Can I run a business from my home in Salinas?

Home businesses need a permit, may use at most 25% of floor area, and generally allow no customers and only resident workers. Home instruction is limited to 2 students per hour and 6 per day, or 5 and 35 with conditional use approval.

Running a business from home in Salinas: the local rules

What Salinas's code says

Salinas code What Salinas's code adds
Space used	No more than 25% of the home's floor area. Applies: The business must be entirely inside the home, unless the code provides otherwise; live-work units are excluded. § 37-50.100 · code text A home occupation shall be conducted entirely within a dwelling unit and shall occupy no more than twenty-five percent of the floor area except as provided for elsewhere in this section.
Customer visits	No customers, clients or students may come to the home. Applies: General home businesses; qualifying teaching services and single-practitioner fortunetelling are excepted. § 37-50.100 · code text No customers, clients, or students shall come to the home in conjunction with the home occupation except as provided for elsewhere in this section. At most 2 clients or students per hour and 6 per day. Applies: Teaching services with a home occupation permit; guardians are not counted; higher limits need a conditional use permit. § 37-50.100 · code text There shall be no more than a maximum of two clients/students (excluding guardians) per hour and a maximum of six clients/students per day; At most 5 clients or students per hour and 35 per day. Applies: Teaching services with a conditional use permit; guardians not counted; needs collector/arterial access, guardians present, 300-foot separation, 15-minute class gaps. § 37-50.100 · code text Home occupations involving instructional and educational services with a maximum of five clients/students per hour (excluding guardians) and thirty-five clients/students per day may be considered as a conditional use permit in lieu of a home occupation permit. At most 3 client visits per day, 1 at a time, each no longer than 60 minutes. Applies: Fortunetelling by 1 practitioner; by appointment only, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. § 37-50.100 · code text There shall be no more than a maximum of three client/customer visitations per day, one at a time for no more than sixty minutes each;
Employees	Only residents of the home may work on site or report to work there. § 37-50.100 · code text A home occupation may be granted only to a resident of the dwelling unit and no one other than a resident of the dwelling unit shall be employed on-site or report to work at the site in the conduct of a home occupation.
Permit	A home occupation permit is required. Applies: Applies to home businesses, not live-work units; qualifying teaching uses may use a conditional use permit instead. § 37-50.100 · code text A home occupation permit (see Article VI, Division 4: Administrative Permits) obtained from community planning and development shall be required to operate any home occupation.
Businesses not allowed	on-site vehicle repair; beauty or barbershop; food preparation; boarding or training of animals § 37-50.100 · code text No on-site vehicle repair, beauty or barbershop, food preparation, or boarding or training of animals shall be permitted.

Running a business from home in Salinas

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