Home Business in Tonawanda, NY (2026)
3 verified home business rules for Tonawanda, New York, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Zoning & Home Occupation Permits
Code § 215-24.13 lets Town of Tonawanda residents run a home occupation, but only as a use clearly incidental and secondary to the dwelling, owned and operated by a full-time resident, and open only between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. The Town Board built the standard around preserving neighborhood character while allowing professional work from home.
Home Occupation Zoning Standards in Tonawanda
Some RestrictionsTown of Tonawanda Code § 215-24.13
§ 215-24.13. Home occupations. A. Purpose. The purpose of regulating home occupations is to provide residents with the opportunity to conduct professional office or administrative uses within their home, while still preserving the value and character of the neighborhood. ... ... D. General regulations. (1) The home occupation must be clearly incidental and secondary to the use of the residentia...
Customer Traffic Restrictions
The Town of Tonawanda caps in-person business at home occupations under Code § 215-24.13.D(6): no more than one patron may be served at a time, a limit the chapter carves out only for licensed home day-care centers under § 215-24.10. The same subsection restricts outside staff to a single nonresident employee.
Home Occupation Client Limits in Tonawanda
Some RestrictionsTown of Tonawanda Code § 215-24.13.D(6)
D. General regulations. ... (5) No more than one employee shall be permitted that is a nonresident of the dwelling. (6) No more than one patron shall be served by the home occupation at one time, except for home day care centers as permitted by § 215-24.10.
Home Daycare
In the Town of Tonawanda, Code § 215-24.10.E lets a resident run a day-care center as a home occupation, but only if the use also satisfies every general home-occupation standard in § 215-24.13. Section 215-24.10.A separately requires state and county day-care licensing before the Town recognizes the use at all.
Home Day Care Zoning Rules in Tonawanda
Some RestrictionsTown of Tonawanda Code § 215-24.10.E
§ 215-24.10. Day-care centers, child and adult. A. No day care shall be permitted without obtaining the proper license and registration, as required by NYS and Erie County Law. ... ... E. Day care centers may be conducted as a home occupation, provided such use is in also in conformance with § 215-24.13.
Looking for Erie County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Tonawanda city rules.
Home Business in Erie County →