Bothell, WA Business Licensing & Operations: Auto Repair on Residential Property (2026)

A home business in the City of Bothell cannot be a repair shop. Condition 8(e) of BMC 12.06.140 lists the activities prohibited for home occupations: (1) automobile, truck, boat and heavy equipment repair; (2) auto or truck body work or boat hull and deck work; (3) parking and storage of heavy equipment; (4) storage of building materials for use on other properties; (5) painting or detailing of autos, trucks, boats, or other items; (6) the outside storage of equipment, materials or more than one vehicle related to the business; (7) vehicles larger than 10,000 pounds gross weight operated out of the premises or parked on the property or on adjacent streets; and (8) taxicab, van shuttle, limousine or other transportation services, except for office activities.

The ban follows the use table. In BMC 12.06.040, automotive or marine repair is permitted only in the CB, GC and LI columns and is not permitted in any residential, OP or NB column. Home occupations are also required by condition 8(b) to be conducted indoors, so work on a driveway or yard is outside the allowed pattern.

A separate nuisance rule reaches personal vehicles. BMC 8.24.050(J) lists nonoperational or abandoned vehicles, or parts of them, or other articles of personal property left in a state of partial construction or repair in any front yard, side yard, rear yard or vacant lot. The responsible person can have only one nonoperational or abandoned vehicle outside an enclosed building at any one time, for a period not to exceed 14 days. A resident working on a personal car therefore faces that 14-day clock, while a repair business is barred outright.