 11/15/2019, with illustrations), p. 10
    The home occupation use shall not result in the onsite parking of any of the following vehicles: limousines, dump trucks, tow trucks,
  15. Sec. 32-22.4(c), Municipal Code Sec. 32-22 Single Family Residential Districts (printed 11/15/2019, with illustrations), p. 7
    c. Large family day care home where the large family day care home operates in addition to the residential use of the property;
This page summarizes Danville's posted ordinances as of 2026-10-05. Ordinances are amended, and individual lots can have overlays, subdivision covenants, or HOA rules that are stricter. Confirm with Development Services - Building Division / Code Enforcement, 500 La Gonda Way (925-314-3330 (Building); Code Enforcement 925-314-3361) before you build. Spot an error?