5 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 1 city in District of Columbia, District of Columbia.
Verified from official government sources
DC allows home occupations in residential zones under 11 DCMR (Zoning Regulations of 2016) with a Home Occupation Permit (HOP) from the DOB's Zoning Administrator. The business must be in the practitioner's principal residence and compatible with residential character.
DC home occupations are restricted from displaying external signage beyond what zoning regulations allow under 11 DCMR. In most residential zones, no commercial signage is permitted for home businesses to maintain residential neighborhood character.
DC's home occupation regulations under 11 DCMR limit customer visits and employee counts to maintain residential neighborhood character. Tutoring is capped at 5 students at a time. The Zoning Administrator considers cumulative impact of traffic from home businesses.
DC's Cottage Food Act (DC Law 21-263, DC Code section 48-102 et seq.) permits home-based production and sale of non-potentially hazardous foods up to $25,000 annually. Producers must register with DC Health and complete food safety training. Allowed products include baked goods, candies, jams, dried mixes, and roasted coffee. Direct-to-consumer sales only; no shipping or wholesale.
DC licenses home-based child care through the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) under DCMR Title 5-A Chapter 1 and DC Code section 4-401. Home caregivers may serve up to 5 children (child development home) or 6-12 children (expanded home) depending on license tier. Zoning approval plus Basic Business License from DLCP are also required.
1 cities in District of Columbia have their own home business rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
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