Daly City · Building on your lot

Running a business from home in Daly City

Daly City allows a home business in one room, at most one-fourth of one floor, with residents only and no customer pickups or deliveries.

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Key points

Home businesses: Daly City allows a home business in one room, at most one-fourth of one floor, with residents only and no customer pickups or deliveries.

Each rule below links to the section of the Daly City Municipal Code it was read from, with the code text one click away (checked October 2026). General information, not legal advice.

What Daly City's code says

Daly City code What Daly City's code adds
Space used	No more than 1 room. § 17.36.030 · code text A home occupation shall occupy no more than one room. No more than 1/4 of the total square footage of any one floor of the home. Applies: The room used for the home business. § 17.36.030 · code text The room shall be no greater than one-fourth the total square footage of any one floor of the dwelling.
Customer visits	Only 1 student or customer at a time. Applies: Home businesses with services such as alterations, dressmaking, tax preparation and individual lessons. § 17.36.030 · code text Home occupations that provide services such as alterations, dressmaking, tax preparation and individual instructions shall be limited to one student or customer at a time. No customer pickups or goods pickups or deliveries at the home. § 17.36.030 · code text Customer or goods pickup and/or deliveries;
Employees	Only residents of the home may do the work or report to work there. § 17.36.030 · code text No one other than residents of the dwelling shall conduct the work of a home occupation or report to work at the dwelling.
Permit	A home occupation permit and a business license are required. § 17.36.050 · code text No home occupation shall be permitted unless a home occupation permit and business license, as required by this chapter, have been obtained.
Businesses not allowed	automobile repairing, detailing, auto parts sales, vehicle alarm and audio sales and installation, spray finishing operations, welding or cutting operations, vehicle tow services, auto selling and brokering, limousine services, delivery services, dating services and/or escort services, mail order businesses (except for telephone only), food preparation, beauty salons, barber shops, photography studios, health care clinics, including dental, medical, chiropractic and psychological offices, fortunetelling and related arts and practices, massage studio, kennels or other boarding for pets, firearm sales, contractor's office where employees report or assemble prior to going to the job site, roofing businesses and appliance and computer businesses where the repair is performed at the home § 17.36.040 · code text The following occupations and those of similar character shall not be considered secondary to the use of a residential dwelling and shall not be allowed: automobile repairing, detailing, auto parts sales, vehicle alarm and audio sales and installation, spray finishing operations, welding or cutting operations, vehicle tow services, auto selling and brokering, limousine services, delivery services, dating services and/or escort services, mail order businesses (except for telephone only), food preparation, beauty salons, barber shops, photography studios, health care clinics, including dental, medical, chiropractic and psychological offices, fortunetelling and related arts and practices, massage studio, kennels or other boarding for pets, firearm sales, contractor's office where employees report or assemble prior to going to the job site, roofing businesses and appliance and computer businesses where the repair is performed at the home

Who this affects

HomeownersContractorsDesigners

Frequently asked questions

Can I run a business from my home in Daly City?

Daly City allows a home business in one room, at most one-fourth of one floor, with residents only and no customer pickups or deliveries.

General information, not legal advice.

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Daly City Municipal Code — full text