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Redwood City · Building on your lot

Running a business from home in Redwood City

Redwood City's own rules on running a business from home, with the code text for every value.

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

What Redwood City's code says

Redwood City code What Redwood City's code adds
Employees
  • No employees except those needed for household purposes.
    Applies: Applies to business activity at the home.
    § 31.12 · code text
    For all business activity occurring at the residence, no persons are employed other than that necessary for domestic purposes.
  • Employees for off-site work may not gather at the home.
    Applies: Applies to off-site business activities.
    § 31.12 · code text
    Employees for off-site business activities shall not assemble at the dwelling.
Permit
  • Allowed by right, subject to the city's standards.
    Applies: Applies in a legal dwelling unit in any zoning district.
    § 31.12 · code text
    Home occupations are permitted by right in a legal dwelling unit in any zoning district with the following requirements:
Businesses not allowed
  • on-site vehicle repair; sexually-oriented businesses; animal-related uses; firearm and ammunition retail sale use; any use deemed by the Zoning Administrator to not be incidental to the residential use of the dwelling unit
    § 31.12 · code text
    1. On-site vehicle repair; 2. Sexually-oriented businesses; 3. Animal-related uses; 4. Firearm and ammunition retail sale use; 5. Any use deemed by the Zoning Administrator to not be incidental to the residential use of the dwelling unit.

Who this affects

HomeownersContractorsDesigners

Frequently asked questions

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

Redwood City's code: Allowed by right, subject to the city's standards. (Applies in a legal dwelling unit in any zoning district.) (§ 31.12); on-site vehicle repair; sexually-oriented businesses; animal-related uses; firearm and ammunition retail sale use; any use deemed by the Zoning Administrator to not be incidental to the residential use of the dwelling unit (§ 31.12).

General information, not legal advice.

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Redwood City Municipal Code — full text