An inflatable sign may be permitted only for a grand opening of a business, for fourteen (14) days, and with Planning Department approval. Please contact the Planning Department.

Yes, with prior approval and completing a Temporary Sign Permit Application, a commercial business or activity on any commercially zoned property, or an apartment or condominium complex, not to exceed one-hundred twenty (120) days for commercial and ninety (90) days for apartment or condominium complexes in one calendar year. There is no fee for processing this application. Also, the temporary sign cannot exceed more than thirty (30) days at any one time. There are restrictions on what type of temporary sign you can have. For instance pennants, sandwich boards, banners tied to parking lot lights or trees, in the right-of- way, or in the landscaping are not allowed. One banner affixed to the building wall is permitted.

It depends on the Zoning of your property and the size of your parcel. Please contact the Planning Department at 209-385-6858 or refer to MMC 20.42.

For more information on changes/requirements that occur with annexation, please click here

Yes, if you are based within the city limits or are entering the city to conduct your business activities. Merced City and Merced County are two separate jurisdictions, where a license with the City covers business conducted on incorporated areas within the city limits, and a license with the County is valid for the unincorporated areas of the county (outside city limits). When you enter one jurisdiction from another with the intent to conduct your business activities, you must be licensed for that area. If you are not sure where the city limit line begins, the most current street map for Merced County, such as those published by Rand McNally, may be of help, or you may feel free to call the Planning Department at (209) 385-6858 to verify that information.

Yes. Please contact the Planning Department at (209) 385-6858.

Yes. There are three separate sign sections of the Merced City Sign Ordinance (General Regulations; Regulations for North Merced; and Regulations for Redevelopment Project Areas. If your business is within the Redevelopment Project Area, a Design Review Application will be required in addition to a building permit. Please contact the Planning Department at (209) 385-6858. See Merced Municipal Code Section 17.36 – Signs for more information.

You may contact the Planning Department at 209-385-6858. You may also refer to the map at mcaggis.com, but be aware that updates occur on a regular basis. Before buying property, please contact the Planning Department to confirm the zoning.

The City does not have official survey records for parcels. In order to accurately determine property line location, you will need to contact a Land Surveying or Engineering Firm. If you need the dimensions of your property, you may come in to the Planning Department to obtain a copy of a the Assessor’s Parcel Map for your property.

The maximum height for a backyard fence is 7-feet tall. Front yard fencing may be a maximum of 4-feet tall with the exception of corner lots and the visual corner of a driveway. On a corner and in the visual corner of a driveway, the maximum height is 2 ½’. Please refer to MMC 20.30 for more information or contact the Planning Division at (209) 385-6858.

Typically for retail and office uses, the parking requirements are based on the square footage of the commercial space. For instance, parking for a most retail stores (except food) is one space for each 300 square feet and one space for each vehicle used in the conduct of the business.

Business and professional offices (except medical and dental offices) are required to have one space for every 250 square feet and one space for each vehicle used in the conduct of the business.

For more information on parking requirements please refer to Section 20.38 of the Merced Municipal Code or contact the City Planning Department at (209) 385-6858.

Single-family dwellings are required to have one space of off-street parking. This means the space must be outside of the required setback areas and be a minimum of 10’ x 20’ to qualify as a legal parking space.

Parking requirements for duplex multi-family dwellings are calculated based on the number of dwelling units. For duplexes and multi-family developments up to 30 units, the requirement is 1.75 spaces for each dwelling unit and 1.5 spaces for each unit over 30. If the units have more than 2 bedrooms in each unit, then an additional 0.5 spaces is required for each bedroom over 2 in each unit. If the units have more than 3 bathrooms, then an additional 1.0 spaces is required for each bathroom over 3 bathrooms in each unit.

All business licenses shall be renewed quarterly, or every three months, before the start of the licensing period. Due dates are: December 31st (for license period January-March); March 31st (for license period April-June); June 30th (for license period July-September); and September 30th (for license period October-December). Please contact the Finance Department, (209) 385-6843, for an explanation on how these charges are billed.

In general, no business license is required, as long as proof is supplied that your organization is non-profit, usually with the non-profit ID number you receive from the Federal income tax bureau. However, for historical land use tracking purposes, the Finance Department requests that you complete and file an application; no fees will be charged if the business is non-profit. Please see MMC 05.04.190 regarding licensing for non-profit organizations.

