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

Lacey's home occupation chapter sets one flat prohibition for auto mechanics. Section 16.69.030(D) says vehicle repair, alteration or rebuilding shall not be permitted as a home occupation. Subsection D carries no square footage threshold, no customer count, and no conditional use route, so an auto repair business run from a house in the City of Lacey cannot qualify under Chapter 16.69. The definition in § 16.69.020 covers any activity conducted for financial gain or profit in a dwelling unit.

The rest of § 16.69.030 frames the limits on any home business. Subsection A caps a home occupation at twenty-five percent of the total floor area of the residence, never more than four hundred square feet, and an accessory building for the occupation also cannot exceed four hundred square feet. Subsection B denies home occupation status to any occupation producing waste products of a quality or quantity not normally associated with residential use. Subsection C says the chapter is no exemption from other local, state, or federal regulations pertinent to the activity. Subsection E requires registration as a business under Chapter 5.12 LMC and subjects the person to the business and occupation tax levied by Chapter 3.02 LMC. Section 16.69.040(A)(3) permits a home occupation as of right only if no equipment or material is stored, altered or repaired on any exterior portion of the premises.

Other Lacey sections deal with vehicles kept at a home. Section 16.57.060(C)(1) provides that in residential areas motor vehicles, appliances, and any other mechanical equipment that is no longer operable shall not be stored outside for a period exceeding thirty days. Section 16.57.060(C)(2) allows operable motor vehicles, boats, trailers, and recreational vehicles to be stored on the premises if they do not obstruct the public right-of-way or interfere with traffic visibility, and vehicles so stored cannot be used as living quarters. LMC 9.52.010(C) declares a public nuisance the accumulation of a motor vehicle incapable of being operated or unlicensed for the current year, unless it is completely fenced off or enclosed from public view and public access.