Beverly Hills Municipal Code Art. 43 Home Occupations

For the purposes of this article, certain words and phrases used in this article are defined as follows:

MANUFACTURING: Encompasses all manufacturing uses as described in section 10-3-1605 of this chapter.

RESIDENT: A person who is the owner of record, a named lessee pursuant to a written rental agreement or a permanent occupant of a dwelling unit who has and continues to reside in the dwelling unit as that person's primary residence at all times during which the home occupation occurs.

RESTAURANT: The preparation and service of food and/or beverage for compensation. For the purposes of this article, "preparation" shall include the reheating and service of food for compensation and consumption on site.

SIGN: As that term is defined in section 10-4-104 of this title. (Ord. 01-O-2383, eff. 11-2-2001)

It shall be unlawful for any person to engage in, permit, carry on or conduct, either directly or indirectly, any home occupation except in conformance with the requirements of section 10-3-4303 of this article. (Ord. 01-O-2383, eff. 11-2-2001)

Notwithstanding any other provision to the contrary, no person shall engage in, permit, carry on, or conduct any of the following activities as a home occupation at any time in a residential zone:

A. Repair, servicing, alteration, assembly, upholstery, or construction of any automobile or other motor vehicle as defined in the California Vehicle Code;

B. Any hotel use or any other transient lodging use for compensation or benefit of any kind, including, but not limited to, the operation of bed and breakfast inns, hostels, hotels, or any similar operation;

C. Restaurant, excluding a restaurant or caterer that delivers goods or services to a residential site, has a principal place of business outside of any residential zone, and conducts no administrative or processing function within a residential zone;

D. Caterer, unless a permit shall have first been obtained from the director of building and safety approving any equipment to be installed and operated in connection with the catering business;

E. Rental of any residence, or any portion thereof, for events or activities such as parties, banquets, auctions, or similar activities, except in connection with nonprofit and/or charity functions, provided such nonprofit or charity functions are limited to one time per quarter not to exceed four (4) times in any twelve (12) month period;

F. All activities regulated under title 4, chapter 2 of this code;

G. Activities regulated under title 4, chapter 3 and chapter 4, article 5 of this code except as authorized by permit under title 4 of this code and consistent with the provisions of this article;

H. Any activity that would produce biohazardous or medical waste, as those terms are defined in the California Health and Safety Code, or involves the storage of materials in a manner that would result in a change in the occupancy classification of a residential structure under the city's building code, mechanical code, fire code or plumbing code, or that would otherwise violate any building or fire code or other law;

I. Conduct any use, other than a residential use, prohibited in the C-3 zone;

J. Conduct any use conditionally permitted in the C-3 zone;

K. Manufacturing, excluding activities or occupation such as: 1) artists, authors or composers; 2) dressmakers, seamstresses, or tailors; and 3) home crafts, including, without limitation, model making, rug weaving, quilting, needle work, jewelry making, woodworking, and other similar activities which are consistent with the primary use of the dwelling as a residence, provide that such activities are limited to the use of tools and equipment commonly available for personal residential use;

L. Single-family transient uses and multi-family transient uses, as defined in 10-3-100 of this chapter, including the use of any residence, accessory dwelling unit, accessory structure, or any other feature or portion of a residential property including but not limited to pools, game courts, and yards. (Ord. 01-O-2383, eff. 11-2-2001; amd. Ord. 25-O-2918, eff. 9-5-2025)

All home occupations shall comply at all times with all of the following requirements:

A. Operators: The operator of the home occupation shall be a resident of the dwelling in which the home occupation is located.