A business license application, available from the Planning Department counter or on this web site, must be completed and submitted to the Planning Department, Merced Civic Center (2nd Floor), 678 W. 18th St., Merced CA 95340; Fax (209)725-8775.

Upon receipt by City staff, the business location and its proposed use will be evaluated for proper zoning and building code standards for commercial land uses. Inspections may be necessary and any required repairs and building and/or fire code upgrades (download Building Permit application), such as to install handicapped-access bathroom stalls or add separation walls, will be required to be completed before a license can be issued. Once approved by Planning, Building, and Fire Departments, and as long as no other special approvals are required (see "What special approvals do I need for my business?" in this FAQ section), your application will be routed to the Finance Department for final processing. If you have submitted your application by fax or by mail, you will be contacted by the Finance Department for any business license fees due and any additional information required to set up your business license application.

Regarding signage for commercial properties, please follow this link to the City of Merced Sign Ordinance.

The City of Merced allows many types of businesses to operate from a residence, as long as they comply with the restrictions placed on such businesses in the City Ordinance for Home Occupations. An application for a Home Occupation Permit must be completed and submitted with your business license application, and there is a one-time fee for the permit.

The conditions placed on Home Occupations are necessary to protect the residential neighborhoods from being “commercialized”; therefore, holders of Home Occupation permits cannot have their customers come to their home to conduct business nor store any goods or equipment that is not normally found in a home. Other conditions apply, so it is best to read the Municipal Code Section 20.48 regarding this subject to make sure that you can abide by all regulations.

Per MMC 05.04.060, a separate business license is required for each separate place of business. This also includes an administrative or clerical-only office, where no actual transactions will occur.

Please contact the Finance Department, (209)385-6843, to inquire about how the business license tax is handled in this regard.

One tree must be provided for every six parking spaces or fraction thereof. See Section 20.38 of the Merced Municipal Code for more details.

All business must be licensed, with the exception of: public utilities, banks, insurance companies, day care providers providing care for eight or less children (licensed by the State of California), residential care facility for the elderly, which serves six or less (licensed by the state of California), or apartments with two or less units (MMC 05.08.050). Please see MMC 05.04.200 for details.

The uses allowed on your property are determined by the zoning of the property. To determine the zoning, please contact the Planning Department at (209) 385-6858.

Whenever a business changes location, ownership, business name, or type of ownership (for example, changing from sole proprietorship to a corporation), you must re-submit a business license application reflecting the change. Licenses are only valid for the person(s), partnership or corporation, location, or business name for which it is applied for and issued. A change in ownership, including dropping or adding a partner, will be treated as a new business, which will likely require the payment of fees. Please contact the Finance Department, Business Licensing Division at 209-385-6843, for fee rate information.

Please contact the Finance Department at (209) 385-6843 for details on business license fees.  There are many variables that may or may not apply to your specific business activities and/or location.

A setback is the distance from a property line or other point to the nearest vertical wall or other element of a building.

Annexation is the term used when an area of land under county jurisdiction is added to a city. At least three public hearings are held and all property owners are notified of these hearings.

Lot coverage is the area of a lot occupied by buildings, structures, and required parking areas unobstructed from the ground upward. Lot coverage shall not include fences walls, hedges, swimming pools or uncovered patios.

The maximum lot coverage varies by zone. Please refer to the table below for information on each zoning designation.

*There is no maximum lot coverage for commercial zones and light and heavy industrial zones.

Setbacks are determined by a property’s zoning. There are four setback areas for a single-family home. These are the front, two side yards, and a rear yard setback. In single-family residential zones, the driveway shall be a minimum of 20’.

Contact the Planning Department for other zoning designations.

For single-family dwellings and duplexes, a parking space shall be a minimum of 10’ x 20’. For commercial and multi-family uses, the minimum space shall be 9' x 20’. However, 25% of the required parking spaces in a commercial or multi-family development may be designated as “compact” spaces and be a minimum of 9’ x 16’. See the City of Merced Engineering Standards TC-8, TC-9, and TC-10 for more information.

Upon submittal of your completed application to the Planning Department, your proposed business activity will be evaluated for proper zoning (land use) and for any special requirements or conditions under which you can operate.

