Home Business in Seattle, WA (2026)
4 verified home business rules for Seattle, Washington, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Zoning & Home Occupation Permits
Seattle allows a home occupation outright in every zone as an accessory use to a residence, so no separate zoning approval is required, but SMC 23.42.050 caps it at three vehicles of 10,000 lbs or less, bans outdoor storage and drive-in operations, and requires noise, odor, dust and glare to stay within the property line.
Seattle Home Occupation Permit Standards
Some RestrictionsSeattle Municipal Code § 23.42.050
A home occupation of a person residing in a dwelling unit is permitted outright in all zones as an accessory use to any residential use permitted outright or to a permitted residential conditional use, subject to the following requirements: A.The occupation is clearly incidental to the use of the dwelling unit as a dwelling...E.No outdoor storage is permitted in connection with a home occupatio...
Signage Rules
A Seattle home business may post exactly one sign in a residential zone, and SMC 23.55.020.D.8 caps it at 5 square feet and requires it to be nonilluminated, no backlighting, neon, or electric elements, while SMC 23.42.050.D.3 makes any home occupation sign subject to the full Chapter 23.55 sign code.
Seattle Home Business Sign Size Cap
Some RestrictionsSeattle Municipal Code § 23.55.020(D)(8)
A.Signs shall be stationary and shall not rotate.B.No flashing, changing-image or message board signs shall be permitted.C.No roof signs shall be permitted.D.The following signs are permitted in all neighborhood residential zones:1.Electric, externally illuminated or nonilluminated signs bearing the name of the occupant of a dwelling unit, not exceeding 64 square inches in area;...8.One nonillu...
Customer Traffic Restrictions
Seattle's home-occupation ordinance caps the vehicle traffic a home business can generate rather than counting customers: SMC 23.42.050(G) allows no more than three vehicles tied to the business on site at once, parking is confined to spaces already legal on the lot, and any spillover, including traffic-related noise, can't cross the property line.
Seattle Home Business Traffic & Parking Rules
Some RestrictionsSeattle Municipal Code § 23.42.050(C), (G), (H)
C. Parking of vehicles associated with the home occupation is permitted anywhere that parking is permitted on the lot, including required parking spaces. ... G. A maximum of three passenger vehicles, vans, and similar vehicles, associated with the home occupation, each not exceeding a gross vehicle weight of 10,000 pounds are permitted to be at the home occupation site, independent of commercia...
Home Daycare
Seattle treats a licensed family child care business as a home occupation under SMC 23.42.050, permitted outright in every zone. The code expressly allows an outdoor play area for the program and any interior or exterior alterations required by state child-care licensing or construction codes, on top of the standard home-occupation traffic, parking and spillover limits.
Seattle Home Daycare Zoning Rules
Light RestrictionsSeattle Municipal Code § 23.42.050(B)(3), (D)(2)
A home occupation of a person residing in a dwelling unit is permitted outright in all zones as an accessory use to any residential use permitted outright or to a permitted residential conditional use... B. ...3. Outdoor play areas for child care programs, and outdoor activities customarily incidental to the residential use, are permitted. ... D. Visual evidence of home occupations 1. Interior ...
Looking for King County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Seattle city rules.
Home Business in King County →