Bonner County, ID Business Licensing & Operations: Auto Repair on Residential Property (2026)

Bonner County Revised Code § 12-489 sorts home businesses into three tiers. A Home Occupation I is permitted by right but may not alter the outside appearance of the property and may not host commercial on premises sales. A Home Occupation II needs a permit from the planning director, and subsection C.2.f lists automobile, truck and heavy equipment repair, along with auto body work or painting, as prohibited activities. That leaves Home Occupation III as the only home path for a repair shop.

A Home Occupation III is subject to a conditional use permit and the same performance standards as Home Occupation II, with changes. The operator lives in the dwelling and can have up to four additional employees. Vehicle traffic cannot exceed eighteen vehicle trips per day on average. Subsection D.4 then adds minimum standards specific to automobile, truck, heavy equipment and small engine repair. Outdoor activity tied to the repair business is limited to two percent of the total site acreage, or to a specified area set by the Zoning Commission or hearing examiner. Outdoor storage of equipment or materials must be buffered with landscaping and screening under section 12-465, table 4-5. An accessory structure for the repair business can be up to one thousand five hundred (1,500) square feet. No more than three vehicles being repaired or awaiting repair can sit on the site at any given time.

The business must also comply with all building, fire and environmental code regulations set by local, state or federal jurisdictions. Every year the owner files a written report with the planning department confirming continued compliance with these standards and with any other conditions of the permit approval. The rules apply only in unincorporated Bonner County. Sandpoint, Ponderay, Priest River and the other incorporated cities set their own home business rules.