Businesses that require special attention from the Police Department will be forwarded to that department for approval and/or additional processing. Business activities requiring Police approval include the following:

• Firearms sales (MMC Chapter 5.12)
• Storage of explosives
• Alarm companies
• Taxicabs and drivers (MMC Chapter 5.16)
• Tow companies and drivers
• Loading permits
• Transportation permits (oversized loads)
• Fire extinguisher refill businesses
• Solicitors (MMC 05.08.800 – 05.08.930)
• Street and Sidewalk Vendors (MMC Chapter 5.54)
• Curb Painting (MMC Chapter 5.56)
• Limousine services
• Tattoo establishments
• Private patrol, security services, and security guards (MMC Chapter 5.40)
• Dance Permits (MMC Chapter 5.48)
• Child care centers
• Dependent adult care centers
• Carnivals (MMC 05.08.100), Circuses (MMC 05.08.110)
• Itinerant vendors (MMC 05.08.130)
• Video rentals (to ensure separation of adult-type movies from others)
• Lock and key businesses, including mobile services
• Card rooms (MMC 05.08.060 - 05.08.090)
• Pool rooms, billiard rooms, and family billiard parlors (MMC Chapter 5.36)
• Massage establishments/massage technicians (MMC Chapter 5.44)
• Adult entertainment businesses, including figure models (MMC Chapter 5.58)
• Pawn shops (MMC Chapter 5.28)
• Fortune tellers
• Motion Picture Filming (MMC Chapter 5.52)

Please be advised that some types of licenses may require final approval by City Council. Please reference the Municipal Code Section that pertains to your type of business, or call the Planning Department at (209)385-6858.

Additional taxes or permit fees may be required if your business is located within a Business Improvement Area (MMC Chapter 3.44) or conducts a particular type of business activity. Examples would include hotels and motels (MMC Chapter 3.08), taxicab companies and drivers (MMC Chapter 5.16), massage (MMC Chapter 5.44), cardrooms and cardroom dealers (MMC 05.08.060 - 05.08.090), dance halls (MMC Chapter 5.48), billiard rooms (MMC Chapter 5.36), solicitors (MMC 05.08.800 – 05.08.930), and mobile food vendors (MMC Chapter 5.54). When your application is filed with the City, it will be evaluated to determine if these or other such taxes or permit fees will apply to your business.

Any time you are charging fees or accepting payment for goods or services, or conducting any type of business within the City limits of Merced, you are required to obtain a business license (MMC 5.04.040).

All State-licensed contractors working on projects within the City of Merced are also required to obtain a business license prior to the issuance of the building permit with which they are involved, even if they are only contracted with that project for a very short amount of time (MMC 05.08.120).

Before any construction begins on a multi-family dwelling, a building permit and other related permits must be obtained from the City of Merced. Check with the Current Planning Department if there are any development review actions required before applying for a building permit.

Zoning and development standards apply to the construction of and additions to any multi-family dwelling. When planning any kind of construction check with the Planning Department to make sure the following standards are maintained,

• Do not exceed the maximum number of units allowed on the lot.
• Do not exceed the maximum number of structures allowed on the lot.
• Maintain the required minimum distances from structure to property lines and structure to structure.
• Provide the required number of parking spaces for tenants and guests.
• Meet all landscaping requirements.

Other factors will apply, so it is important to be as specific as possible when inquiring about proposed construction. Some multi-family dwellings, such as apartments, are considered a high-impact use and might require a Conditional Use Permit, depending on their proximity to lower-impact uses. Condominiums will require a Conditional Use Permit. A copy of the City Of Merced Multi-Family design guidelines may be acquired at the Planning Department.

Before any construction begins on an addition to a single-family dwelling, a building permit and other related permits must be obtained from the City of Merced. Check with the Current Planning Department if there are any development review actions required before applying for a building permit.

Zoning and development standards apply to the construction of and additions to any single-family dwelling. When planning any kind of construction check with the Planning Department to make sure the following standards are maintained,

• Do not exceed the maximum number of units allowed on the lot.
• Do not exceed the maximum number of structures allowed on the lot.
• Maintain the required minimum distances from structure to property lines and structure to structure.

Other factors will apply, so it is important to be as specific as possible when inquiring about proposed construction.