Lower Merion, PA Business Licensing & Operations: Auto Repair on Residential Property (2026)

Under Zoning Code § 155-7.1, Table 7.1.2, Historic Resource Use Regulations, a Class 1 or Class 2 Historic Resource in Lower Merion Township may seek conditional-use approval for "repair services," but the table's second condition flatly excludes automobile, motorcycle, or lawnmower repair from that allowance. The remaining conditions only matter for whatever repair work is left: the property must be accessed from a primary and/or secondary street and not sit in a local historic district, staffing is capped at one employee per 500 square feet of gross habitable floor area, and hours run 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Ordinary (non-historic) residential properties fare no better under the Township's general home-occupation rule, § 155-10.1A. That section permits a home occupation as an accessory use to any residential dwelling only if it is "entirely within a building," occupies no more than 500 square feet or 25% of the home, keeps no outside storage of materials or equipment (with a single business vehicle as the sole exception), and stays invisible from outside the property. A vehicle-repair operation, with its outdoor work, parts storage, and noise, does not fit inside those limits, and a certificate of occupancy authorizing the specific home occupation is required before operating either way.