5 rules for unincorporated Kootenai County, Idaho.
Verified from official government sources
Kootenai County's Land Use and Development Code (Title 8) allows home occupations as an accessory use in residential and rural zones, provided the business stays clearly incidental to living on the site and meets the home-occupation standards.
Kootenai County LUDC 8.4.501
A home occupation is an occupation, profession, or craft which is clearly incidental to the residential use of a site. Home occupations shall be subject to the following standards.
The county Land Use Code sharply limits residential signs. A name-only sign is allowed in any zone, but a sign carrying a business name or advertising is not permitted in residential and rural zones, so home occupations get essentially no commercial signage.
Kootenai County LUDC 8.4.803(E)
Signs that include only the name of a location, owner or occupant. The name of a business or other information may not be included on this sign.
Idaho lets home cottage-food operations sell non-perishable (non-TCS) foods like baked goods, jams, and honey directly to Idaho consumers without a license or inspection, as long as products carry the required home-kitchen disclosure label.
Idaho Cottage Food Guidance (IDAPA 16.02.19.001.04.i)
Cottage food operations are allowed to distribute non-TCS food items directly to a consumer within Idaho without any regulatory oversight. Cottage food products must include labels (or placards at the sales location) that provide contact information for the operation and clearly state that the food was prepared in a home kitchen that is not subject to regulation and inspection.
A small in-home daycare typically operates as a home occupation under the county Land Use Code, while a larger child-care center is a defined land use permitted only in specific zones with a site plan. State child-care licensing through Idaho Health and Welfare applies separately.
Kootenai County LUDC 8.5.107(A)
8.5.107: CHILD CARE CENTER, PRESCHOOL, OR HEAD START FACILITY: A. Zones Permitted: Agricultural, Rural, Agricultural Suburban, Restricted Residential, High Density Residential.
Kootenai County lets you run a home occupation only within strict limits: it must be run by a resident family member, employ at most one non-resident, use no more than half the main building's floor area, generate no regular customer traffic, and keep all storage indoors.
Kootenai County LUDC 8.4.501(A)-(B)
A. The home occupation shall be conducted by an immediate member of the family residing within the dwelling on the site. B. There shall be no more than one (1) individual employed at the site who does not live in the dwelling on the site.
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