This column is sponsored by BizLaunch, a division of Arlington Economic Development.
Over the summer, we’re going to be doing a deep dive into the regulations many startups skip when starting their business. Last summer, we detailed one of the main regulations some startups forget, which is an Arlington Business License. Today, we’re going to highlight the other main regulation many Arlington’s independent consultants working from home forget which is a home occupation permit.
A home occupation permit is a requirement if you are using a residential address as your principal place of business. Many occupations are permitted by the home occupation permit such as accountant, consultant, engineer, artist and many others.
However, there are some occupations that are not permitted in residential areas such as antique shops, nursery schools, restaurant or tearoom, motor vehicle repair and more. The reason such occupations are not allowed is because many of these occupations would create nuisances in residential neighborhoods reducing the quality of life for the surrounding community.
A home occupation is fairly simple to obtain, simply fill out the Home Occupation Application in Permit Arlington, log in or create an account. Under the create drop down menu at the top, click zoning application and a list of different zoning applications will expand and select Home Occupation. To obtain a home occupation permit, the applicant must be an Arlington County resident, and a parking disclosure map is required for home occupation. Use the Parking Map tool to comply with this requirement.
While a particular occupation may be permitted under the Home Occupation Permit, we strongly encourage applicants to check their lease or condo documents to ensure their apartment or condo association allows residents to run a business out of their house before they apply for the Home Occupation Permit.
We know permitting and regulations can be overwhelming; however, we have the “easy button” at BizLaunch, and we can walk startups through all the regulations specific to their business. Simply schedule your one-on-one counseling appointment today with one of our three small business experts.
To learn more about BizLaunch and to take advantage of the many small business resources we offer, visit: www.bizlaunch.org.
