Lancaster County, NE Home Business: Customer Traffic Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- Participant cap
- 2 persons, deliveries excluded
- Minimum lot size
- 10 acres in the AG district
- Business floor area cap
- 10,000 sq ft across all buildings
- Outside business area cap
- 15,000 sq ft
- Setback for outside activity
- 200 feet from property lines
- Trip limits
- Planning Commission may set daily cap
Summary
An Expanded Home Occupation on Lancaster County acreage caps outside participants at two people, excluding deliveries, and lets the Planning Commission attach a firm cap on daily non-resident trips to and from the business when it approves the special permit, under Zoning Resolution § 13.032.
Except for a Family as defined by this Resolution, no more than two (2) persons participate in the home occupation on the premises. For purposes of Section 13.032, participation shall exclude deliveries. ... A site plan for this special permit shall be approved and followed. The Planning Commission/County Board may establish additional conditions such as hours of business operation, maximum daily non-resident trips to and from the business, as deemed appropriate for compatibility, health, safety and welfare relative to this use and activity.
Full Breakdown
001 allows. Beyond the two-person participant cap, on-site sales are limited primarily to goods grown, manufactured, processed, treated or assembled on the premises, and no more than 50 percent of the residence's floor area may be used for the business when it operates inside the home. Total business floor area across all buildings is capped at 10,000 square feet, and outside work, storage or parking areas are capped at 15,000 square feet, all of it set back at least 200 feet from every property line and visually screened from public streets and neighboring land.
5 tons is allowed on site, with no more than four business vehicles parked outside at once. Critically for customer and visitor traffic, the resolution authorizes the Planning Commission or County Board, in approving the site plan, to establish additional conditions such as hours of business operation and a maximum daily number of non-resident trips to and from the business, tailored to what fits the site and protects neighboring compatibility, health, safety and welfare. That trip cap is set case by case in the special permit rather than fixed county-wide, but the authority to impose it is written directly into the ordinance.
Violations & Fines
An Expanded Home Occupation operating without an approved special permit, or exceeding the participant count, floor-area caps, or a Planning Commission-imposed daily trip limit written into its permit, is out of compliance with Section 13.032 and subject to the Article 13 special permit enforcement and revocation process administered by the Planning Department. The Planning Commission and, on appeal, the County Board retain authority to add, modify or enforce conditions, including hours of operation and trip limits, whenever needed to protect the health, safety and welfare of surrounding property.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many people can work at a home business on Lancaster County acreage?
Can the county limit how many customers visit a home business each day?
Does this rule apply to every home business in the county?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lancaster County
Compare Lancaster County to another location·View the Nebraska home business overview
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