Can I run a business from home in Pasadena, California?
Yes, with a Home Occupation Permit from the Planning Director and a city business license. The business must stay inside the home (or an accessory building) in no more than 500 sq ft, only residents can work in it, customers must come by appointment between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. weekdays, and no on-site signs are allowed.
| Approval | Home Occupation Permit (Director), then a Business License [1] |
| Allowed zones | Permitted in residential districts [11] |
| Max space | 500 sq ft, entirely indoors (incl. storage) [3] |
| Employees | Residents only; no volunteers, interns or contractors [4] |
| Customer visits | By appointment only, 7 a.m.-10 p.m. Mon-Fri [5] |
| Signs | No on-site signs; ads can't show the address [6] |
| On-site sales | Only products crafted on the premises [7] |
| Business vehicle | One truck up to 350/3500 series size [8] |
| Renters | Owner's written authorization required [9] |
Permit and license
Pasadena requires a Home Occupation Permit before starting a home business; the Director issues it after finding the use complies with the code [1]. Once approved, you must get a city Business License, and if the license lapses, the permit becomes void [2]. Renters need the property owner's written authorization [9]. Permits don't transfer to a new owner or occupant. Home occupations are a permitted use in the residential districts' land-use table [11].
Size and location
The business must be conducted entirely within a structure and occupy no more than 500 sq ft, including storage and any space in an accessory building [3]. No outdoor storage or display is allowed, the home's residential character can't change, and the business shouldn't be noticeable from beyond the property.
Employees and customers
Only a resident of the home may work in the business; volunteers, interns and independent contractors aren't allowed [4]. Clients and customers must have prior appointments, limited to 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday through Friday [5]. You may keep one work truck no larger than a 350/3500-series pickup (7 ft tall, fitting an 8.5 x 18 ft stall) [8], and you can't reduce the home's required off-street parking.
Signs and sales
On-site signs are prohibited; business cards and online ads are fine if they omit the address [6]. Only products crafted on the premises may be sold on-site; other goods can be sold by mail or online within the 500 sq ft limit [7]. Gun and ammunition sales are barred except for federally licensed gunsmiths or collectors. Businesses must meet noise, performance and hazardous-materials rules, and the Zoning Administrator can revoke a noncompliant permit after 15 days' notice.
State-protected home businesses
Pasadena's code requires Zoning Administrator approval for a large family day-care home, with a Minor Conditional Use Permit if it's within 300 feet of another [10]; state law treats licensed family day-care homes as a residential use by right and may override that provision. The resident-only employee rule may also be overridden by state cottage food law, which allows one non-household employee.
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Next steps
- Confirm your business fits: indoors, under 500 sq ft, resident-only staff, appointment-only weekday visits, no signs.
- If you rent, get the property owner's written authorization.
- Apply for a Home Occupation Permit with the Planning & Community Development Department (175 N. Garfield Ave.).
- After approval, obtain a City of Pasadena Business License and keep it renewed.
Common questions
- Can I run a business from my home in Pasadena, California?
- Yes, with a Home Occupation Permit from the Planning Director and a city business license. Home occupations are permitted in residential districts.
- How big can a home business be in Pasadena, California?
- It must stay inside the home or an accessory building in no more than 500 sq ft, including storage. Only residents can work in it.
- Can customers visit my home business in Pasadena, California?
- Only by appointment, between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. weekdays. No on-site signs are allowed.
- Can renters run a home business in Pasadena, California?
- Yes, but renters need the owner's written authorization along with the Home Occupation Permit.
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).
What the ordinance says
- Sec. 17.50.110.B, Zoning Code Chapter 17.50 - Standards for Specific Land Uses (ADUs 17.50.275, accessory structures 17.50.250, home occupations 17.50.110, short-term rentals 17.50.296)
A Home Occupation Permit shall be required before the establishment of a home occupation use. After receiving an application, a permit shall be issued by the Director upon the determination that the proposed home occupation use complies with this Section.
- Sec. 17.50.110.E, Zoning Code Chapter 17.50 - Standards for Specific Land Uses (ADUs 17.50.275, accessory structures 17.50.250, home occupations 17.50.110, short-term rentals 17.50.296)
Upon approval of the Home Occupation Permit, a Business License shall be obtained.
- Sec. 17.50.110.F, Zoning Code Chapter 17.50 - Standards for Specific Land Uses (ADUs 17.50.275, accessory structures 17.50.250, home occupations 17.50.110, short-term rentals 17.50.296)
A home occupation use shall be conducted entirely within a structure and shall occupy no more than 500 square feet of floor area. This maximum floor area shall include on-site storage areas and any portion of the home occupation that is located within an accessory structure.
- Sec. 17.50.110.H, Zoning Code Chapter 17.50 - Standards for Specific Land Uses (ADUs 17.50.275, accessory structures 17.50.250, home occupations 17.50.110, short-term rentals 17.50.296)
Only a resident of the dwelling unit shall be employed in the operation of a home occupation use. No volunteers, interns or independent contractors shall be part of a home occupation permit.
- Sec. 17.50.110.J, Zoning Code Chapter 17.50 - Standards for Specific Land Uses (ADUs 17.50.275, accessory structures 17.50.250, home occupations 17.50.110, short-term rentals 17.50.296)
A home occupation use shall not allow any clients or customers without prior appointments. Client/customer appointments are limited to the hours of 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday through Friday.
- Sec. 17.50.110.M, Zoning Code Chapter 17.50 - Standards for Specific Land Uses (ADUs 17.50.275, accessory structures 17.50.250, home occupations 17.50.110, short-term rentals 17.50.296)
On-site signs advertising a home occupation use shall not be allowed. Paper and electronic advertisements are allowed (including business cards) as long as they do not include the address of the home occupation permit.
- Sec. 17.50.110.G.1, Zoning Code Chapter 17.50 - Standards for Specific Land Uses (ADUs 17.50.275, accessory structures 17.50.250, home occupations 17.50.110, short-term rentals 17.50.296)
There shall be no items sold on-site other than products crafted on the premises.
- Sec. 17.50.110.I.1, Zoning Code Chapter 17.50 - Standards for Specific Land Uses (ADUs 17.50.275, accessory structures 17.50.250, home occupations 17.50.110, short-term rentals 17.50.296)
Not more than one truck, equivalent in size to a truck marketed by the major vehicle manufacturer's as a 350 or 3500 series, incidental to a home occupation use shall be kept on the site.
- Sec. 17.50.110.D, Zoning Code Chapter 17.50 - Standards for Specific Land Uses (ADUs 17.50.275, accessory structures 17.50.250, home occupations 17.50.110, short-term rentals 17.50.296)
For rental property, the property owner's written authorization for the proposed use shall be obtained and submitted with the application for a Home Occupation Permit.
- Sec. 17.50.080.A, Zoning Code Chapter 17.50 - Standards for Specific Land Uses (ADUs 17.50.275, accessory structures 17.50.250, home occupations 17.50.110, short-term rentals 17.50.296)
The establishment of a large family day-care home shall require that an application be filed with and approved by the Zoning Administrator.
- Sec. 17.22.030, Table 2-2 (Home occupations: P in RS, RM-12, RM-16, RM-32, RM-48), Zoning Code Chapter 17.22 - Residential Zoning Districts
Home occupations P P P P P 17.50.110