5 rules for unincorporated Lake County, Indiana.
Verified from official government sources
Unincorporated Lake County allows two home-occupation types under UDO 154-9-090: suburban (permitted by right, in the dwelling only, up to the lesser of 1,000 sq ft or 40% of floor area, no customer visits) and rural (special exception, 4.5+ acre lots).
Lake County UDO No. 2560, 154-9-090.F.3
Suburban home occupations must be conducted within the principal dwelling unit and may not exceed the lesser of 1,000 square feet or 40% of the gross floor area of the principal residential dwelling.
Lake County's suburban home occupation rules bar any external change that alters the residential character of the lot and prohibit outdoor display of goods, effectively barring commercial signage. In residential and A-1 districts, only limited nonresidential and identification signs are allowed; cities set their own home-business sign limits.
Lake County UDO No. 2560, 154-9-090.F.5
No goods, stock in trade, or other commodities may be displayed outside a fully enclosed structure.
Indiana lets home based vendors sell non-hazardous homemade foods without a license under IC 16-42-5.3, exempt from food-establishment rules. Every product needs a label with the producer's name and address, ingredients, and the state's home-produced disclaimer. Lake County treats such sales as a home occupation.
IC 16-42-5.3-5(a)(6)
The following statement in at least 10 point type: "This product is home produced and processed and the production area has not been inspected by the Indiana Department of Health. NOT FOR RESALE.".
Indiana licenses family child care homes through FSSA under 470 IAC 3: a Class I home serves up to 12 children and a Class II home serves 13 to 16. In unincorporated Lake County, small child care homes are permitted by right in residential districts.
470 IAC 3-1.3-1
A Class II child care home serves more than twelve (12) children but not more than sixteen (16) full-time and part-time children at any one (1) time.
A suburban home occupation that meets all performance standards is permitted by right in unincorporated Lake County, so no special home-occupation permit is required, though any building permit for construction still applies. A rural home occupation requires special-exception approval from the Board of Zoning Appeals.
Lake County UDO No. 2560, 154-9-090.F.2
At least one individual engaged in a suburban home occupation must reside in the dwelling unit in which the suburban home occupation is located as their primary place of residence. A maximum of one nonresident employee is allowed in conjunction with a suburban home occupation.
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