5 rules for unincorporated McHenry County, Illinois.
Verified from official government sources
Home occupations are allowed as an accessory, incidental use of a home. In unincorporated McHenry County the operator must live in the dwelling, the business must be conducted entirely indoors, and it cannot alter the residential character of the property. Auto/small-engine repair and ready-made retail sales are prohibited.
McHenry County UDO § 16.56.050(I)
A home occupation is an accessory use, and shall be incidental and secondary to the principal use of the property for residential purposes. ... No home occupation may be conducted outdoors.
Home-business signs are tightly limited so the property still looks residential. In Crystal Lake a home occupation may display only an unlighted name plate or business sign of no more than one square foot. McHenry County allows a home occupation only where its existence is not apparent from outside the
Crystal Lake UDO § 2-400C.3
Signage is restricted to an unlighted name plate or business sign with an overall size of no more than one square foot, per the provisions of Section 4-1000, Signs.
Illinois home kitchen and cottage food operations are legal. Crystal Lake expressly permits them under the state Food Handling Regulation Enforcement Act (410 ILCS 625/1 et seq.), allowing the sale of non-potentially-hazardous foods and direct sale of baked goods, provided the operation meets the home-occupation limited-use standards.
Crystal Lake UDO § 2-400C
Home kitchen operations and cottage food operations, as defined by the Food Handling Regulation Enforcement Act, as amended, are permitted within the City of Crystal Lake. The sale of non-potentially hazardous food by home kitchen operations and by cottage food operations is also permitted.
Small home day cares are allowed as home occupations. In Crystal Lake, home day care for three to eight children is permitted with standards: a fenced outdoor play area of at least 600 square feet, a gated exit at least three feet high, DCFS licensing if applicable, and hours limited
Crystal Lake UDO § 2-400C (Home day care)
All day care uses shall provide a fenced outdoor play area measuring at least 600 square feet in area. The fencing surrounding the play area shall contain at least one gated exit that measures at least three feet in height.
There is usually no standalone 'home occupation license,' but the use must meet the ordinance standards. In unincorporated McHenry County any home occupation must be identified in the property's conditional-use permit application. Crystal Lake allows home occupations as a limited use meeting § 2-400C.3 standards, capped at 20% or 500
McHenry County UDO § 16.56.050(I)(10)
All home occupations conducted on a property or anticipated to be conducted on a property shall be identified in any conditional use permit application.
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