Oakland residents would be able to sell their garden crops with a permit obtained through a routine application for a home-based business under a new ordinance that the City Council is expected to approve Tuesday evening.
“With this simple but important change, Oakland residents will now be able to start their own locally-grown food micro-enterprises,” said Esperanza Pallana, owner of the home-based Pluck & Feather Farm and co-founder of the East Bay Urban Agriculture Alliance.
The measure, already approved in June by Oakland's Planning Commission and on a first reading by the City Council, would amend rules that pertain to home-based businesses, adding the cultivation of "fruits, vegetables, plants, flowers, herbs, and/or ornamental plants" to the list.
Approval would be automatic as long as the applicant lives at the property and uses no mechanized equipment. The home permit and business license together would run about $50, said Eric Angstadt, Oakland's deputy director of planning and zoning.
Prior to this change, permits for home-based businesses were only allowed for indoor activities, which ruled out most crop raising. Residents who grew crops with the intent to sell them were instead required to obtain a conditional-use permit -- a more elaborate process that involves a hearing and can cost more than $2,800.
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