Elmhurst, IL Home Business: Customer Traffic Restrictions (2026)

Sec. 37-3.2 of the DuPage County Zoning Ordinance establishes the test for a permitted Home Occupation in unincorporated DuPage. The use must be "clearly incidental and secondary" to the residential use of the dwelling. In practice this means the occupation is conducted by the residents of the dwelling and creates no perceptible change in the residential character of the property or surrounding neighborhood — no on-site non-resident employees, no customer or client traffic generating parking demand, no commercial deliveries beyond what a typical household receives, no outside storage of business inventory or equipment, and no commercial vehicles parked at the residence beyond a standard personal-use vehicle. Activities that draw visitors to the home (e.g., a beauty shop, retail, repair shop, or instruction classes with regular client appointments) generally fail the "incidental and secondary" test and are not permitted as a home occupation under Sec. 37-3.2. Anyone planning a home-based business in unincorporated DuPage should contact Building and Zoning at (630) 407-6700 before opening.