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Division 1 — Generally›Chapter 33›Article 44 — HOME OCCUPATIONS

§ 33-853. Major home occupations.

Escondido Zoning Code · 2026-05 edition · updated 2026-07-25 · Escondido

A business license is required for any business operated in a dwelling unit or accessory building which may have or has external indication of commercial activity, but remains a home occupation and not a primary use of the property. Each and every one of the following conditions must be observed at all times by the holder of the business license.

  • (a) Employees. Only members of the family or household residing on the premises, and no more than two non-residents who commute to the home to work, may be continuously employed at any one time on the site, except where specifically permitted by law. For the purposes of this article, a non-resident employee includes an employee, business partner, co-owner, or other person affiliated with the major home occupation who does not reside on the site, but who visits the site as part of the home occupation. This provision does not allow employee shifts, with each shift staffed by different non-resident employees even when only two non-resident employees are at the site at any one time.

  • (b) The home occupation shall be conducted wholly within the structures on the premises and shall not exceed 33% of the total floor area of all legal structures on the premises.

  • (c) Inventory and supplies for the home occupation shall not occupy more than 50% of the permitted home occupation area.

  • (d) Although the dwelling and site must remain residential in appearance, internal or external changes may be necessary to support the home occupation, such as lighting and access control.

  • (e) No storage of equipment, appliances, materials, or supplies shall be permitted where visible from the exterior of the property other than that storage normally found on the premises of a residence, except for the outdoor storage of soft landscaping materials. The outdoor storage of said soft landscaping materials is permitted only if the material is not visible from the public right-of-way. The storage of said materials must also not create a nuisance to surrounding property owners.

  • (f) Retail sales of goods must be entirely accessory to any services provided on the site (such as hair care products sold as an accessory to hair styling services), except for merchandise crafted on site (e.g., crafts and artwork).

  • (g) Signs.

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City of Escondido, CA § 33-853

ZONING

§ 33-853

  • (1) No sign or advertising shall be displayed on the premises except where specifically required by law. Any required signs shall be no larger than the minimum size required by law.

  • (2) Residential addresses may be used in print or electronic advertising provided that it is made clear that any on all on-site services are provided and/or offered by appointment only. Business cards and letterhead are not included in this requirement and may be permitted provided that they do not draw attention or customers to the property as drop-in or unannounced visits.

  • (h) No display of any kind shall be visible from the exterior of the premises.

  • (i) Parking.

  • (1) Required residential parking shall be maintained and available for residential parking.

    • (2) Home occupations with customer access shall maintain a driveway with a minimum depth of 20 feet from the back of sidewalk, or edge of public right-of-way if no sidewalk exists, and be made available to customers or non-resident employees during business hours.

    • (3) The site shall have adequate on-site parking to accommodate the anticipated additional traffic or parking demand resulting from the proposed home occupation use, which may limit the intensity of home occupation types.

    • (4) With the exception of approved driveways, and supplemental parking allowances per section 33-110, no parking shall be allowed in required front or side yard setbacks.

    • (5) All maintenance, service, or commercial vehicles, trailers or equipment shall be parked or stored entirely within a building or structure. Other vehicles that bear advertisements associated with the home occupation, which may be used for personal use, must be parked or stored entirely within a building or structure or parked in a screened area so that the vehicle is not visible from the public right-of-way.

  • (j) No mechanical or electrical apparatus, equipment or tools shall be permitted except those items which are commonly associated with residential use or use customary to home crafts.

  • (k) Traffic.

    • (1) The home occupation shall not generate pedestrian or vehicular traffic that noticeably affects the residential character of the neighborhood.

    • (2) Customers. No more than eight clients or customers shall be on the premises in any one day.

    • (3) Traffic, which exceeds eight clients, customers, normal deliveries, or combination thereof per day, shall be a prima facie evidence that the activity is a primary business and not a home occupation.

    • (4) Customer or client business-related visits and non-resident employee arrivals and departures shall occur between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m.

    • (5) Deliveries or pick-ups by normal delivery services shall occur between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.

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City of Escondido, CA

ESCONDIDO CODE

§ 33-853

§ 33-854

  • (l) If the major home occupation is to be conducted from rental property, the property owner's authorization for the proposed use shall be obtained prior to approval.

  • (m) Notwithstanding the above, all major home occupations are also subject to the general conditions listed in section 33-854.

