The Customary Home Occupation Permit is needed for an office in a home, provided adherence to section 12.408.
Section 12.408. Customary home occupations.
Applicability and exceptions: The following uses are not considered customary home occupations and are exempt from this section:
(i) Home offices with incidental storage (e.g., telecommuting from home). Incidental storage shall not exceed 50 square feet in area.
(ii) Residents whose job location is elsewhere, can bring work-related vehicles home, however, the commercial vehicles regulations of section 12.218 shall apply.
A customary home occupation shall be permitted as an accessory to any dwelling unit in accordance with the following requirements:
(1) The home occupation must be clearly incidental to the residential use of the dwelling and must not change the essential residential character of the dwelling.
(2) Use of the dwelling for all customary home occupations must be limited to 25% of the total floor area of the principal building, or 500 square feet, whichever is less. Areas used for storage of materials shall be included in determining the percentage of the structure devoted to the customary home occupation. Incidental storage of 50 square feet or less shall not count toward determining the percentage devoted to the customary home occupation. If a portion of a room is being used, the entire room will be measured, not just the portion.
Home occupation permits issued prior to the effective date of this section shall be grandfathered. However, any subsequent home occupation permit issued at the same address must be in conformance with these standards.
(3) No accessory building or outside storage may be used in connection with the home occupation.
(4) No chemical, mechanical, electrical, construction, paint or landscaping equipment, or materials or supplies that are not normally a part of domestic or household equipment may be used or stored, with two exceptions:
(a) Medical, dental and office equipment used for professional purposes may be used.
(b) A single trailer with a cargo area or work platform shall not exceed a length of 14 feet (not including step bumpers less than 18 inches in length or the moving hitch or tongue), attached to a vehicle at all time used in the customary home occupation may be stored on the premise overnight, but no construction or industrial equipment can be stored on the trailer.
(5) Machinery that causes noises, vibration, glare, fumes, odors, dust, detectable at the property line is prohibited. Machinery that causes electrical interference with radio or television reception is also prohibited.
(6) No internal or external alterations inconsistent with the residential use of the building will be permitted. There shall be no evidence on the exterior of the premises or visible from the exterior of the premises that the property is used in any way other than for a dwelling.
(7) Only residents of the dwelling may be engaged in work activities at the residence. If the customary home occupation has other employees, those employees may not come to the residence for work purposes, including pick-up of materials, vehicles, assignments, or similar purposes.
(8) No display of products shall be visible from the street.
(9) The number of vehicles used by clients or business-related visitors to any home occupation shall be limited to two at any given time.
(10) Vehicles used in connection with the conduct of the customary home occupation shall comply with the requirements of section 12.218, “Commercial vehicle parking in residential areas.”
(11) Signs are permitted in accordance with section 13.7.B. (Petition No. 2019-103, 10-21-19)
(12) Clients or business-related visitors shall be by appointment only.
(13) Hours of operation for deliveries, clients, and operation of mechanical or electrical equipment shall be limited to between 7 a.m and 8 p.m.
Permitted customary home occupations include, but are not limited to: Home-based businesses such as offices for professionals such as architects, brokers, counselors, clergy, dentists, doctors, cartographers, engineers, insurance agents, lawyers, real estate agents, accountants, editors, publishers, journalists, psychologists, contract management, graphic design, landscape and or building contractors, landscape design, surveyors, cleaning services, alterations, certified massage therapists, retail sales of goods by appointment only, manufacturer's representatives, travel agents, telecommuting, gift baskets, instructional services (such as teaching music, dance, art, tutoring), home craft businesses (such as artists, quilters, sculptors, musicians, dressmakers, milliners, weavers, lapidary, jewelry making, photographers, and furniture making), and other similar uses.
Home-baked goods with no products sold directly from the house, and subject other applicable regulations including building code and Mecklenburg County Health Department regulations.
Prohibited customary home occupations include, but are not limited to caterers, food vendors, equipment and vehicle repair shops, appliance repair shops, small mechanical repair shops, barber shops, beauty shops, kennels, commercial bakeries, veterinarian clinics, funeral homes, commercial cabinetry shop, welding, trucking, adult oriented businesses, warehousing, on-site vehicular sales, and other similar uses.