B. Use Of The Residential Site: All home occupations in a single residential dwelling unit, individually and in the aggregate, shall be conducted in a manner that is incidental to the residential use of said dwelling unit and does not change the principal character or use of the dwelling. Materials connected with a home occupation shall not be stored in a manner that would result in a change in the occupancy classification of a residential structure under the city's building code, mechanical code, fire code or plumbing code, or that would otherwise violate any building or fire code or other law. Materials connected with a home occupation shall not be stored at any residential site outside of a lawful enclosed structure. The home occupation(s) shall not result in excess use of utilities and public facilities, including, but not limited to, electricity, gas, water, and sanitary sewer facilities, beyond that which is normally provided for the residential use of the dwelling unit. All home occupations shall comply with applicable federal, state, and local laws, ordinances, and statutes, including, but not limited to, obtaining all necessary permits from the Los Angeles County health department.

C. Appearance Of Residential Site: No sign identifying or related to the home occupation shall be placed in a residential zone, including, without limitation, in the public right of way. All home occupations shall be conducted in a manner that is consistent with the residential character of the site and is not visually apparent from outside the site or from the public right of way.

D. Equipment: No equipment shall be operated outside of a lawful enclosed structure or in a manner as to cause a nuisance or material likelihood of injury to any persons or property in the vicinity of the site. No equipment or materials shall be maintained on the site that would result in a change in the occupancy classification of a residential structure under the city's building code, mechanical code, fire code or plumbing code, or that otherwise violates any law. Nor shall any equipment be operated in connection with the home occupation that would result in excess use of utilities and public facilities, including, but not limited to, electricity, gas, water, and sanitary sewer facilities, beyond that which is normally provided for the residential use of the dwelling unit.

E. Vehicular Use: Vehicles associated with the home occupation, including any vehicle operated by an employee, consultant to, or client of the home occupation, shall at all times be lawfully parked off street when the vehicle's operator is at the site. Said off street parking shall be in addition to any parking required for the residential use of the property and no parked cars associated with the home occupation use shall displace or impede the use of such required parking spaces. Nothing in this section shall supersede the requirements of section 10-3-1102 of this chapter with respect to a home occupation located in a residence in the R-1.8X zone. The home occupation shall not involve the use of commercial vehicles not owned, leased or rented by the operator of the home occupation, with the exception of deliveries by postal or courier services. The operator of the home occupation may use one commercial vehicle in connection with the home occupation so long as that vehicle is owned, leased or rented by the operator of the home occupation, does not exceed one ton capacity, and is parked so that any vehicle signage is not visible from the public right of way. There shall be no parking or storing of commercial vehicles on the street at any time in connection with the home occupation, and any permissible commercial vehicle associated with a home occupation and parked at the site shall be parked behind the front setback. As used herein, the term "commercial vehicles" shall be defined as that term is defined in the California Vehicle Code.

F. Deliveries: No deliveries or pick ups or series of deliveries or pick ups to or from the site shall materially or unreasonably disturb any person's quiet enjoyment of his or her property at any time or alter the residential character of the site. The number of round trip vehicle trips generated by a home occupation within any one hour, whether made by employees, patrons, clients or other visitors of the home occupation, and the number of round trip vehicle trips per day generated by the home occupation, whether made by employees, patrons, clients or other visitors of the home occupation, shall not materially or unreasonably disturb any person's quiet enjoyment of his or her property at any time or alter the residential character of the site.

G. General Nuisance: No home occupation may be operated in a manner that materially alters the residential character of the adjacent neighborhood or materially or unreasonably degrades the quality of life of adjacent neighbors or disturbs another person's quiet enjoyment of his or her property as a result of traffic, parking, noise, vibration, odor, generation of refuse, glare, electronic interference, safety, hazardous waste, visual impact, or any other reason. All home occupations shall comply with all provisions of title 5, chapter 1, article 1 of this code, regarding general noise regulations. (Ord. 01-O-2383, eff. 11-2-2001)

Nothing in this article shall be construed to relieve any person from complying with the requirements of title 3, chapter 1, article 2 of this code concerning business tax fees. (Ord. 01-O-2383, eff. 11-2-2001)

The operator of the home occupation shall agree in writing that:

A. The operator has read and fully understands the requirements of this article; and

B. The subject home occupation will, at all times, comply with all requirements of this article and all applicable federal, state, and local laws. (Ord. 01-O-2383, eff. 11-2-2001)