Rock Island County, IL Home Business: Customer Traffic Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- Major occupation
- Customers and 1 employee allowed
- Minor occupation
- No non-resident customers/employees
- Minor traffic cap
- No more than normal residential traffic
- Floor area limit (both tiers)
- 200 square feet
- Delivery limit
- Once a week, no semi-trailers
- Major occupation permit
- Zoning Board of Appeals special use
Summary
Whether customers can visit a home business in unincorporated Rock Island County depends on which of the two home-occupation tiers applies. A major home occupation allows customers and one non-resident employee to come to the house; a minor home occupation bars non-resident customers and employees entirely and cannot generate more traffic than a normal household.
(A) Home occupation, major. MAJOR HOME OCCUPATIONS are home occupations where customers and employees may come to the home and where the occupation: (1) Shall be conducted entirely within a dwelling unit or one accessory structure, and carried on by the inhabitants thereof and one employee not residing on the parcel... (B) Home occupation, minor. MINOR HOME OCCUPATIONS are home occupations which shall not have non-resident customers and employees, and where: ... (8) Shall not create greater vehicle or pedestrian traffic than normal for the district in which it is located, including commercial and general delivery services.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2025 S-1: Supplement contains: Local legislation current through Ord. 2024-12-A, passed 12-17-2024; and State legislation current through 2024 Illinois Legislative Service, Pamphlet #6).
Full Breakdown
047 splits home businesses into major and minor home occupations, and the split turns on customer and employee traffic. Under (A), a MAJOR HOME OCCUPATION is one "where customers and employees may come to the home," conducted entirely within the dwelling or one accessory structure by the residents plus one non-resident employee. Under (B), a MINOR HOME OCCUPATION "shall not have non-resident customers and employees" at all; it must be run solely by the people who live there, with no outside employee and no client visits.
" Major occupations do not get that numeric-feeling traffic ceiling, but they are still bounded by the (A)(7) noise, glare, vibration, and off-street parking requirements, and both tiers cap floor area at 200 square feet and limit commercial deliveries to no more than once a week, never by semi-tractor trailer. 173(B) requires special-use authorization from the Zoning Board of Appeals rather than being allowed by right.
Violations & Fines
Running a client-visiting home business as an unapproved minor home occupation, or exceeding the major-occupation floor area or delivery limits, is a Chapter 154 violation under § 154.999(A): forfeiture of $25 to $200 per offense plus costs, up to 30 days in the County Jail if unpaid, with each day of continued violation a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can customers visit my home business in unincorporated Rock Island County?
Is there a traffic limit for a home business?
Do I need special approval to have clients visit my home office?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Rock Island County
Compare Rock Island County to another location·View the Illinois home business overview
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