Coon Rapids, MN Business Licensing & Operations: Auto Repair on Residential Property (2026)

Section 11-1210(1)(l) lists home occupations that are prohibited outright rather than merely restricted: retail sales except by appointment, repair of internal combustion engines over 25 horsepower, body shops, raw metal fabrication, welding, ammunition manufacturing, and motor vehicle repair, maintenance, service, or sale. Because this sits inside § 11-1210, the section governing all home occupations, a resident cannot obtain a Home Occupation Permit for any of these uses regardless of how quiet or low-traffic the operation would be; the prohibition is categorical, not a numeric limit to stay under.

The same subsection clarifies that home-based retail sales regulated separately under § 11-601.8 are not treated as a home occupation, so that narrower retail allowance does not create a loophole for selling vehicles or parts from a residence. Any of these activities discovered at a residential property would fall outside the accessory-use standards of § 11-1210(1) entirely, meaning the operator could not cure the violation by scaling down; the use itself is disqualified from residential zoning districts as a home occupation. A resident wanting to do this kind of work would need to locate in a zoning district that allows vehicle repair as a principal commercial or industrial use.