Chapter 20.122
HOME OCCUPATION
Sections:
20.122.030 General requirements.
20.122.040 Table of permitted home occupations.
20.122.050 Application requirements.
20.122.060 Unclassified home occupations.
20.122.070 Home occupations not permitted.
20.122.080 Denial of application for a home occupation.
20.122.010 Purpose.
The purpose of this chapter is to:
A. Permit residents of the community a broad choice in the use of their homes as a place of livelihood and the production or supplementing of personal/family income.
B. Protect residential areas from potential adverse impact of activities defined as home occupations.
C. Establish criteria and development standards for the use of residential structures or dwelling units for home occupations.
D. Ensure that full scale businesses are located in commercially zoned districts. (Ord. 2019-38 § 10 (part), 2019).
20.122.020 Defined.
A home occupation is the accessory use by a person of a dwelling unit or structure on the same lot in a residential district where the person resides for gainful employment involving the manufacture or provision of goods or services for sale, or the administrative office for an occupation conducted away from home. A home occupation whose primary purpose is the display and sales of retail goods is prohibited. Refer to Chapter 20.123, Table of Permitted Home Occupations. (Ord. 2000-6 § 2(part), 2000: Ord. 95-5 § 1(part), 1995).
20.122.030 General requirements.
A. Home occupations shall occupy not more than four hundred square feet total.
B. Home occupations shall emit no noise, air pollutants, waste products, or other effects detrimental to the environment or the neighborhood beyond those normally emanating from residential use. Further, any occupation which may produce waste products of a quality or quantity not normally associated with residential use shall not qualify as a home occupation.
C. Home occupations shall comply with all other local, state, or federal regulations pertinent to the activity pursued, and the requirements or permission granted or implied by this chapter shall not be construed as an exemption from such regulations.
D. Any person engaging in a home occupation shall register as a business under Chapter 5.05.
E. Structural alterations made to accommodate a home occupation shall be similar in material and style to the principal structure.
F. No merchandise or stock in trade may be sold, displayed, or stored on any portion of the exterior of the premises.
G. No equipment or material may be stored, altered, or repaired on any exterior portion of the premises.
H. No more than one person other than bona fide residents of the dwelling unit may be employed in the home occupation at the site.
I. Traffic generated by home occupations shall not exceed two commercial vehicles per week. Customer or client traffic generated by the home occupation shall not be of a greater volume than is customary in the neighborhood in which the home occupation is located.
J. Parking of customers’ or clients’ vehicles shall create no hazard or unusual congestion. Parking of customers’ or clients’ vehicles shall be off-street.
K. The home occupation shall be incidental and subordinate to the principal use of the structure as a dwelling.
L. The home occupation shall not increase the water or sewer use so that the combined total use for the dwelling and the home occupation is significantly more than the average for residences in the neighborhood.
M. No mechanical equipment shall be permitted except that which is normally associated with residential uses.
N. One nonilluminated wall sign of not more than two square feet in area is permitted. There shall be no display other than a sign that indicates that the building is used in whole or in part for any purpose other than residential.
O. In granting approval for a home occupation, the reviewing official may attach additional conditions to ensure the home occupation will be in harmony with, and not detrimental to, the character of the residential neighborhood.
P. Any home occupation authorized under the provisions of this code shall be open to inspection and review at all reasonable times by enforcement officials for purposes of verifying compliance with the conditions of approval and other provisions of this code. (Ord. 2019-38 § 10 (part), 2019).
20.122.040 Table of permitted home occupations.
A. Chapter 20.123, Table of Permitted Home Occupations, is incorporated as a part of this section. Each permitted home occupation listed in the table is designated as a Level 1, 2, or 3 use for a residential zoning district.
B. Specific uses not permitted as home occupations are listed in Section 20.122.070. (Ord. 2019-38 § 10 (part), 2019).
20.122.050 Application requirements.
In addition to the general application requirements of the designated review level, applicants for a home occupation permit must submit a written explanation of their proposal, detailing items such as anticipated traffic generation, hours of operation, proposed signage, the nature of the proposed business, and other information as required by the director.
20.122.060 Unclassified home occupations.
Home occupations not listed in the Table of Permitted Home Occupations and Section 20.122.070 shall be reviewed by the director in accordance with provisions of Section 20.02.090, Interpretations; provided, any unclassified home occupation permitted after review and decision by the director in a particular zone district shall be allowed only as a Level II or III use.
20.122.070 Home occupations not permitted.
A. The following uses, by the nature of their operation or investment, have a pronounced tendency, once started, to increase beyond the limits permitted for home occupations, or to generate nuisance conditions, and impair the use and value of a residentially zoned area for residential purposes. Therefore, the uses listed below shall not be permitted as home occupations:
1. Ambulance service;
2. Vehicle repair, alteration, or rebuilding;
3. Antique shop or gift shop;
4. Kennel;
5. Veterinary clinic or hospital;
6. Painting of vehicles, trailers, or boats;
7. Large appliance repair including stoves, refrigerators, washers and dryers;
8. Upholstering;
9. Machine and sheet metal shops;
10. Martial arts school;
11. Woodcutting for the purpose of selling or bartering firewood;
12. Brewing, distilling or winemaking for other than personal consumption;
13. Cabinet, carpentry work;
14. Dentist;
15. Radio and television repair;
16. Small engine repair;
17. Vehicle washing, cleaning or detailing. (Ord. 2019-38 § 10 (part), 2019: Ord. 2012-09 § 59, 2012).
20.122.080 Denial of application for a home occupation.
An application for a home occupation shall be denied if the approving authority finds that either the application or record fail to establish compliance with the provisions of this chapter. When any application is denied, the approving authority shall state the specific reasons, and shall cite the specific provisions and sections of this code on which the denial is based.
20.122.090 Appeal.
Decisions regarding home occupations may be appealed to the appropriate appellate body as prescribed in Chapter 20.38, Closed Record Decisions and Appeals.