Home Occupations | Albemarle County, VA

A home occupation is a business conducted out of the home in which you reside. This can include selling goods off-site or over the internet, or doing the accounting and paperwork for a business performed in or at other people’s homes, like tutoring, landscaping, or housecleaning, among others.

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Application Type	required documents
Home Occupations

REQUIREMENTS FOR HOME OCCUPATIONS

Requirements for all home occupations are listed below.

The business must be performed by an occupant of the home.
The home occupation must not interfere with the quality and character of the neighborhood.
You must apply for and receive an approved Home Occupation Clearance before commencing your business.

Depending on your zoning district and the type of business you are running, different regulations may apply to your business. Find your zoning district through our County GIS.

Rural Area Home Occupation Regulations

Note: Regulations marked with an asterisk (*) are eligible for special exception.

Application Required	Minor Home Occupation Clearance	Major Home Occupation Clearance
Area of home occupation	No more than 25% of gross floor area of dwelling, or 1,500 sf max, whichever is less*	No more than 25% of gross floor area of dwelling, or 1,500 sf max, whichever is less*
May be performed in an accessory structure	No	Yes
Accessory structure setbacks	N/A	Same as primary structure
Clients or customers to home	No	Up to 10 vehicle trips/day or 30 vehicle trips/week, up to 6 days/week, 7:00am - 8:00pm*
Sales at home	No	Only items crafted on-site or directly related to the home occupation
Signs	No	One sign permitted
Parking of vehicles used in home occupation or belonging to employees, clients, and customers	On-site. No public street parking permitted.	On-site. No public street parking permitted.
Storage of materials	Must be inside the dwelling, except for natural landscaping materials (mulch, plants)	Must be inside the dwelling or associated accessory structure, except for natural landscaping materials (mulch, plants)
Employees permitted to home (not residents of home)	No	Up to 2 employees, 6 days/week, 7:00am - 8:00pm
Vehicles used in a home occupation and parked or stored on-site	Limited to 1 motor vehicle and 1 trailer	No more than 2 motor vehicles and 2 trailers
Prohibited home occupations	Any use requiring a special use permit Animal rescue centers Junkyards Restaurants Storage yards Gun sales, unless guns are hand-crafted on-site On-site pet grooming Body shops Equipment, trailers, vehicles, or machinery rentals Shooting ranges Commercial stables Rummage or garage sales, unless they are occasional as determined by the zoning administrator Veterinary clinics or hospitals Pyrotechnic (fireworks or bomb) device manufacture or sales Any use not expressly listed that is determined by the zoning administrator to be contrary to the purpose and intent of the Rural Area	Any use requiring a special use permit Animal rescue centers Junkyards Restaurants Storage yards Gun sales, unless guns are hand-crafted on-site On-site pet grooming Body shops Equipment, trailers, vehicles, or machinery rentals Shooting ranges Commercial stables Rummage or garage sales, unless they are occasional as determined by the zoning administrator Veterinary clinics or hospitals Pyrotechnic (fireworks or bomb) device manufacture or sales Any use not expressly listed that is determined by the zoning administrator to be contrary to the purpose and intent of the Rural Area

Residential District Home Occupation Regulations

Note: Regulations marked with an asterisk (*) are eligible for special exception.

Residential Districts include VR, R-1, R-2, R-4, R-6, R-10, R-15, PUD, PRD, NMD.

Application Required	Class A Home Occupation Clearance	Class B Special Use Permit
Area of home occupation	No more than 25% of gross floor area of dwelling, or 1,500 sf max, whichever is less	No more than 25% of gross floor area of dwelling, or 1,500 sf max, whichever is less
May be performed in an accessory structure	No	Yes
Accessory structure setbacks	N/A	Same as primary structure
Clients or customers to home	Up to 7/week	Up to 7/week
Sales at home	Only items crafted on-site	Only items crafted on-site
Signs	No	One sign permitted
Parking of vehicles used in home occupation or belonging to employees, clients, and customers	On-site. No public street parking permitted.	On-site. No public street parking permitted.
Storage of materials	Must be inside the dwelling	Must be inside the dwelling or associated accessory structure
Employees permitted to home (not residents of home)	No	Up to 2 employees
Vehicles used by home occupation store at site	Up to 1 motor vehicle and 1 trailer	Up to 1 motor vehicle and 1 trailer
Prohibited home occupations	Homestays Assisted living or skilled nursing facilities Child day centers Private schools	Homestays Assisted living or skilled nursing facilities Child day centers Private schools

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