Home Business in Manitou Springs, CO (2026)
4 verified home business rules for Manitou Springs, Colorado, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Zoning & Home Occupation Permits
Before operating almost any business from a Manitou Springs home, the operator needs a Home Occupation Permit, must live in the dwelling, can use no more than 49 percent of its interior floor area, and can hire at most one employee who lives elsewhere; the standards apply to any home business that isn't the narrow zero-impact or daycare exemption.
Manitou Springs Home Occupation Zoning Standards
Some RestrictionsManitou Springs Municipal Code § 18.04.24.4(C)(1)-(C)(2)(v)
1.Permit Required. A Home Occupation Permit is required prior to the operation of any Home Occupation unless exempted by Section 18.04.24.4(B).2.Operating Standards. The following operating standards shall apply to all Home Occupations unless exempted by Section 18.04.24.4(B).i.Home Occupations shall be in conformance with all applicable laws and regulations of the City.ii.No more than two home...
Signage Rules
A permitted home occupation in Manitou Springs may display exactly one wall or hanging sign on the primary structure, capped at two square feet, and it cannot be lit in any way, whether by exterior floodlight, internal illumination, or neon; zero-impact home activities exempt from the permit process cannot display any sign at all.
Manitou Springs Home Business Sign Rules
Light RestrictionsManitou Springs Municipal Code § 18.04.24.4(C)(2)(viii)
viii.Home Occupations may have one wall or hanging sign affixed to the primary structure. The sign shall be limited to a maximum of two square feet and shall have no exterior, interior or neon lighting.
Customer Traffic Restrictions
A Manitou Springs home occupation can see customers only between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m., a fixed curfew written into the zoning code's operating standards; the only home businesses exempt from any client-visit rule at all are zero-impact activities that receive no visitors or vehicles on the property whatsoever.
Manitou Springs Home Business Client Hours
Some RestrictionsManitou Springs Municipal Code §§ 18.04.24.4(B)(2)(i), 18.04.24.4(C)(2)(xiii)
i.No employees or customers visit or park vehicles on the premises; ... xiii.Customer visits associated with the Home Occupation shall not occur before 8:00 a.m. or after 8:00 p.m.
Home Daycare
A family child care home for two to six children is exempt from Manitou Springs' Home Occupation permit and standards entirely, as long as the daycare operator's own residence is the home where the daycare runs; the outdoor play areas that come with childcare are also expressly allowed.
Manitou Springs Home Daycare Zoning Rules
Few RestrictionsManitou Springs Municipal Code §§ 18.04.24.3(A), 18.04.24.4(B)(1), 18.04.24.4(C)(2)(ix)
A.Defined. A family child care home, as defined in § 26-6-102(4), C.R.S., for two or more but no more than six children. ... 1.Home Daycares are permitted and shall not be regulated as Home Occupations provided that the Home Daycare is also the primary residence of the operator. ... and Daycare Homes may utilize outdoor play areas.
Looking for El Paso County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Manitou Springs city rules.
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