(Zoning Code, Ch. 108, § 1087.7; Ord. No. 2013-07RR, § 4, 12-4-13; Ord. No. 2018-04, § 1, 4-4-18; Ord. No. 2023-06, § 3, 3-8-23)

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▸ Contents — Escondido Zoning Code
Escondido Zoning Code
  1. Chapter 6
  2. Division 2 — Routing
  3. Division 2 — Weed and Rubbish Abatement Program
  4. ▸ Division 1 — Generally
    Overview
    1. § 11-53. Created and established.
    2. § 11-54. Purpose.
    3. § 11-55. Membership.
    4. § 11-56. Members in classified service and subject to civil se…
    5. § 11-57. Personnel to obey fire chief and rules and regulation…
    6. § 11-63. Appointment; tenure.
    7. § 11-64. Qualifications.
    8. § 11-65. Status of employment.
    9. § 11-66. General authority.
    10. § 11-67. To perform duties prescribed by city manager.
    11. § 11-68. To aid enforcement of ordinances, report violations.
    12. § 11-69. Duty to promulgate and enforce rules, regulations for…
    13. § 11-70. Authority, duty to inspect buildings, premises and or…
    14. § 11-71. Right of entry to make inspections.
    15. § 11-72. Duty to investigate fires, maintain records.
    16. § 11-73. Duty to preserve order at fires.
    17. § 11-74. Provide instruction for department in first aid, etc.
    18. § 11-75. Duty to call fire drills; purpose of drills.
    19. § 11-76. Responsible for conduct of and property of department.
    20. § 11-77. Duty to recommend disciplinary action.
    21. § 11-78. Duty to make reports; contents.
    22. § 11-79. To submit annual budget.
    23. Chapter 20
    24. Chapter 32
    25. ▸ Chapter 33
      Overview
      1. § 33-1313. Penalty provisions.
      2. Article 1 — GENERAL PROVISIONS AND DEFINITIONS
      3. Article 2 — OPEN SPACE AND HAZARDOUS LANDS GENERALLY
      4. Article 3 — OPEN SPACE (OS) ZONE
      5. Article 4 — FLOOD PLAIN (FP) OVERLAY ZONE
      6. Article 5 — OPEN SPACE DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS
      7. Article 6 — RESIDENTIAL ZONES
      8. Article 9 — ANIMAL OVERLAY (AO) ZONE
      9. Article 11 — (RESERVED)
      10. Article 13 — (RESERVED)
      11. Article 16 — COMMERCIAL ZONES
      12. Article 18 — SPECIFIC PLAN (S-P) ZONE
      13. Article 19 — PLANNED DEVELOPMENT (P-D) ZONE
      14. Article 24 — (RESERVED)
      15. Article 25 — PARKING OF RECREATIONAL VEHICLES IN RESIDENTIAL Z…
      16. Article 26 — INDUSTRIAL ZONES
      17. Article 27 — EMERGENCY SHELTER OVERLAY
      18. Article 30 — HAZARDOUS CHEMICAL OVERLAY (H-C-O) ZONE
      19. Article 31 — SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANT (S-T-P) OVERLAY ZONE
      20. Article 32 — BED AND BREAKFAST FACILITIES
      21. Article 33 — RECYCLING FACILITIES
      22. Article 34 — COMMUNICATION ANTENNAS
      23. Article 35 — OUTDOOR LIGHTING
      24. Article 36 — CARGO CONTAINER RESTRICTIONS
      25. Article 37 — PUBLIC ART
      26. Article 38 — MASSAGE ESTABLISHMENTS
      27. Article 39 — OFF-STREET PARKING
      28. Article 40 — HISTORICAL RESOURCES
      29. Article 41 — SENIOR HOUSING
      30. Article 42 — ADULT BUSINESSES
      31. Article 43 — ABANDONED SERVICE STATIONS
      32. ▸ Article 44 — HOME OCCUPATIONS
        Overview
        1. § 33-850. License required.
        2. § 33-851. Procedure.
        3. § 33-852. Minor home occupations.
        4. § 33-852 - (g) Signs.
        5. § 33-853. Major home occupations.
        6. § 33-854. General conditions.
        7. § 33-855. Noncompliance.
        8. § 33-856. Denial or revocation.
      33. Article 45 — MOBILEHOME PARKS
      34. Article 46 — TRAVEL TRAILER PARKS
      35. Article 47 — ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
      36. Article 48 — RELOCATION OF BUILDINGS
      37. Article 49 — AIR SPACE CONDOMINIUM AND COMMUNITY APARTMENT PRO…
      38. Article 52 — FREEWAY SIGN CONTROL
      39. Article 55 — GRADING AND EROSION CONTROL
      40. Article 56 — MISCELLANEOUS DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS
      41. Article 57 — MISCELLANEOUS USE RESTRICTIONS
      42. Article 58 — DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENTS
  5. Division 1
  6. Division 2 — Variances and Administrative Adjustments
  7. Division 3 — Nonconforming Uses and Structures
  8. Division 4 — Amendments and Zone Changes
  9. Division 5 — Reasonable Accommodation
  10. Division 6 — Public Hearings, Notices, Fees and Appeals
  11. Division 7 — Enforcement and Penalties
  12. Division 8 — Plot Plans
  13. Division 9 — Zoning Administrator

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