Kent County, DE Business Licensing & Operations: Auto Repair on Residential Property (2026)

§ 205-55's HOME OCCUPATIONS definition first sets the general test, an accessory use conducted solely by household members that is clearly incidental to the dwelling, then lists ten specific categories that 'shall not be considered suitable uses for home occupation' regardless of how small the operation is. Item (8) reads 'Service and/or repairs' and breaks that out into three prohibited types: (a) automobile and accessories, (b) watercraft and accessories, and (c) machinery. The same list separately bars antique shops, manufacturing, mortuaries, product distribution centers, watercraft and accessories sales, teaching more than four pupils at a time, and on-premises veterinary services.

Because automobile service and repair is excluded at the definitional level, it cannot be approved as a home occupation in any Kent County zoning district, not the AC or AR agricultural districts, and not RS1, RS5, RM or RMH, where the § 205-53 use table otherwise lets home occupations proceed with administrative or conditional review (PC/C). An operator who wants to run an auto-repair business must instead locate it as a commercial or industrial use under the § 205-58 or § 205-59 use categories, which carry their own site plan, buffering and equipment-enclosure conditions, or seek classification through the Director's NAICS-based review process under § 205-52B.

Wholesale used-car sales offices are treated differently: § 205-68E(14) allows a home-based wholesale auto sales office if it complies with DMV rules and stores no vehicles on-site, but that carve-out covers sales paperwork only, not repair or service work.