§ 106.42.100. Home Occupations

Where allowed by Article 2 (Zoning Districts and Allowable Land Uses), a home occupation shall comply with the requirements of this Section.

A.

Purpose. The requirements of this Section are intended to provide reasonable opportunities for employment within the home, while avoiding changes to the residential character of a dwelling that accommodates a home occupation, or the surrounding neighborhood.

B.

Business License required. A home occupation shall comply with the City's Business License requirements.

C.

Limitations on use. The following are examples of business activities that may be approved as home occupations, uses that may be allowed as home occupations under limited circumstances, and uses that are prohibited as home occupations.

1.

Uses allowed as home occupations. The following and other uses determined by the Director to be similar may be approved by the Director in compliance with this Section:

a.

Art and craft work (ceramics, flower arranging, jewelry, painting, photography, sculpture, etc.);

b.

Beauty salon/barber limited to one station, and in compliance with Subsection D.7 (Client/customer visits) below;

c.

Cottage Food Operations;

d.

Direct sale product distribution (Avon, Herbalife, Quixtar, Tupperware, etc.);

e.

Office-only uses, including: an office for an architect, attorney, consultant, counselor, doctor, engineer, insurance agent, planner, tutor, writer, typing, word processing, data processing, electronic commerce;

f.

Personal trainers, licensed massage therapy in compliance with Municipal Code Chapter 22, Article VIII, and physical therapy;

g.

Private lessons, on a part-time basis, providing individual instruction in academic subjects, music, athletics (e.g., swimming), arts, crafts, or similar fields, provided that client/customer visits shall comply with Subsection D.7 (Client/customer visits) below;

h.

Tailors, sewing; and

i.

Home electronics and small appliance repair.

2.

Uses prohibited as home occupations. The following are examples of business activities that are not incidental to or compatible with residential activities, and are, therefore, prohibited as home occupations:

a.

Adult entertainment activities/businesses;

b.

Animal hospitals and boarding facilities;

c.

Automotive and other vehicle repair and service (body or mechanical), painting, storage, or upholstery, or the repair, reconditioning, servicing, or manufacture of any vehicle engine, or of any motor vehicle, including automobiles, boats, motorcycles, or trucks;

d.

Commercial cabinet or furniture making, and similar uses;

e.

Contractor's and other storage yards;

f.

Dismantling, junk, or scrap yards;

g.

Fitness/health facilities, except those allowed under Subsection C.1.e;

h.

Manufacturing activities, except those allowed under Subsections C.1;

i.

Medical clinics and laboratories;

j.

On-site sales other than of artist originals produced on site, except that mail order businesses may be allowed where there is no stock-in-trade on the site;

k.

Personal services as defined in Article 8 (Glossary), except those allowed under Subsection C.1, and all restricted personal services;

l.

Transportation services, including taxis, limousines, tow trucks, etc.;

m.

Uses involving explosives or highly combustible or toxic materials, including ammunition reloading;

n.

Welding and machine shop operations; and

o.

Other uses the Director determines to be similar to those above.

D.

Operating standards. Each home occupation shall comply with all of the following standards:

1.

Relationship to primary use. Each home occupation shall be clearly incidental and subordinate to the use of the dwelling and site for residential purposes. The home occupation may be conducted in the primary dwelling or an accessory structure on the subject property provided that the area does not exceed 20 percent or 400 square feet of the habitable floor area of the primary dwelling, whichever is greater. No parking space required for the dwelling shall be used for any home occupation activity.

2.

Employees. A home occupation shall have no more than one employee on-site at any one time, or more than one employee reporting to work in any given day, not including the full-time residents of the dwelling. If needed, the City may request employee verification information from the business owner. Home Occupations having more than one employee on-site at any one time is permitted only when authorized through a Minor Use Permit.

3.

Visibility. The use shall not require any exterior modification to the structure not customarily found in a dwelling, nor shall the home occupation activity be visible from a public right-of-way, or from neighboring residential properties.

4.

Off-site effects. There shall be no mechanical equipment or operation used which creates or makes dust, odor, vibration or other effects detectable at the property line. Each home occupation shall comply with the City's noise ordinance.

5.

On-site sales. There shall be no products sold on the premises except artist originals or products individually made to order on the premises. Articles that are not artist originals or individually made to order may be produced on-site, using equipment normally found in a residence, provided that these products shall only be sold off-site.

6.

Traffic, vehicles. The use shall not generate pedestrian or vehicular traffic beyond that which is normal in a residential district nor in any case require the parking of more than two additional vehicles at any one time. No motor vehicle that is used or kept on the premises in conjunction with the home occupation shall exceed two axles or a length of 20 feet.

7.

Client/customer visits. The home occupation shall be operated so as to not require more than two business visitors per hour, not to exceed a total of eight business visitors per day, only between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m.; except that in the case of tutoring or instruction (e.g., academic subjects, arts and crafts, music, swimming, etc.), a maximum of four clients are allowed on the site at the same time, subject to the limitations of this Section on the total number of clients per day.

8.

Deliveries. The home occupation shall not involve the use of commercial vehicles for delivery of materials to or from the premises in a manner different from normal residential usage, except for FedEx, UPS, or USPS-type home pick-ups and deliveries.

9.

Hazardous materials. The storage of hazardous materials shall be limited to below the threshold established by the Sacramento County Fire Districts which do not require any special permits or licenses.

10.

Signs. A home occupation shall be limited to a single wall mounted non-illuminated sign, not to exceed one square foot, except for home occupation signs located in the Corridor Overlay General Plan Designation may provide a maximum of ten square feet and may be wall-mounted or freestanding. Home occupation signs shall be limited to display the company name, logo, contact information, hours of operation, services provided or other relevant information. Signs are prohibited from displaying credit card, debit card, or other similar logos and other advertising unrelated to the home occupation.

E.

Conditions. The Director may establish reasonable conditions on the operation [of] any home occupation if necessary to meet the intent of this Section. Conditions shall be attached to the Business License for the home occupation as provided in Municipal Code Section 4.06.090.

(Ord. No. 2008-15, § 1, 12-11-2008; Ord. No. 2008-16, § 1(Exh. A), 1-8-2009; Ord. No. 2010-04, § 1(Exh. A), 10-14-2010; Ord. No. 2013-011, § 3, 11-14-2013)