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

Section 18.04.060(L)(2)(h) of the Olympia Municipal Code lists the types of uses that are not permitted as home occupations in the City of Olympia, Thurston County, Washington. Item ii on that list is vehicle sales or repair, so a repair business run from a residential address, a garage or a driveway cannot qualify as a home occupation. The list also bars veterinarian, medical and dental offices and clinics, contractors' yards, restaurants and exterminating services.

Several neighboring standards close the remaining gaps. No equipment or material may be stored on any exterior portion of the premises, which rules out parts, tools and vehicles kept in a yard for the business. Home occupations also cannot emit noise, vibration, smoke, dust, odor, heat, glare, fumes, electrical interference, pollutants or waste products detrimental to the environment, public safety or neighborhood, beyond those normally emanating from residential uses. A carport cannot be used for home occupations except for parking, and no structural alteration or exterior modification of the structure is allowed to accommodate the occupation.

The residential district prohibitions in Section 18.04.040(B) add to this. Land uses not listed in Table 4.01 as permitted or conditional are prohibited, uses which customarily create noise, vibration, smoke, dust, glare or toxic or noxious emissions exceeding those typically generated by allowed uses are prohibited in all residential districts, and conversion of residences to a commercial use, not including home occupations, is prohibited in all residential districts except RMU. In the RMU district, motor vehicle sales and service stations are specifically prohibited. Any home occupation that is allowed must still register as a business under Chapter 5.04 OMC and is subject to the Business and Occupation Tax.