Issaquah, WA Home Business: Customer Traffic Restrictions (2026)

Land Use Code § 18.502.120 governs businesses operated in the dwelling unit of the owner or resident. Its own example is a self-employed accountant who receives clients from their home. Adult family homes and family day care centers are exempt, and so are individuals who work remotely when their employer's business street address is not the address where the work takes place.

Trip count: If a home business, by itself, generates 20 vehicular trips per day or less, on-site parking is not required. If it generates more than 20 trips, on-site parking is required. A trip is either the arrival or the departure of a vehicle from the house, so one vehicle making a delivery and then leaving immediately counts as two trips. Home businesses operating in Issaquah Highlands and Talus are not required to provide on-site parking.

No expansion for customers: External alterations that change the character of the residence are prohibited, and the examples include separate entrances for the business operation and parking expansion to accommodate business customers and deliveries. Lighting, color, and materials must conform to those allowed for the primary residential use, and any sign must meet Chapter 18.612 IMC.

Client visits: Any home business that requires in-person client or public visits to the home is subject to additional approval per IMC 18.402.020, Table of permitted uses, and Level 2 review under IMC 18.204.020, Review levels. Uses that generate noise also need that approval. The code lists bed and breakfasts, chiropractors, kennels, home woodshops, and music teachers as examples.

Other caps: The business must use no more than 25 percent of the gross floor area of the residence, allow no outside storage or display, comply with IMC 18.518.020 noise control, keep trash and recycling within the capacity of the residential containers, and stay open to inspection by an authorized City official at all reasonable times. The City can also attach additional conditions, such as extra sound proofing or screening.